Twice as fast. Half the price. — that’s how Apple sold the idea of their new device, the iPhone 3G, to the world. And even despite reports that there would be enough iPhones for everyone this time around, most AT&T stores and Apple Stores are reporting that they’re out of stock of the hot new product — as I discovered today.
I wanted to queue up at the line before launch to get the new iPhone, but some credit problems made me postpone it until Tuesday (after all, AT&T is looking at your credit with a close eye this time!). I was amazed that Apple managed once again to get spectacular sale numbers in the first weekend with over one million units sold — not that I doubted this was possible in the first place. Now that the credit problems seemed resolved, I was set on buying the new device. On Monday night I checked, as recommended by Apple, the availability of the iPhone when the stores were set to open the next morning. One of the two local Apple Stores was sold out, but the other reported having them in stock. So I waited until morning.
I arrived at the Apple Store around 11:00 am, only to find out that they never had the iPhone in stock the night before. They couldn’t explain why it had appeared so on their website. It was until after lunch that I started calling around hoping that more units would be delivered to the stores later that day, and found out that the other Apple Store, the one that’s furthest away, had received a shipment of them. “You’d better get here as fast as you can, as people are already lining up,” the Apple Store employee told me over the phone.
Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the Apple Store, only to discover a line of a little more than thirty people in front of me. It was confirmed that they had enough iPhones for all of us. I waited for two hours in line — really — and finally got to the front where I asked for one of the white iPhones. Now as I was being attended by another employee during the required in-store activation process, I started to had doubts whether I’d be able to get out of the store with the iPhone at the advertised price of $299 and without paying AT&T more than I should to — after all, there was that credit problem that happened a week before.
There was also another problem: I was already an iPhone client of AT&T, but had it activated it as a GoPhone the year before because back then AT&T rejected my application (credit?) for the monthly plans. It didn’t matter back then, because I still was able to obtain an iPhone. But now, I had read both policies regarding upgrades of existing iPhone clients, and then that of existing GoPhone clients — but hadn’t heard anything regarding a client with both circumstances in their client record. If I had to end up paying a huge deposit as a clueless AT&T rep told me the week before, I’d have to leave the store empty-handed.
After inputting all my info, the Apple Store employee simply looked surprised over my GoPhone status, and was unsure whether I’d be able to transfer my existing number and account to one of the new plans that the iPhone 3G customer was required to sign up for. In the end, I settled with a new phone number for the new iPhone, and was surprised the activation procedure went on without a hitch. I half expected for a nosy AT&T rep to smash the handheld device on which my contract was being formed, and telling me my money and credit wasn’t good enough for them unless I paid more. Luckily, I was able to walk out of the Apple Store with a brand-new, white, 16GB iPhone 3G, and pay the advertised $299 (plus taxes) for it, besides the lowest rate plan available for it from AT&T (which now owns my soul for two years).
Now, I could’ve just as easily walked into an AT&T store and ask them to transfer my old number and remaining credit before I even bought the iPhone, but they didn’t have it in stock, so I wasn’t interested at the moment. Anyway, I belonged more in one of the neatly-designed Apple Stores than an AT&T store. And as for the old iPhone, both my father and sister have already shown interest as to what is going to happen to it. I have a feeling that the old iPhone will serve someone well for some time.
If you bought the new iPhone, how was your experience?
NotTheZohan on July 16th, 2008 at 10:08 pm says:
I stood in line for four hours only to have the @@#%^$% employees tell us there werent enough phones by the time there was only 10 peple in front!!!!!!!
Sal on July 25th, 2008 at 2:43 pm says:
You can still transfer your old number to your new phone.
Call AT&T and they can do it over the phone. They’ll port your old number to your new phone.
Frank on July 25th, 2008 at 4:41 pm says:
Sal, that’s good to know. But I’ve given the old iPhone to my sister who’s enjoying it greatly even as a phone. Thanks anyway for the tip.