[ATX]

Apple should have released the v2.0 software for both iPhone and iPod touch two days or so before the iPhone 3G launch. So dat current users could download earlier to avoid a bottleneck. Wonder who's stupid idea to row out everything on the same day. What a bomb a.k.a. PR disaster for Apple.

[Daren_Mitchell]

"Dale Larson, a mobile consultant, was among those who waited in line in June 2007 to be among the first to get an original iPhone. This time around, with the iPhone 3G’s release, he was first—at least among the 350 or so people who were lined up Friday morning at Apple’s flagship store on Stock Street."



Er, that's Stockton Street.

[ThePodgineer]

Blessed day indeed. I happen to find myself in Namibia Africa working with students on a podcast project and needed a tech fix from Apple. I was successful in updating my first-gen iPhone with only minimal lag time due to the server issues. The initial install went perfectly but then hung due to access issues to the iTunes Store. However, a short time later with a healthy dose of patience and access was granted - wahoo - the update completed and now I'm enjoying the fruits of a job well done Apple! Considering I'm way down under from my AT&T plan using a local Namibian carrier I would have to say I'm very pleased even with a few hiccups.
People need to have some patience and common sense with such a role out! What did people expect? I can take a few deep breaths and realize that I'm one out of several million people trying to get the same update all at the same time. Holy cow - what a task!!!! Be fair Apple - don't whine because you feel you you've been gypped. Relax

[Bernardinho]

The o2 problems in UK worked to my advantage as there was still one iphone left for me when I finished work at 5pm! They admitted that without the software crash they would have sold out straight away in the morning but doing everything manually slowed the whole enterprise down. My new iphone 3g got set up fine at home with itunes this evening and the games I bought and tried out yesterday on the 2.0 software on the old iphone are loaded up and work in the 3g iphone, it uses the same sim card. (I wondered about the software being tied to one device...)

[bigtim013]

Well when you live in the middle of BF Egypt, I would expect that. Congratulations!!

[KenKlinger]

Wow--so sorry SO many good folks have gone through all they have to get their hands on the 3G, mainly because I had enough headaches in the privacy of my own home, dealing with the error (-4) fun! After buying mine in January only to run back to the Apple store to return it and pay the restocking fee so I could have the 16-gigger, I just can't see how FIFTY percent of iPhoners are planning on upgrading already! After hearing all the sales numbers forcasted, I can only imagine the deluge of 'dated' iPhones on eBay, and what they're going to sell for... Me? I'm waiting a year at least -- I need a new flux-capacitor first in order to go back to the future... I wonder if Oprah has an iPhone on a long staff to go with her crown? She, and the iPhone are going to go down in history as religions I think! :-) OOooommmmmm....

[kyle988]

I was early (6AM) at the AT&T store in Hickory, NC. the person in front of me got the last iPhone. I contemplated heading to the Apple Store in Charlotte, but it was 90 minutes away and had hundreds in line there, so I opted for AT&Ts "Direct fulfillment" option. I Paid for the phone and they will ship it to the store and hold it for me until I come to activate it.
FYI about 75 people in line at 8:00 and then the manager came out gave us water and broke the news that their shipment had not arrived so they only had 40 phones. Lots of upset people to say the least.

[SimpleBeep]

I have loved Apple all my life. They clearly make the best computers. The iPhone came out, and I was thrilled (but got an iPod Touch, as I don't want a cellphone); it made me love Apple even more. Same story with Leopard.
It seems, though, that lately there have been bugs in Apple products that they are none too quick to fix. From the Leopard firewall to another round of activation delays, they act aloof, as if to say, "We don't have to fix these things. We know you depend on our products, and you'll still use them in the end."
But these delays and horrible misallocations of server resources...
I never thought I'd say this, but...
I HATE APPLE.
...as a company. If they didn't still have the best computers in the world, I would renounce the corporation entirely. That's the problem: I depend on their products, and will still use them in the end.

[douglas_goodall]

I went to the Apple store in San Luis Obispo with the intention of buying an iPhone 16GB for myself and an 8GB for my sister and father. The first sign of trouble was when I was informed that there was a problem selling me an iPhone because I had an AARP discount on my existing ATT cellular family plan. If I wanted to proceed with the purchasing process, I had to give that up permanently. The 10% wasn't that big a deal so I agreed with an ATT rep on the phone to give up my discount. Then I was informed that I wasn't eligible for the upgrade because I had 2 weeks remaining on my current contact. In a moment of silliness I agreed to pay full price $499. Then I tried to upgrade my sister's phone. This seemed to go through at $199 but there was a problem about the phone number. She was given a new number, even though this was supposed to be an upgrade. Again we called ATT on the phone and thought we straightened this out with a rep that said she fixed the phone number. Feeling good, we went ahead and upgraded my father too. Again we called to fix his number but this time they indicated that they couldn't do that. Then it came to light that my father and sister weren't eligible for upgrades because they have some months of contract remaining on their old phones, and the reason the transactions went through ok at $199 was because instead of upgrading the existing lines, ATT had simply sold us two more lines. So now I had 5 phone lines activated for three people, and the old numbers could not be assigned to the iPhones because when you use the $199 upgrade, you don't get to keep your old phone number. You have to pay full price for that. So to fix this situation I had to either cancel the old numbers and pay 2 x $175 early termination fees, and lose our old numbers, or return the two phones, and buy new ones at full price in order to keep our old numbers. But by that time the store had sold out of 8GB units so I would have had to pay $499 each for my father and sister's new phones. At this point I was looking at about two thousand dollars for the phones, and apple care and some accessories. I decided to blow the whole thing off and return everything. The store salesperson understood I wasn't ready to pay full price x 3 for 16GB phones, so he backed out all the transactions. Then we called AT+T to cancel the new lines and make sure they weren't going to charge me for the activations. That being done, I discovered my old Motorola Razor was now complaining about an unregistered SIM. It seems when my old number was transfered to the now returned iPhone, it torched the sim in the razor, and the phone is bricked until I go buy a new sim card. Also I no longer have my 10% AARP discount, which I may not be able to get back ever. So, two hours of driving, three hours in the store, a lost discount, a bricked cellphone, and I drove home feeling somewhat depressed. When I arrived home, my Sister said I made the right choice, but having been attached to bringing home three iPhones, it will take me a while to see this with any perspective. I will be able to upgrade in two weeks but my sister and father got stuck with two year contracts when we added them to the family plan early last year, and they will have to wait until May of 2009 to get the upgrade deal. FWIW YMMV. Maybe we just don't need iPhones that badly. We already had perfectly good cell phones and iPod touches.

[SimpleBeep]

veggiedude said:

Has anyone been able to upgrade their iPod Touch to the 2.0 software yet?

Nope, sorry mate.

Apple has nearly committed suicide with this whole thing. They may have gotten the iPhones working, but what about us iPod Touch users? Back burnered with a $10 fine on top; real professional.

[SimpleBeep]

Terrance said:

Still, it's a planetary launch of new software, a new device, and a service conversion from .mac to mobileme. An ambitious implementation for simultaneous deployment by a single company. Has it been done before?

I'm only glad I'm not one of the staff on the floor taking the heat for the glitches. It must be a madhouse for Apple IT.

Onward!
Terrance

I agree that it must be hell at Apple right now...

But you'd think they'd be smart enough to stagger these releases a bit. It wouldn't take someone with a middle-school education to figure that out!

[SimpleBeep]

Crap indeed.

[louielu12]

Oh, jeez, that is ridiculous! AT&T has such a great customer support system...

I don't blame Apple since there was basically nothing they could do, and the employees just learned the system that morning or the night before.

[douglas_goodall]

I just was able to do it.