The pre-order for the new iPhone 6 is now fully underway…or is it? As per the Apple announcement event on Tuesday, pre-sale should have begun at 12AM PST, or 3AM EST (yuck, I know). Nevertheless, all sorts of Apple aficionados either stayed up late or set their alarms to be awake for the release time.
iPhone 6 Plus Shipping Delays?! *collective gasp*
Despite their readiness, it seems as though they might have been the only ones who were really prepared for the release. Some consumers didn’t seem to run into any issues—one of the guys over here insists he pre-ordered his phone early at about 2:52AM—but the twittersphere is abuzz with complaints from people who didn’t have quite as stellar an experience.
Twittersphere
This Twitter experience is particularly hilarious to me, because I was one of many who took to Twitter during the live streaming event wondering why on Earth I was hearing 2-3 different songs all playing at once. The folks in charge of the live stream seemed to have had serious difficulties getting it together. I also think it’s worth noting that only streaming the live feed on iOS and OSX was kind of lame—wouldn’t you imagine their aim is to convert PC users to Mac? How are you going to do that when your coolest announcement of the year isn’t accessible on a PC? Silly, Apple.
Finally Available
Many users who feverishly clicked the refresh buttons on their browsers as the clock struck 12 (or 3 if they were on the East Coast), were surprised to be greeted by a message that read, “We’ll be back soon,” instead of the wildly anticipated pre-order screen. Consumers who went the route of trying to order directly through their carriers often ran into even bigger troubles. Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile all had delays when pre-orders became available.
Pre-Order Delays
As of Friday morning, the iPhone 6 is still available for pre-sale with a ship date of September 19 as originally promised on Apple’s website. However, the iPhone 6 Plus is something that pre-orderers will be dreaming of for quite a bit longer; if you order the iPhone 6 Plus today, you won’t have it in your hands until 3-4 weeks after the intended ship date (9/19), no matter what color, carrier, or storage capacity you choose.
Those who pre-order the iPhone 6 Plus from a carrier website run into similar if not worse delays; the 16GB and 64GB iPhone 6 Plus is estimated to ship from Verizon by October 14, but the 128GB phones won’t go out until October 21. AT&T has announced that they expect to be shipping out the iPhone 6 Plus in all storage capacities in anywhere from 35 to 42 days. Sprint says shipping will be delayed up to 3 weeks for the iPhone 6 Plus in 64GB and 128GB, and 4-6 weeks for the 16GB. I can’t tell you what T-Mobile’s shipping estimates are, because their site refuses to load on my computer.
When to Expect Delivery
If you order an iPhone 6 (the smaller size) through Verizon’s website, it will ship by September 19, but it’ll take a week or two more to ship from AT&T. Sprint’s online store was still down this morning, but appears to be back up and running now, and says “We’ll do our best to get it to you by 9/19.”
Have you pre-ordered the new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus? How do you feel about the whole roll out? What about the iPhone 6 Plus shipping delays? Share your comments and criticisms with us on Facebook!
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