Online Apple Store, AT&T site both down as iPhone 5 pre-orders loom
With a little over three hours to go before Apple opens up pre-orders for the iPhone 5, the company's online storefront, as well as AT&T's entire site, has gone down in preparation for what is expected to be an onslaught of traffic.
AT&T's website is only available to current customers wanting to manage their account, while Apple's site is fully functional save for the online store.
Apple put up its familiar "We'll be back" sign, that now cycles through a number of different languages, as it braces for the expected horde of people wanting to be the first to pre-order the new iPhone 5. The connected Apple Store iOS app is also displaying the same message.
AT&T's page went down for maintenance a couple hours earlier than the Apple Store, and includes a splashy placeholder with a timer counting down to the "the big event."
Both companies are most likely taking precautions to not repeat the pre-order troubles seen with last year's iPhone 4S. Overwhelming demand for the last-generation handset caused some customers to receive error messages when ordering began shortly after midnight on Oct. 7, 2011, though the system was sorted out a few hours later.
As of this writing, the websites of the two other major U.S. wireless operators that will initiate iPhone 5 pre-orders on Friday, Verizon and Sprint, are fully functional.
113 Comments
How long has the Apple Store cycled through different languages on the square?
Now if only the phone wasn't a fail. (Joking)
Anyway, I think the iPhone 5 is nice looking (i am not a fan of the 3G type design). I also think it is a bigger jump than many people think. Like the SII to the SIII. All you can do is make it faster with a better battery. Just the iphone 5 is better made and not so damn big.
I'm not a big fan of things getting so thin, so i hope in the future its more about the function (increased battery life, 10+ hours) rather than the thickness, keep it about the same. I don't want to feel like im holding air or paper.
Ready to go here. Been waiting for this inevitable launch so I could replace my out-of-contract iPhone 4. And I'm glad Apple turned out to be so predictable on what iPhone 5 was going to be, basically a shrunk down iPad 3. That's what I've been counting on and it's good to see it happened.
I'll be all set. One of the upsides of living in Alaska: 3am Eastern is 11pm Alaskan. As long as the system doesn't crash and burn like last year, I should have all my orders placed and be in bed by midnight.
Of course, that was the plan last year as well. We all know how smoothly that went. I think I had my last phone ordered by 4:14 am.
I can't believe I'll be missing Day One pre-ordering, all because my car is in the shop with cost of repair to be determined. Sadness. I guess I can wait a month or two right... right...