Bad news for folks hoping a pre-order would save them from that yearly
camp out in front of their local Apple Store: iPhone 3G S pre-orders have sold out, and folks who are making new pre-orders are being told that they'll have to wait up to two weeks to get a phone. AT&T customers who do already have pre-orders in still have to line up at 7AM to nab a phone, but at least they've got a guaranteed slot if they show up, while the rest of the world will have to battle over remaining stock when Apple Stores open at 8AM and AT&T stores open to general customers at the same time. Looks like we might get a good riot or two out of this.
Update: AT&T just pinged us to clarify that it's still accepting pre-orders, but not for delivery on the 19th, and online pre-orders will be shipped directly to your home, so you actually don't have to hit up a store at all. But what fun is that?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
posted Jun 13th 2009 2:12PM
Yay sheeple... *shakes head*... People here line up for a phone, while elsewhere they line up for rice... such a weird world we live in...
nokia n97 ftw
@brokensticks, you can't be more right
@Kevin Did you read the n97 review on bgr? And most other sites? It's trash! Nokia can not compete in the touch screen market.
I waited in line for my 3G nearly 3 hours before the store opened. Just makes it kind of fun. Plus free coffee and doughnuts. But I'm willing to bet iPhone 3G S will sell more then the Pre did it's opening weekend ;)
While averaging 9K credit card debt per household in this country, I am surprise people are willing to waste money like that in this tough economy.
Amen brokensticks -
For Food: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/nyregion/20food.html
For Medical Care: http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jan/25/na1fcfreeclinics25/
And finally, people line up for work: http://www.propublica.org/feature/unemployment-insurance-is-not-working-603
Get serious people. It's just a freakin phone!
The figleaf your displeasure hides behind has more to do with the fact that this is about Apple than about righteous indignation. Whose intelligence do you think you're foolin'? Keep swingin', Sparky.
is it possible that there are soo many losers in this world? or better in this country. SAD
wow this is crazy. just update to the new software 3.0 the phone is not that much different.
@ Kevin: Yeah N97 kicks that stupid iphone's ass not only is the camera mega pixel is so outdated but its a cheap third grade manufacture outsourced from Taiwan majority of the high end smartphones in the market are providing Carl Zeiss.
Sorry but we are talking about a p-h-o-n-e. When I need photos, I use DSLR. And please, don't use this dirty word - "megapixels". It's like comparing books by the number of letters.
Correction, those of you who pre-ordered on AT&T's website will have your phones sent to your homes (billing address), and you do not have to wait in any lines. Thought I would clarify that for everyone.
I manage our corporate account and lines for the IT department, and I was able to go in via Premier and order two 3GS's as upgrades to existing lines...
so perhaps pre-orders for general consumers are sold out? but not corporate accounts?
Wow, I wonder if anyone remembers that there's a recession going on in this country...
Yes the way to fix a recession is to stop buying things.
Well, spending/borrowing more than you can afford sure isn't going to fix it, IMO.
Just upgrade the software when the jailbreak is out ,no more money for apple they already got enough from me
I would of pre-ordered 1 if AT&T was actually allowing MMS and Tethering. Oh well! I guess i'll have to wait til "summer".
that's "late" summer.
its great too see people over coming the recession
Should I buy my iphone 3GS from an apple store or an AT&T store? (this will be my first iphone)
it doesnt matter.
they are both the same.
get one from the apple store... they generally have more in stock... and work for a respected company rather than a shitty one.
why give an at&t store the sale when apple could have it all?
I just don't see paying all that money for that phone. Also the monthly bill is ASTRONOMICAL! No wonder this country is going broke payin' an average of $120 a month for a stupid phone and crappy service. Iphone data plan 30 bucks and texting another 20 dollars plus the regular minute plan 69.99 to start. That's a load of BS. Sprint is way cheaper and I have no complaints with them. Its time to get fiscally responsible.
we don't even have a single line $69.99 rate plan
...AT&T's plans start at 69.99 INCLUDING data, and 20 dollars for unlimited text messaging. That means it's 90 bucks for 450 minutes, 5000 nights/weekends, UNL Data and TXT Messaging. That's good enough for me - not the best price out there, but average enough to maintain.
I've been waiting for different phone for almost 6 months now and it looks like I'll have to wait another month or so before I finally get it. With the announcement of the iPhone 3G [S] (?) only a week before the device is actually available, it almost feels like it's coming out too soon. Everyone had to wait til July last year. So an extra week or two shouldn't be that bad, considering it was only last week that Apple confirmed many of the rumors.
People are really gonna line up to "upgrade" to an iPhone that has new features that aren't yet implemented?
MMS on hold, Video on hold and where does AT&T have their HSDPA network up and running?
Is 1mp more and the CPU worth it?
Not all of us original iPhone users felt the need when the 3G iPhone came out. I've had my original iPhone over 2 years now. For me this will be a huge upgrade!
my head dropped.....
2 major improvement of iPhone S
autofocus cam
better CPU
you think Verizon is kicking themselves in the butt right now?
yes.
would be funny if those same people line up again for the 3gs. who knows maybe they'll bring their kids.
Good news for Apple!
I have the 3G and have been contemplating on either the 3GS or even just grab the HTC Touch Pro 2, because specs wise it's the same but a Windows device
well i pre-ordered my 3GS last thursday from apple.... so i wouldn't have to wait at the att store..... just gonna stay in front of my apt waiting for the main in brown. lolz. or purple... depending on either UPS or FedEx. haha
For those of you wanting to preorder online and still receive the iPhone by the 19th, order from Apple's Online Store. I ordered one yesterday and was guaranteed a phone on/by June 19th. Of course, I will be out of town until Sunday, so it won't matter to me. But either way, I can't wait to increase my storage capacity from my old 4GB First Gen iPhone to 32GB.... Two years went by quickly!
I got the first iPhone a couple of says after launch. I decided to "experience" the line thing last year and arrived 3 hours before opening at my local AT&T store. I got the last black 16Gig phone the store had that morning. This year I pre-ordered a 16Gig black 3G S from AT&T the day they were available so hopefully my phone will be here on Friday.
Why does Engadget and iPhone Blog website both say that "even those with pre-ordered phones from AT&T better show up at 7am to get their phones" ? That is pure BS. The "pre-ordered" phones from AT&T are actually direct fulfillment orders with names already assigned to the phones. They have repeatedly said at AT&T, that you have 7 days to pick them up from the time they are received.
By the way, I too agree that it is JUST A FREAKIN PHONE and in the scheme of the economy and hungry, homeless people, it is sad to see lines of people camping out for the phone.
wait.. can i preorder online at apple or at&t and go pick it up at the store instead of having it delivered?
Every person who keeps saying that the 3GS isn't much different than the 3G needs to head over to Anandtech. They have written an in-depth article on the MAJOR hardware upgrade that is coming with the 3GS. People need to wake up and realize that the really important stuff is on the INSIDE of the device. The first-gen iPhone and the 3G are running on hardware that can barely keep up with what Apple is trying to accomplish in the software. The 3GS is built with the latest top of the line hardware, and will be capable of anything they can throw at it for the next couple of years. This includes new games that will rival anything Sony and Nintendo can run on their hand-helds.
I guess the complainers would be happier with the same old internal hardware, but a new matt-black case with a front facing camera. Yeah, that would be "much" better.
That's a pretty bold statement considering no on knows what phones and software are going to look like in a couple of years (Moore's Law, anyone?).
Also, hate to break it to you, but from a technology perspective the iPhone never was and still isn't cutting edge. Neither hardware, nor OS feature-wise. (not dissing the device - just making an observation)
Ok, did you go read the article at Anandtech? It is pretty obvious you didn't. Because it details the fact that the CPU and GPU in the 3GS are in fact "cutting edge" by today's smartphone standards.
As far as my statement that the 3GS will be able to handle anything they throw at it for the next couple of years, let me re-phrase that:
The 3GS will be FAR MORE CAPABLE of handling anything they want to throw at it THAN the 1st gen or 3G iPhone over the next couple of years. If your counter-argument is that the 3GS will not be powerful enough in two years, how do you think the older iPhones will fare at that time?
Not trying to start an argument. Just pointing out the fact that the new iPhone is a major improvement over the last gen phones. Regardless of how many people are whining that it "looks the same".
Maybe Apple can design a car in California, have it assembled in China, and then have GM Dealers sell it exclusively! People would line up for the Apple iCar!
Who the FUCK puts a high end camera on a damn cellphone?!!!
Megapix is nothing but a bell and whistles gimmick. Every phone maker is upping the count to lure the consumer to a new phone. That is the business mind set.
So,unless you have some serious optics on a camera phone it is nothing but a damn joke.
And some of you can cheer on Nokia all you want. They are successful, sure cause they glut up the market with cheap ass phones and the end user is a careless bastard that keeps losing or breaking them.
Ever read one of those articles that's even more confusing after the clarification? This is one of them. Okay, I thought "pre-orders" were online orders. So is a "pre-order" a walk-in at the retail store, then you show back up on launch day at 7 am? I pre-ordered online on June 11. My order was accepted. Do I wait for home delivery on the 19th or do I wait in line at 7 am on launch day? It's a shame the writers couldn't use English to explain the different scenarios more clearly. Say Pre-order, then clarify pre-order. Say sold out, then clarify sold out. Say wait, then clarify the wait. ridiculous.