Any idea if this is also true for pre-orders through the Apple website?

The Apple website VERY clearly says on each page of the pre-order that pre-registering for an iPhone through the web site DOES NOT GUARANTY the availability at the Retail Store -- although Apple will allow those who are pre-registered in at 8 am to pick up their iPhones while the regular sales line will start processing at 10 am. You are pretty much in good shape to pick it up at Apple stores instead since they ship hundreds (thousands in some stores) of units, whereas ATT gets a smidgen of them (20 - 100 per store for the 3G launch last summer)

You can also purchase your iPhone 3Gs at the Apple Online Store -- as of this week they were delivering them to you ON the 19th -- that apparently is also already back to the 23rd according to the Apple Forums on the iPhone threads...

Just a reminder to everyone -- if you have ANYTHING at all that has to be fixed on your ATT line, the sale will NOT go through at the Apple stores -- i.e. you can upgrade your own line, or buy a new line of service, but you can't switch phone numbers, nor do anything like move one line from a family line to your iPhone line, etc....all that has to be done at ATT stores.

Yes, I was talking to an Apple Tech on the store chat because I wanted to switch from a reservation to just getting it shipped to me and she said the following.

\tYou are chatting with Yolanda, an Apple Expert
\tHi, my name is Yolanda. Welcome to Apple!
\tYou: Hello, Earlier in the week I preordered an iPhone and decided to reserve it at the store, unfortunately I wont be able to pick it up at the store. Can I now just re-preorder it and have it shipped to me? Or will there be a problem?
\tYolanda: Good evening.
\tYolanda: How may I help you today?
\tYolanda: You can call Customer Service to cancel the order.
\tYolanda: If you don't show up on the 19th, that is okay acutally.
\tYolanda: The numbers of orders has exceeded the first shipments to the stores.
\tYolanda: Meaning we are expected to not have enough on the 19th to give out anyway.
\tYolanda: its okay if you go in a day or two later for pickup.
\tYou: Okay, thank you very much

Sales will be much larger than the 3g when it came out. So much for all the whining from nay sayers about upgrade costs.

I was hoping to pre-order my iPhone 3G S from the Apple Store and have it delivered to my house, and even saved the phone into my "Saved Items" on the Apple site, which still says it will be delivered on the 19th. Somewhat sad that it wont be here on the 19th, but oh well.

I pre ordered my 32GB iPhone 3GS around 12pm eastern on Tuesday, June 9. I really hope that I pre ordered early enough to get it on the 19th. From what I gather from this article, they will be shipping the iPhones on the 19th, but my order confirmation says

I guess I will find out next week.

What AT&T is really trying to say is this:

"We don't want to carry so much inventory of the (goddam bandwidth hogging!) iPhones as to distract our employees from selling other brands of smartphones to our (we got them in the store their OURS NOW!) customers"

What do you think about customers who aren't pre-ordering? A few members of my family and I are planning on purchasing iPhones next weekend but because you can only pre-order one at a time we're expecting to wait in line. Do you think they'll save some inventory for those who are purchasing the day of?

the will have inventory to sell, after all they did announce that every store will have 2 lines, one for pre-orders and one for people without.

Why the rush? I'll happily lounge around and wait for the first couple of (inevitable) class action law suits to be resolved before I get mine.