Apple suggesting you head into a store if things aren't working out online
By Chris Ziegler 
posted June 15th 2010 2:51PM
posted June 15th 2010 2:51PM
Update: Seems folks have been seeing this message intermittently since the wee hours -- first time we've seen it here, but then again, we've seen no fewer than five or six unique failure modes today. Quite a sight.
Phew. Glad I got my order in amid all the hubbub.
@mlayer
Me, too. I had to go through AT&T's website, but I got my confirmation number and am looking forward to getting my iPhone 4 next Thursday!
Glad I didn't bother trying. I'll get one when I get one.
Hahahahahahahaa
EPIC FAIL
@potretr
"Oh, to be tapped into the conference call going on between Apple's and AT&T's server tech teams right now! "
Sure if you want to improve on your cuss vocabulary!
@mlayer
They need more Windows 2008 R2 x64 servers running IIS 7, like a true business.
@html5FLOP
Right, because OS X isn't based on unix or anything. Are you always this stupid?
@Jack
Guess what, the web doesn't run on OSX.. It runs on web servers, apache and IIS mainly.. and since most businesses in the world use Windows machines, well you get the point.
@mlayer
I got 1 upgrade in but when I tried to do the second, I got that error.
@mlayer
I honestly think Apple doesn't prep their systems for the pre-orders just to make the demand seem higher to people trying to get the newest iPhone, seeing as it happens every year.
@tklr08 Just one of Apple's marketing tricks, look all the free publicity. Works every time.
@machat AT&T is pretty impressive. They never cease to find new ways to suck.
AT&T Rethink Impossible ..........
Steve u should' ve Listened !! Get off that Telco!
@JWCole thank you so much for saying next thursday! The 24th sounds so terrible. Gah, I ordered mine the second the store went online this morning...
@mlayer had to order 2 for my wife and I was a shitty day on the net going from app store app to apple to AT&T and back but finally paid off and got the 16 and 32 for myself
@mlayer
I'm going on 24 hours and have yet to place my order. This is getting ridiculous. As if I needed more reason to hate AT&T...
@html5FLOP Even though the world does run mostly on Windows machines (as Desktop computers), and a lot use local Windows servers for Exchange, 80% of the internet is powered by Linux/Unix.
I know it because i work in IT industry (web development, server management and hosting). And have been working for the past 10 years.
@bathellfire Yea its true I know that too even though I don't work in IT at all.
Also a lot of game servers run on Linux as well as most of the www but Microsoft made big improvements and they actually got some market share back and now a lot more servers just run Windows Server and they don't even bother with Linux/Unix.
If you look at trends it sure looks like Microsoft is winning at the moment. At least the fact that Linux is opensource we can always expect it to be on the same level with Microsoft.
ps: iphone 4 ftw
@bathellfire
Check wiki pedia and google, you are dead wrong son. It is very easy to prove what market share Unix/linux has vs IIS - these are stats that I make up. Just do some research.
Linux has around 55-60 %
IIS has around 25%
OS X has none.
Epic fail
@bighap or epic success leading to epic failure?
@d0mth0ma5
Epic fail for AT&T once the mass exodus to Verizon is possible.
@James T Kirk 12 months plus then?
@d0mth0ma5
Probably, but it still can't come soon enough. As soon as it's possible, I'm beaming these AT&T bitches on board with less than a minute left on the self-destruct timer.
@James T Kirk I thought you weren't meant to interfere with Primitive societies...
@bighap -- "Epic fail"
It's always a terrible thing when TOO MANY people try to purchase your products...
@Michael Scrip It's a terrible thing when you haven't properly load tested your servers when all those people are trying to purchase your products that you fail to be able to sell them those products. Right now it's impossible for me to pre-order an iPhone. I can't use Apple's website or store because I have the wrong account type. I can't use the AT&T store because I can't get away from work long enough to wait in line behind the 40 people that are standing around there with pissed off looks on their faces, and the AT&T Business store online isn't offering any iPhones for sale because of some IT goof-up. So yeah, my phone is off contract, and it's looking like I won't be able to pre-order one and thus likely have to wait several weeks for them to get in stock. In the mean time, my phone is off contract so I'll have no ETF, and there are many very nice Android phones available on other carriers that have much better records so far as dropped calls and network availability.
Let the blame game begin!
Pretty sure no one's going to doubt it was AT&T's fault (whether it actually WAS or not).
I'm starting to think that they just shut down there computers and pretend they are over capacity. this happens too often :P
@corylulu Then stick an extra zero on those end of quarter numbers to keep up the charade.
Sweet. I actually succeeded this morning with my order online. I feel so happy with myself... now I just need to find a wookie to kill and my day will be complete!
@Stewie Vader
Huh?!
Oh, I get it... you are the KIRF!
@Stewie Vader
You misspelled "Wookiee." Try a different act.
But in his defense, I once had a T-shirt with Chewie sitting at the holo chess table, and it said "Let The Wookie Win." It was officially licensed Star Wars merchandise, and it had "wookiee" misspelled. Nice, huh?
@Smart People Play Tuba
Only a Yoda playing the tuba would know. At least that's what it looks like from here. :)
@arrgh
Hence my user name.
Didn't Sprint have technical difficulties when 150,000 EVOS were activated on launch day?
I'm not so sure this writer knows what he is talking about. I got that exact same screen several times, and I still was able to (eventually) place my pre-order after seeing it. Just keep trying and you'll eventually get it. I was able to get 2 iPhones preordered today, one on two different Apple IDs with 2 different existing phone lines.
@Spiderguy84 Ditto for me. Saw that screen and many timeouts and error screens, but finally slipped through and was able to order one for delivery. For any of those out there on FAN accounts (you know who you are), it worked just fine through Apple. Which surprised me after the last two years trying.
@Spiderguy84 Cuz if you didn't have a problem, then nobody did right? I spent literally hours trying. Got up at 1 am PST and tried for an hour or so. Tried again at 7 am PST. Then at 8:30. Then sporadically from 9-12. Then again while travelling today at various airports. Probably tried 200 times total. Saw lots of different failure modes and never once got an order in. Made it to the picture of the black 32GB phone saying "you qualify" quite a few times but that's it. Just now got it through, at 6pm PST. Jeez. And looks like I won't see it till July 6th-8th.
So, for those of us who were holding out for a white one, no harm done.
I wonder if this is Engadgets fault for running their "How to pre-order iPhone 4" article yesterday with "update: third-party retailers best avoided". Maybe this drove everyone to Apple site and crashed it?
@ResidentEVO I dunno but I'm happy I stuck with Best Buy. Took me 5 minutes to preorder my phone. Only 3 other folks in front of me.
so... i was able to pre-order one from best buy... i white 32gb. I wonder how that will go...
@ivanova1011
I thought the white ones weren't available for pre-order. You sure you didn't get swindled into taking a black one?
@Smart People Play Tuba
no... they had a paper with the option to choose a black 16 or 32 or a white 16 or 32. they told me i would get a call when my phone arrives so im keeping hopes up
@ivanova1011 lady at the best buy i preordered at said "white is a 50/50 shot of arriving in white on launch after an official statement by apple saying end of the summer for white was released" but yeah, i saw the paper... i think people that picked white at best buy are in for some major oops-age
@ivanova1011 So they had a paper that said white or black and they said they'll call you when it comes in? That's not a pre-order, that's an old-school waiting list. I wouldn't expect that call on or ever near the 24th.
@oops
well i got an iphone 3g, i had it for 2 years now, i think i could wait......or not..... :S
@ivanova1011
will not be available till summer lol