iPhone/iPod Touch Thread

[Deckard]

Just on hold to O2 as I cant get upgrade online as the shop is down

[teamonkey]

CPW's shop went down for me before I could order too. I ran across to the shop and they said that you couldn't pre-order contract iPhones online (lie - you can but you need to pick it up in store) but that they will "reserve" one for me on Friday (probably another lie). I would go to O2 but I'm hearing that the situation is no better, even for those with existing O2 contracts. I'm just going to wander in on Friday morning and if they don't have my phone, sod 'em.

[WiteWulf]

O2 stopped taking pre-orders at about 09:00, apparently, when their computer system went into meltdown.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/07 ... e_upgrade/

[Al]

I believe they've been taking orders all day (several people here have successfully ordered them - as I got into the office at 9am someone was just completing their order) it's just that their site has been rather up and down with all the demand. 16Gb is no longer available on their online shop, but a colleague sat behind me has just (apparently) successfully ordered an 8Gb.

O2's upgrade service is totally fucked and despite many attempts (I have 25 'activation code' SMS messages and counting - you need to generate a new one for each attempt) I've failed to get anywhere near the end of the process without it barfing. So looks like I'm going to get shafted by a variant of brand-new-customers-only syndrome

[Al]

Finally managed to put an apparently successful upgrade request in through a fall back web page form - I'd seen this fall back page several times before, but every previous time the fall back just ended up looping back into the normal site . I'd imagine the chances of me getting the 16Gb iPhone I asked for now are slim though...

[WiteWulf]

I reckon I'll just put my feet up for a week and let the dust settle then see look into picking one up. I'll be popping the new firmware on the iPod Touch as soon as I can so I'll be able to play with most of the new softwares, I can wait for the phone to come along later.

[Deckard]

Surely O2 expected most people to upgrade to a new iPhone so for current customers with an iPhone I think we all have a good chance of getting one....

[WiteWulf]

Aye, I reckon there'll be stacks of the things somewhere, it'll just be the piss poor logistics/postal service we have to suffer in this country that'll let the launch down.

[Misfit]

Aye, I reckon there'll be stacks of the things somewhere, it'll just be the piss poor logistics/postal service we have to suffer in this country that'll let the launch down.

I'm with you on this. It will just be that the systems were never designed to cope with anything like this.

I want a couple for business, we'll go legit this time, but I can wait a week or two for the dust to settle. (Although my original iPhone has stopped getting a signal and using my old phone is killing me whilst I wait for a new one!)

The business tariffs are worse than the non business ones though, longer lock in and cost more before VAT than the general £35 tariff (inc VAT) without being any better. You do get the first iPhone free, but are locked in for 24 months instead of 18.

Need to run some figures on using 2 phones on the same business contract, but I suspect it will be a lot better getting a normal contract, especially as O2 print the VAT number on consumer invoices (something some of the other operators avoid...).

[goldfish]

Aye, I reckon there'll be stacks of the things somewhere, it'll just be the piss poor logistics/postal service we have to suffer in this country that'll let the launch down.

I'd personally rather things weren't gold-plated to the extent that they're resillient for 10 gazillion times normal daily use... chances are O2 need this sort of service once in a blue moon.

Better to over-deliver and under-engineer than over-engineer and under-deliver in my book...

Simon

[Cloudane]

Nomally I'd be straight out bagging one. However the new firmware / 3rd party stuff will be enough to keep me entertained for a month or two whilst waiting for everyone to discover the problems and Apple to come out with the fixed "week 38" models or whatever. I've watched it happen too many times!

[Deckard]

just got an email back from o2 head of customer services apologising for a less than "brilliant" service and stating that I cam collect an iPhone from an o2 store on Friday rather than having to order online as an existing iPhone user

[Cloudane]

Yuck! Can you say fingerprint and scratch magnet?


(Unboxing pic found on Macrumors who found it on Engadget, who got it of... ah heck whatever, it's not mine basically)

Maybe it's because of the prints, but it looks horribly cheap and plasticky compared to the original model. It also doesn't come with a dock, you must pay Apple's Accessory Tax for that, this time. Got to love Apple's new found love for cost and corner cutting eh...

"Back in my day" even the iPods came with a dock, a case, some stickers etc. All in this nifty cube-shaped box that made the "unboxing experience" actually worth taking pics of. Really felt like although you'd spent a small fortune you were getting your money's worth.

[Deckard]

Just phoned the O2 shop in the galleries at Bristol who said I can collect Friday from 8.02 (lame) but cant pre-book First come , first served. Piss poor customer service in my opinion and he had no idea of numbers or which sizes they would have.....mailing o2 customer services as we speak.

[Cloudane]

That's actually probably per Apple's orders. It's easier to generate hype if there's a big queue of hopefulls camping outside the stores rather than people just turning up for their pre-orders sometime that day.

Chances are they've got plenty - but it's better to make people think they're going to run out of stock in the first 5 minutes.