Apple's iPhone 8 pre-orders will start at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time on Friday

This Friday's iPhone 8 preorders will start at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time, or 3:01 a.m. Eastern, Apple has confirmed via its website.

The time is consistent with Apple's normal iPhone strategy, and will likely see many U.S. shoppers staying up late to ensure they get an order delivered on the phone's Sept. 22 ship date. Frequently, launch-day iPhone stocks will run out within hours or even minutes of pre-orders beginning, though later orders may still ship the same weekend.

People wanting to buy through Apple will be able go to the company's website, or else use the Apple Store app for iPhones and iPads.

When pre-orders begin shoppers will have to select an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus, then one of four major carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon), or else opt to go SIM-free and activate on their own. Finally people will have to pick a silver, gold, or space gray model, then choose 64 or 256 gigabytes of storage.

Most people will have to pay upfront, with costs starting at $699 for a 64-gigabyte standard iPhone 8. Customers in the iPhone Upgrade Program — which offers a new iPhone every 12 months, along with AppleCare+ — will have to pay at least $34.50 per month on top of trading in their previous iPhone.

To check for upgrade eligibility, Apple is offering two methods: using an Apple ID, or the combination of a iPhone's serial number and IMEI. The company suggests that the Apple Store app is the fastest method for Upgrade Program subscribers.

19 Comments

jason98 768 comments · 14 Years

About 7 years ago

Every iPhone except probably 3gs had a major selling point like retina display, siri, larger screen, touch id, water resistance, dual cam...

What is it in iPhone 8 that makes it must have? wireless charging? really?

Soli 9981 comments · 9 Years

About 7 years ago

jason98 said:

Every iPhone except probably 3gs had a major selling point like retina display, siri, larger screen, touch id, water resistance, dual cam…

The iPhone 8 series also has major selling points, and I thought they did a great job explaining how this is great annual leap over the iPhone 7 series, but you can you can always check out their website to see simple details as to how it's better than the previous year's model.

https://www.apple.com/iphone-8/

If there was no iPhone X this year the iPhone 8 would still be a great update to the iPhone line.

sog35 said:

Why can't it be 7PM Pac time?

Worst. Logic. Ever. Why even make a statement that implies that it can't be whatever time Apple wishes it to be. Clearly they have their reasons. Why not try to see it from their perspective? Longest pre-order time for that business day, lower internet congestion for pre-order rush, or something else?

sog35 said:

jason98 said:

Every iPhone except probably 3gs had a major selling point like retina display, siri, larger screen, touch id, water resistance, dual cam...

What is it in iPhone 8 that makes it must have? wireless charging? really?

the must have phone is the X.

No it's not. That's just you projecting.

rob53 3307 comments · 13 Years

About 7 years ago

I set my calendar alarm to 11:55 PM Pacific time. I'll be up until then anyway. I assume the early start is to not have as much of an impact on the Internet and telephone services. Either way, I'll be ready to buy my iPhone 8 (maybe a Plus?) as soon as the store opens.

Is the screen real estate and extra camera worth the extra $100? I tried a 7 Plus out yesterday and it fit in my front pocket and didn't feel that huge.

anantksundaram 20390 comments · 18 Years

About 7 years ago

rob53 said:

I set my calendar alarm to 11:55 PM Pacific time. I'll be up until then anyway. I assume the early start is to not have as much of an impact on the Internet and telephone services. Either way, I'll be ready to buy my iPhone 8 (maybe a Plus?) as soon as the store opens.

Is the screen real estate and extra camera worth the extra $100? I tried a 7 Plus out yesterday and it fit in my front pocket and didn't feel that huge.

For the first time, I bought a "+" model with the iP7. I can't tell you how much better it is, both for the camera and the real estate. And I think it's faster too. As you say, it stops feeling huge very soon. In fact, the non-+ models (which the rest of my family has) now look small to me.

boltsfan17 2294 comments · 12 Years

About 7 years ago

anantksundaram said:

rob53 said:

I set my calendar alarm to 11:55 PM Pacific time. I'll be up until then anyway. I assume the early start is to not have as much of an impact on the Internet and telephone services. Either way, I'll be ready to buy my iPhone 8 (maybe a Plus?) as soon as the store opens.

Is the screen real estate and extra camera worth the extra $100? I tried a 7 Plus out yesterday and it fit in my front pocket and didn't feel that huge.

For the first time, I bought a "+" model with the iP7. I can't tell you how much better it is, both for the camera and the real estate. And I think it's faster too. As you say, it stops feeling huge very soon. In fact, the non-+ models (which the rest of my family has) now look small to me.

It stops feeling huge very quickly. When I first received my iPhone 6 Plus, I thought it was kind of big but after a day or so, it was fine. I will never go back to a smaller phone.