AppleInsider StaffScattered reports of downtime on the Verizon Wireless website seem to indicate that pent up demand for the Verizon iPhone has overwhelmed the carrier's servers at times throughout the day.
According to one AppleInsider reader, attempts to access the upgrade section of Verizon's website timed out or received the message: "Safari can’t open the page because the server unexpectedly dropped the connection. This sometimes occurs when the server is busy. Wait for a few minutes, and then try again."
Several other readers have also reported being unable to access the Verizon website on Tuesday.
Verizon announced the much-rumored and long-awaited CDMA iPhone earlier Tuesday at a press event in New York City.
The carrier could experience an even greater surge in traffic when the device is available for preorder "on or around February 3rd," in advance of its official Feb. 10 release date. Verizon customers can sign up on the Verizon website to get the iPhone 4 before "they're available to everyone else."
The largest wireless provider in the U.S. also revealed Tuesday that the CDMA iPhone 4 will allow Wi-Fi tethering of up to 5 devices through a built-in feature of a new version of Apple's iOS, called 4.2.5. By comparison, AT&T currently only allows BlueTooth or USB tethering of 1 device for an additional $20 per month. However, a new rumor says that GSM-iPhones could get the Wi-Fi hotspot feature in a future update to iOS.
Verizon has published a frequently asked questions section on its website for customers interested in the iPhone 4.
Last June, AT&T was forced to temporarily suspend iPhone 4 preorders after a ten-fold increase in demand from the previous year threatened to overwhelm the company's servers. AT&T saw record sales on the first day of preorders for the iPhone 4, before the site was overwhelmed by the traffic. Some AT&T stores resorted to using pen and paper to take preorders for the handset.
Apple's own website and 800 number also experienced outages last year because of extraordinary demand for the iPhone 4.
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69 Comments
What this doesn't discuss is that on Verizon, the iPhone cannot use both the phone and data at the same time. So if you and 4 friends are using wifi and a call comes in, everybody gets dropped.
Epic fail, IMO.
I wonder why they don't take preorders sooner. If they started taking preorders this week, they would have a better indication of how many handsets they need at launch making it much less likely that there will be shortages.
What this doesn't discuss is that on Verizon, the iPhone cannot use both the phone and data at the same time. So if you and 4 friends are using wifi and a call comes in, everybody gets dropped.
Epic fail, IMO.
Is this fact or FUD?
Other posters have reported that in that situation you are presented with the option to answer the call and break Internet connection. I don't really know either way, but it seems unlikely that the dropping is automatic. (If it is, I agree about the fail...)
Wow! I was expecting this once the ordering begins as transaction servers are complex the way they create handshakes and sexchange data compared to a basic web server. If they are having trouble with page views then Feb 3rd could be pretty rough for them. I hope they have their activation server situation figured out.PS: Doesn?t this happen when a new Droid phone is announced?
What this doesn't discuss is that on Verizon, the iPhone cannot use both the phone and data at the same time. So if you and 4 friends are using wifi and a call comes in, everybody gets dropped.
Epic fail, IMO.
Oh, give it a rest man. This bib-dribbling over limitations that somehow EVERYONE didn't know anything about is tiresome and played out.