Finally, after more than two hours of trying, I was able to access the site adequately. The Apple online store illustrated that Apple would ship the iPhone4 pre-order and that it would be delivered to me on launch day, June 24th, 2010.
Next, I was able to verify my upgrade eligibility through AT&T to purchase the 32 GB phone at the subsidized price of $299.00. The home stretch was in site! However, my hopes were quickly dashed. Although Apple specifically showed me before I began the process that they would ship me the device. The final page of the checkout said that I would instead need to pick it up at the local Apple Store on launch day. I cancelled the order.
I'm a satisfied user of the iPhone 3GS, and I also owned and enjoyed using the iPhone 3G before it. I've been to those product launches at the local Apple Stores. When the chance to avoid the carnival-like atmosphere and crowds of launch day were presented, I was excited. After having to try countless times to get to through the purchase, I was presented with an option I did not want. I did not want to wait in line for hours for a product I had already paid for and that initially I was shown that would be shipped to my door.
This evening, I saw a Twitter post from Tekzilla host and former TechTV host Patrick Norton that mentioned he was able to pre-order the phone for pickup in his local Apple Store on launch day. He received an confirmation email with the subject: "Thanks for reserving your iPhone. It will be here June 24th." However, he mentioned that the fine print in that email reads. "No guarantee of iPhone availability at Apple Store, "iPhone is sold on a first-come, first-served basis."
What's the deal here? I find myself thinking of an old Seinfeld episode in which Jerry quips to a car rental clerk... "You see, you know how to 'take' the reservation, you just don't know how to 'hold' the reservation. And that's really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them."
As a whole... not a good pre-order experience for I am guessing a large number of customers.
I'd love to hear from those that pre-ordered on their experiences.
