Filed under: iPhone
3G S sales expectations shift higher, Apple offers $30 credit for activation issues
It's Father's Day here in the USA, UK and Canada (best wishes to all the Mac daddies out there!), and if the tea-leaf-reading over the iPhone 3G S launch is accurate, it looks like quite a few of those dads may have gotten a shiny new phone as a gift from the spouse and kids. Which would have been really thoughtful and unexpected. If I had gotten one. Anyway.The pre-launch expectation from analyst Gene Munster was for a comparatively modest 500K units sold over the weekend vs. the 3G million-phone launch, but now his firm has suggested that may have been a conservative number, as noted by AppleInsider. Between AT&T's citing of 'hundreds of thousands' of pre-orders for the phone, and O2 announcing that first-day sales for the 3G S blew past the totals for the 3G last year, it's possible that the 3G S could creep up towards that million-phone number and blockbuster territory.
Despite (or perhaps due to) the brisk sales pace, AT&T's activation infrastructure did not seem to be ready for the influx of account changes; this is a familiar situation, as last year's 3G launch triggered similar delays. Many new buyers (including our own Steve Sande) were faced with activation delays between two hours and two days. In recognition of the aggravation and inconvenience, Apple has begun emailing affected users with the offer of a $30 iTunes credit to be delivered Monday morning, according to Everything iCafe. If you got a credit email, please let us know.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Geoff said 4:00PM on 6-21-2009
Hey Apple, how about a credit for the 3.5 hours I spent in your store before your Genius gave up and sent me to AT&T?
NOTHING FOR YOU!
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Cory said 6:45PM on 6-21-2009
...or the 3 hours I spent at Best Buy waiting for them to activate the phone.
lennon2666 said 7:59PM on 6-21-2009
Shame on you both for even being begrudgingly willing to spend 3+ hours waiting. Don't you know how to deal with corporate incompetence? What fealty you have.
waiownsyou said 4:08PM on 6-21-2009
I was standing in line for the 3G S and this Concierge lady came up to me with a MacBook Air and asked me to fill out my info if I hadn't yet. I told her I was actually in line to get me a brand new PowerBook G4.
She's like, "Ok, I've been telling everyone in this line for the last half-hour that this is for people who want iPhone 3G only." in a VERY rude way. She even forgot the S (regular 3G people don't need to wait).
I'm like, "Wow, you don't even know what the hell you're selling, do you? Also, how much are the PowerBook G4s? I saw them online at apple.com/2001."
"I don't know. Go inside and ask a Genius."
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screech said 4:59PM on 6-21-2009
i cant imagine someone being aggravated when somebody comes to their job in probably the most stressful time and f's with them. you should never buy an apple product again!!1
Desterado said 8:38PM on 6-21-2009
So basically you were being an asshole.
Good story dude.
SteveH said 12:41AM on 6-22-2009
Props for being a dick to someone at their job when there are hundreds of people with real issues.
VanillaSpice said 8:46PM on 6-24-2009
1. Decide to be a dick at an Apple store on 3G S launch day.
2. Get into a line that you know is for the iPhone.
3. Make a snarky comment to an employee who is obviously having one of their toughest days.
3. Go onto TUAW and complain about it.
Are you immature, or just bored and nasty? Grow up.
moshe said 4:14PM on 6-21-2009
I had to wait over 26 hours for my phone to be activated - do I get a credit? If so, that would make my day.
If only it was apple store - I'm not looking forward to spending 30$ on a new dock...
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Jansperus said 4:12PM on 6-21-2009
I wish I had problems with my activation. I could use that $30 credit!
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Kevin said 4:23PM on 6-21-2009
Wow. I figured since there are probably a lot of people like me who are still under contract with the 3G (and don't want to pay a premium), iPhone sales would be lackluster.
But I was surprised to see a healthy line at the Apple store in north Dallas Saturday (I was there to buy a couple of $20 HDMI cables--a bargain compared with the $150 each that Best Buy wanted).
The store was pretty crowded with people looking at Mac Book Pros and other things, too.
I hope these better than expected sales are reflected in the stock price.
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spankdog42 said 5:29PM on 6-21-2009
Hey Kevin,
Try www.monoprice.com or even www.amazon.com for HDMI cables. You still got ripped off.
MRCUR said 5:41PM on 6-21-2009
I second the monoprice suggestion. $20 for an HDMI cable is still far too much.
hofbrau29 said 5:58AM on 6-22-2009
I shop Monoprice alot, but $20 is still a deal if he needed them right away. It's all relative.
Jim said 4:49PM on 6-21-2009
I got an iPhone on the Big Day, 2007, 2008 and again this year. If anyone is "under contract" I'm that guy. Still, cost for my 32Gig iPhone 3GS was $299 + tax. Some of you out there may be eligible for the good pricing and not even know it, so check on Apple's website.
And anyone who is pissed-off about standing in line this time, come on...unless you were in an igloo in the north-most part of the North Pole without contact with the know world, you had to know, given the two previous roll-out's, that there was gonna be a wait. There was always the opportunity to pre-order. Most of those I know who did that actually got their iPhone 3GS ± 1 hour of me getting mine at the store.
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jbrown510 said 4:51PM on 6-21-2009
AT&T fails again... seriously Apple when will wake up and allow multiple providers? It amazes however how impatient and self-entitled people have become. OMG you had to wait a day or two for your phone to activate? It used to be ALL phones took days to activate. OMG you waited in line? didn't you kinda expect that when you went down there on 3GS release day. OMG your shipment was a day late to your doorsetp! you should get a free month of service...
It's a phone people... it's a awesome amazingly great phone... it's not food for the starving... or water for the thirsty... or medication for the terminally ill... it's a phone...
P.S. "first-day sales for the 3G S blew past" has a mal-formed link in it... http://http//mediacentre.....
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screech said 5:00PM on 6-21-2009
its called an exclusivity contract. they cant just up and leave yet.
jbella said 8:13PM on 6-21-2009
What other provider would you suggest? T-Mobile would be the only other choice, and they barely have 3G network in the United States.
jasonpaulso said 5:20PM on 6-21-2009
My 3G S was ordered from Apple last week and I received it before noon on friday via Fed Ex. We "upgraded" one line of our family plan with the intention of using the new iPhone on the second line (my line.) So like any well meaning upgrader I threw my SIM card into the new device and plugged it into iTunes. Upon entering our zip code, last 4 of our SSN, and agreeing to the TOS I was told that the SIM card in the phone didn't match the SIM number associated with the iPhone. The message advised to insert the provided SIM and the replug the iPhone to iTunes. So, I spent a little while calling AT&T and Apple having my phone number attached to the new provided SIM - plugged it in and... the same message. Now I was phone-less. I went to the nearest AT&T corporate store and explained. 2 hours and 3 SIM cards later, the same message. We even tried deactivating the SIM in my bf's phone (which was the "upgraded" line) created a new SIM with his number and tried that... no dice. Finally I left my phone at the store went across town picked up the my bf's phone and deactivated SIM and went back to the store. The AT&T rep was still on the phone with Apple 30+ minutes later with no result but to have them call me later. Last chance, he took the deactivated sim card from the recently retrieved phone popped it in the 3G S, plugged it into iTunes and we got a pulse. So, after 4 hours I had an live an kicking 3G S and after 36 hours I had an email promising a $30 iTunes credit. It was ultimately a a typical iPhone activation experience for me (don't ask...) But, well worth it.
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MRCUR said 5:44PM on 6-21-2009
I was semi-affected by the activation delays. When I got the phone Friday afternoon iTunes said 24-48 hours wait for activation. I chatted online with an AT&T rep Saturday morning and the phone was activated manually. Do I still get a credit? I'd hope so from Apple since (from what I've read) their infrastructure is what had issues... Not AT&T's.
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