O2 iPhone pre-orders not going well

O2, the sole provider of the iPhone in the UK, sent out emails and text messages to its customers offering to send them the new 3G handset to arrive on Friday, the worldwide launch date.

Figuratively billions of people wrote us to say that the site was crushed under the load of people trying to purchase the iPhone 3G. Moreover, O2 very quickly sold out of the 16GB model, leaving only the 8GB version on offer. Now, O2's website says that all models of the iPhone 3G are "currently out of stock online."

Customers are encouraged to "come back on 10 July for more information." Instead, many are participating in an Apple Discussions thread about it. From the responses in the thread, it appears that a few people were actually able to complete the purchase process, but are waiting for a confirmation email.

In other O2 news, the company announced that Pay & Go plans for iPhone 3G will be available "later this year."

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!