Apple App Store buckles under weight of Super Mario Run, service unavailable to some users [ux2]

It appears the crush of eager customers awaiting Thursday's "Super Mario Run" launch is wreaking havoc on Apple's iOS App Store servers, as a number of users are unable to conduct searches or view certain apps, including the new Mario game.

Though Apple's system status webpage is currently showing green across the board, users have taken to social media to report sporadic App Store service outages and general feature unavailability.

Impromptu tests conducted by AppleInsider confirm the iOS App Store is not working as designed on devices located on both coasts, suggesting the problem is nationwide. As of this writing, attempts to use the app's search function redirects to a landing page reading, "The App Store is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later." This same page appears in other areas, indicating Apple's servers are unreachable.

In a seemingly related issue, browsing through app categories triggers the generic WebKit error message seen above. Specifically, the page appears when attempting to access "Entertainment" under the Categories pane. Other error messages like "Try again" pop up while browsing other App Store areas on an iOS device.

The problems appear to be associated with the launch of Nintendo's much-anticipated release "Super Mario Run," which saw release on the App Store earlier today. Tellingly, all six of Apple's promotional carousel spots currently sitting atop the App Store's Featured section lead to an error page of one kind or another.

Announced during Apple's iPhone 7 event in September, Super Mario Run is Nintendo's first attempt at developing a third-party mobile platform title based on one of its many legendary franchises. Today's release was hyped for months, with Apple going so far as to set up a special notification system to alert users when downloads went live.

For an in-depth look at the game's mechanics, features, in-app purchases and more, check out AppleInsider's "Super Mario Run" hands-on.

Update: Apple has updated its system status webpage to reflect an outage affecting all online stores, including the iOS App Store, Mac App Store, Apple TV and Apple Music. Problems began a few minutes after 4 p.m. Pacific and have been ongoing for more than three hours.

Update 2: All services were back up and running just after 7:00 p.m. Pacific on Thursday.