iPhone 4 ordering screw-ups — bad AT&T omen

Eight days ago I was really excited about ordering an iPhone 4 — Apple's newest must have techno-gadget.

Today, not nearly so much. I can personally confirm Gizmodo's reporting: "Apple's iPhone 4 pre-ordering is a total disaster."

I found it impossible to get any response from either the Apple or AT&T web sites when I tried to upgrade my 3G iPhone.

No, that isn't true. I got some curt error messages — not exactly the sort of thing I've come to expect from the usually smoothly functioning world of Apple.

Apparently it is more AT&T's fault than Apple's, according to Gizmodo.

The reason for the long lines, however, is AT&T's ordering system.
Readers in the comments are reporting that the systems are collapsed
everywhere… Apple's processing system seems to be collapsed too. The reason: The
iPhone upgrades depend on AT&T account server.

Ugh.

This fiasco is a disturbing reminder that AT&T is the only cellular service that currently works with the iPhone. Lots of iPhone users wish there were more choices, such as Verizon, given the long history of problems with AT&T.

I've been worrying that AT&T's creaky capabilities couldn't handle the new data-intensive video features of the iPhone 4. Now that AT&T has proven itself incompetent at even taking orders for the device, my enthusiasm for getting an upgrade has diminished.

Probably I'll wait a few weeks and let the early must have frenzy subside. By then, hopefully enough people will have reported on how the iPhone 4 works in the real world to reassure me that getting one makes sense.