waiting on the iPhone

[DaemonSeid]

**keep in mind, the store is 3/4 of the way down the block...so in the first pic what u see is a line about 1/2 a block long!

[Still BLUTANG]

now that we can tote 'em...i wonder if the handgun line in DC is gonna be that long?

[DaemonSeid]

In a repeat of last year's problems, it looks like the insane demand for the iPhone 3G has taken its toll on Apple's iTunes activation servers -- that's a picture of iTunes locking up in the Chicago AT&T flagship earlier this morning. We're hearing that the servers are now definitely down after being intermittently active for the past few hours, and that customers are either being turned away or sent home from both Apple and AT&T stores to activate at home using iTunes. That's especially interesting since it suggests that AT&T was insisting on in-store activation to thwart unlockers, but for right now the real news is that lots of eager iPhone 3G buyers are stuck with two useless phones, since upgrading from a first-gen unit disables the SIM. Ouch. We'll keep you updated.

Update: Apple has confirmed to us that activation is down, and that customers are being asked to take the phone home and activate via iTunes later. We're not sure what good that'll do, since the servers are down no matter where you are, but Apple says it's "working on a solution." In the meantime, it looks like the new SIM works in first-gen units, so at least upgraders aren't totally phone-deprived. Oh, and remember that updating a first-gen iPhone to 2.0 requires hitting the server as well, so if you haven't taken the plunge we'd say hold off until this all gets sorted.

Update 2: In related news, those updating their first-gen iPhone to 2.0 are also getting caught in the activation shuffle, leaving some with bricked iPhones. In our test case, the activation servers came back up after about 45 minutes just long enough to get 2.0 running on our first-gen iPhone, but not all have been so lucky. Is your first-gen iPhone stuck in activation limbo from the update? Let us know.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/11/i...ers-being-sen/

[PhiGam]

Heard a cool story about Eddie Vedder's girlfriend losing hers in a cab and the guy who found it was a Pearl Jam fan and got hooked up.

[ree-Xi]

Hubby has a first generation iPhone he bought last summer and a few weeks ago, some f-er stole it at the move theatre. He is a software engineer and therefore has a lot of use for thing, so he had to get another one. This time, we're insuring it.

One of hubby's friends (also in software; they are both Mac customer beta testers) got this new iPhone a few weeks ago. Some people are MAC people, some aren't. I guess for Mac people, it's Christmas in July.

[agrphi]

I was almost able to download version 2.0 on itunes today. When my computer restarted to install it didn't finish the download process.

Got a text from my friends saying the Apple Store at Ala Moana provided Starbucks to customers waiting in line. 250 people were lined up this morning at 7:30, and many say the store and employees were very well organized!

[srmom]

Both my Sister in law and brother in law tried to update their old models and both got a red signal on their phone saying that it was being restored to factory conditions, meaning they would have lost all their pictures, music, phone numbers, emails, etc.

They were both having fits!!! but, it was restored after a few hours.

It was kind of amusing how mad they were! But, I guess I"d be the same way.

[KSigkid]

So, a big *bump* on this thread...

I'm considering getting the IPhone, but wanted to hear any feedback from members of the board who have one. I would have it purely for personal use (i.e. not used for business).

Is it worth it to buy one? Any serious problems?

[Jill1228]

I bought mine October 1st. I love it.
The only drawbacks: I don't care for the GPS (thankfully I have my own), I wish it had cut and paste
Oh yes, the ring silencer is easy to hit so you can have a tendency to inadvertently turn off your ringer (and piss your spouse off when they are trying to get hold of you)

other than that, the only way you can have my phone is to pry it from my cold dead hands

[agzg]

Have you thought of the Blackberry Storm? I don't have one, but I like that you click the touchscreen so you have to be pretty freakin' sure you wanna push that button.

ETA: Here's a review with pros and cons: http://gizmodo.com/5060378/blackberr...first-hands-on

Just like with the iPhone, I'm sure eventually there will be hacks you can do to get it to run on any network you want, not just Verizon.

[DaemonSeid]

Once I am able to run an Iphone on verizon flawlessly, I will buy one.

[KSigkid]

Thanks for the comments. My wife is a big fan of the Blackberry (she's had one for work for a couple of years), so I'll probably check out the Storm as well.

[Kevin]

I'm waiting to see what Google does with Android. I know there's a T-Mobile phone with it right now, but I really like the idea of an open-source phone OS.

I'm a fairly strong advocate of open-source everything. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Apple's DRM makes it impossible to copy everything I buy to my next iPhone, or to back it up in case of theft or failure? I can't see myself being very interested in a product which I'll invariably load up with applications, only to dump those applications when I replace the phone in 2-3 years.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I'm waiting to see what Google does with Android. I know there's a T-Mobile phone with it right now, but I really like the idea of an open-source phone OS.

I'm a fairly strong advocate of open-source everything. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Apple's DRM makes it impossible to copy everything I buy to my next iPhone, or to back it up in case of theft or failure? I can't see myself being very interested in a product which I'll invariably load up with applications, only to dump those applications when I replace the phone in 2-3 years.

Yes...DRM is a major killer....however if you have an ipod and need backup....drop me a line and I can point you in the right directions