High iPhone 4 Demand Crashes Apple and AT&T Website
High demand for the iPhone 4 brought Apple's website grinding to a halt this morning shortly after the company opened its virtual doors for online preorders.
Many users attempting to order a new iPhone on an existing AT&T account or set up a new account were greeted with a message saying the Web page was temporarily out of service. Apple has yet to make an official announcement about the status of online orders.
In an unusual move, Apple granted retailers opportunities to pre-sell the new iPhone , but apparently that has not been enough to offset overwhelming online demand.
Frustrated iPhone 4 customers can head down to their local Apple Store, AT&T, Best Buy, Wal-Mart or Radio Shack to place their orders, but they may encounter problems there as well.
That's because AT&T servers have also been affected by the demand, in-store computers at all retail locations are having problems accessing users' account information.
Also, keep in mind that non-Apple stores require a down payment to reserve the phone. This can range from $50 to the full purchase price of the iPhone 4, which is $199 for the 16 gigabyte (GB) model and $299 for the 32GB model.
Only the black model is currently available for pre-order. Customers who want the white model will have to wait, and Apple has not released any details yet of when it will be available.
Customers who successfully preorder their phones will receive it on June 24.
