AT&T suspends iPhone 4 pre-orders altogether, says they were ten times 3GS' numbers
By Chris Ziegler 
posted June 16th 2010 11:45AM
posted June 16th 2010 11:45AM
AT&T just kicked things up another notch, going from a launch day pre-order sellout for the iPhone 4 to... well, a total pre-order sellout. The carrier has announced this morning that it's "suspending pre-ordering today in order to fulfill the orders we've already received," saying only that it will resume the pre-order process when it can wrap its brain around the "additional inventory" it'll have on hand. It's hard to gauge where this lies on the truth / hype meter, but for what it's worth, they're saying that pre-orders outstripped the 3GS by a factor of ten, and eligibility checks were three times higher than the previous one-day record. Or... you know, maybe they just don't want any more information falling into the wrong hands until they can figure things out. Follow the break for AT&T's full statement.
"iPhone 4 pre-order sales yesterday were 10-times higher than the first day of pre-ordering for the iPhone 3G S last year. Consumers are clearly excited about iPhone 4, AT&T's more affordable data plans and our early upgrade pricing.
Given this unprecedented demand and our current expectations for our iPhone 4 inventory levels when the device is available June 24, we're suspending pre-ordering today in order to fulfill the orders we've already received.
The availability of additional inventory will determine if we can resume taking pre-orders.
In addition to unprecedented pre-order sales, yesterday there were more than 13 million visits to AT&T's website where customers can check to see if they are eligible to upgrade to a new phone; that number is about 3-times higher than the previous record for eligibility upgrade checks in one day.
We are working hard to bring iPhone 4 to as many of our customers as soon as possible."
Its kinda hilarious to see the fandroids post stuff like "I'm a bit skeptical about those numbers they posted" blah blah blah...have you SEEN how many iPhones are out there on the street? This is COMPLETELY believable, lol...iPhone is the bomb.com and they're for sure going to sell a HELL of a lot more than 600k phones when it comes down to it. So, get on your little (or not so little if you have an EVO) android phone and thank Apple for their innovation that Google COPIED so that you can have something to complain about...because fandroid....we all know that you want an iPhone. Thats WHY you got an android phone homie.
@iamjasonc I have to say though I have seen more EVO's recently which is good for Android. I mean at least you can notice them now.
@kyphem
you can't help but notice em with the huge screen
@iamjasonc if I wanted an iPhone I'd have an iPhone...doesn't make sense to want an iPhone then spend 566.03 (here in NJ) for a Nexus One...
I think the iPhone is a great phone software and hardware wise, but I cannot get behind Apple...and though my little cash is chump change to Apple, it's whatever...
I'm glad there cutting it off, I'm going to be pissed if I don't get my phone on the 24th.
Luckly I preordered mine yesterday afternoon!
So relieved!!
Epic fail nevertheless. They should have been expecting this increase in volume.
My god, all of you AT&T haters need to seriously shut up.
You think AT&T has god powers? Some people these days have no patience. I'm pretty certain AT&Ts servers are pretty good considering they're handling 600,000 orders plus a couple thousand others checking to see if they are eligible to upgrade all in one day. AT&T has enough on their plate with upgrading their network which I'm sure they are doing in order to keep up with the new iPhone 4s. Why should AT&T need to upgrade their Account Servers just because of one day? That'd be wasted power. Wouldn't you want them to be concentrating on your cellular quality that you have to deal with daily instead of bitching that you can't pre-order one day?
Sprint's systems couldn't handle 40K and I'm suppose to be mad etc cause ATT served up 600K? think some people and the site staff need a little perspective. It's not amusing dissing a company that is just having success. No one could have handled yesterday. Save youer crap for when its really needed.
They didn't get as many 3GS orders because no one who got a 3G was eligible for the discount pricing on the 3GS.
For those of you who pre-ordered at Best Buy here's the most recent info: http://forums.bestbuy.com/t5/Mobile-Phones-Mobile-Broadband/iPhone-4-Pre-order-FAQ/td-p/117476
"Consumers are clearly excited about iPhone 4, AT&T's more affordable data plans and our early upgrade pricing."
The iPhone 4 yes, and probably the early upgrade pricing... but I don't think anyone's excited about AT&T's limited data plans. Nice try though.
'Ship by July 14th'.
:(
I should've ordered when it was still '...by July 2'.
now I'll have to brave the early lines. ftl.
apple is taking pre orders shipping july 15
I love how people point fingers as if they know why problems occur. AT&T is a great carrier and the iPhone is an amazing product. High demand on such a sought after phone can cause this hysteria for anyone. Verizon would've had the same problem if they carried a phone that was worth a crap.
What's the sense of having an iPhone when you have a data cap limit?
@BrookLynnsFinest
12 attempted suicides at Foxconn, but I'm sure the pressure of building the iPhone 4 had nothing to do with that...
Slavery produced the iPhone.