This morning at 3 AM EST, Apple and Verizon opened up iPhone 4 pre-orders for existing Verizon customers.
I was up a few minutes after the launch, and ordered my phone within 8 minutes or so, and ran into no problems with the online Apple Store. However, according to iLounge editor-in-chief Jeremy Horwitz, not everyone has been so lucky:
Attempts to order the iPhone 4 through Verizon Wireless’s web site failed for more than five hours, as some customers who attempted to sign in to the ordering page were presented with a broken “Sorry, an error has occured” page, promising to get “this fixed as soon as we can.” Other customers reported successes in ordering only after extended problems with the site; one noted that “Verizon’s web site was a disaster” with an early-morning order taking an hour to get placed. Separately, some customers attempting to order the iPhone 4 through Apple’s online Apple Store website were presented with inaccurate information denying their eligibility to pre-order the phone, despite confirmations from Verizon that they were in fact eligible.
This, of course, isn’t anything new. During the iPhone 3G launch (with MobileMe in tow), Apple retail stores and AT&T activation servers crumbled under the load. The 3Gs and 4 launches were better, but still not without hitches.
Have you ordered an iPhone 4 today? Have plans to? Let us know how it goes for you in the comments below!
