AppleInsider Staff
Apple's online store was taken down Thursday night as the company braced for what is expected to be a flood of preorders for its recently-announced next-generation handsets, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
As seen in the screenshot above, the Online Apple Store is now showing a new "We'll be back" notice indicating maintenance sometimes associated with a major product launch. The digital storefront was pulled some three hours before an anticipated midnight start to iPhone 6 preorders.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus were revealed at a special media event on on Tuesday. Both models have Retina HD displays, a new design aesthetic closer in form to the iPad mini and more powerful components like an A8 SoC, M8 motion coprocessor and upgraded cameras.
Differentiating the iPhone 6 Plus from the iPhone 6 is a higher-density 401ppi display, optical image stabilization for the rear iSight camera and special landscape viewing modes in iOS 8.
AppleInsider was able to take a hands-on look at the new devices and found the new form factor to be quite comfortable despite its large size.
On-contract pricing for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 starts at $199 for 16GB, then moves to $299 for the 64GB version and maxes out at $399 for 128GB of onboard storage. The iPhone 6 Plus is also available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities for $299, $399 and $499, respectively. The contract-free T-Mobile version starts at $749 for the iPhone 6 and $849 for the iPhone 6 Plus, moving up in $100 increments depending on storage.
Those looking to trade in their old hardware to offset the cost of a new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus can refer to AppleInsider's Trade-In Price Guide for the latest deals.
Preorder numbers are expected to be high, as it was reported earlier Thursday that Apple is allowing in-store pickup of online orders, cutting down on launch day crowds and streamlining the purchase process. It is unknown how long the in-store pickup option will last, however, as supply is also needed for walk-in customers.
Apple and U.S. partner carriers Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and more, are expected to start taking preorders at 12:01 a.m. Pacific. Launch countries Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and the UK are also expected to field preorder reservations. Alternatively, customers can purchase the iPhone 6 at brick-and-mortar Apple Stores on Sept. 19.
Malcolm Owen
Oliver Haslam
Andrew O'Hara
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Christine McKee
293 Comments
I’m on my laptop (running a temporary clean user account until I can re-clean install the release of Yosemite), otherwise this post would have an animated gif of something relevant to the tension and excitement of such an occasion.
Still, circumstances force me into purchasing from the second round of stock (or, if I’m lucky, the leftovers of the first).
I JUST thought of this...and haven't read anything about this potential issue anywhere. Won't you need an Internet connection at the time of the transaction in order to use Apple Pay??? That could be an issue for some business locations right...
I am wishing you the best of luck sir!
You’re right. I guess those concrete basement crack dealers will have to stick with good ol’ unmarked, relatively laundered bills.
The off-contract prices are wrong on this story. They are $649 for 4.7 inch and $749 for the Plus (16gb models).