Update: Overwhelmed by consumer response, O2 has reportedly stopped taking preorders. See this story for more information.
The 3G iPhone has been made available for preorder online from the O2 and Carphone Warehouse Web sites.
The smartphone device is not due to ship until July 11, but beginning today, one-device-per-customer preorders can be placed on the Web sites for delivery on that date.
O2 said preordering was available from 8:00 a.m. British Summer Time on Monday (2 a.m. PDT), while Carphone Warehouse had a preorder page up at 11:00 a.m. (5 a.m. PDT). Both sites, however, have reported problems, which include prospective customers being incorrectly informed that 3G iPhones are out of stock, and the sites running slower than usual.
A Carphone Warehouse spokeswoman said there had been "an issue" with its Web site wrongly stating all 3G iPhone models are out of stock. The retailer is not in fact out of stock of any of the 3G models, she said. Carphone Warehouse's Web site saw a 46 percent increase in traffic after the preorder was made available, she added.
Meanwhile, O2's site currently reports the operator is out of stock of iPhones, yet an O2 spokeswoman said she believes the 8GB version is still available. "The Web site is up and running. But it's a bit slow," she added.
A statement for prospective customers on O2's Web site reads: "Orders will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Your order may be delayed if we have stock shortages or if your order requires further security validation. Certain remote postcodes will require an additional day for delivery."
The spokeswoman said O2 had "roughly split its stock in half"--between its online stores and retail stores. There has been "unprecedented demand" for the 3G iPhone, she added.
Natasha Lomas of Silicon.com reported from London.
Too bad Apple hasn't yet seen fit to inform consumers where and when to buy iPhones - even though there was an Apple Retail meeting last night for all retail employees. ATT has really been making Apple look bad with the iPhone 3G rollout - but Apple's not helping me plan how and where to get my phone, either.
As later news turns out, O2 had to pull the reservations offline as Apple had made it clear that no pre-orders were going to be permitted. Violating this restriction could and would result in that provider losing their permission to sell the iPhone at all. <p>
I'm not surprised by this- it's pretty standard in a lot of industries. I can't blame Apple or OS on this one. I can blame the news source for not updating their story though now that the information was made available.
In order to celebrate Valentine's Day, a survey asks Americans what they would give up in order to telecommute. Five percent say "spouse," while 12 percent say "daily shower."
Tor's "obfsproxy" technology would make encrypted data look innocuous and let it dodge government censors. That could help citizens in Iran reach blocked sites as antigovernment protests reportedly loom.
MIT creates a simulation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Spacewar. A relic of the early days of minicomputers, it was one of the first computer video games and set the stage for many others, including Asteroids.
George Lucas has just released his version of "Star Wars" in 3D, but c'mon--the guy believes Greedo shot first. Why not make your own Star Wars world? In the first installment of a Crave series, a crack team of crafters fight the power and turn paper bags into the Rebel Alliance's Admiral Ackbar. It's a sack!
I'm not surprised by this- it's pretty standard in a lot of industries. I can't blame Apple or OS on this one. I can blame the news source for not updating their story though now that the information was made available.