“O2 customers determined to get their hands on Apple’s new 3G iPhone caused the network’s website to crash this morning as they rushed to pre-order the new device. ”
“Pre-orders opened at 8am this morning, and within an hour the website had buckled under what an O2 spokesman described as phenomenal demand for the new iPhone, which goes on sale on Friday. ”
“O2 said that 200,000 people had already registered their interest in the device online, but when pre-ordering - which will allow applicants to have the device delivered - began this morning, the site experienced some difficulties.”
“Unfortunately we have had a few problems this morning - there was an unprecedented demand at 8am when the pre-ordering went live, but the site is working again now,” an O2 spokesman said at lunchtime. ”
“O2, which is the sole network on which the iPhone is available in the UK, said that the initial order of new iPhones had been split roughly in half between pre-orders, which can only be made online, and stores, which will begin selling the device on Friday. The company declined to specify how many phones it had ordered.”
“Separately, Carphone Warehouse, which also began taking pre-orders on its website today, said that the number of people who had registered their interest in the 3G iPhone prior to release was ten times greater than for the old device. It declined to release details of the number of applicants. ”
Additional Thoughts: If there was any possibility of being able to pre-register through AT&T for the iPhone 3G, I would have signed up immediately. Unfortunately, we Americans have not been graced with this luxury, so I would suggest that if you do have this option, take them up on it ASAP.
Full article here.
