iPhone hits activation snags
2008-07-12 09:44
New York - Activation problems
marred the US launch of Apple Inc's new iPhone on Friday,
with many eager buyers leaving stores frustrated that they
could not use the hotly anticipated gadget after waiting in
line for hours.
AT&T Inc, the sole US carrier for the iPhone, blamed
problems synchronising the phone with Apple's iTunes online
music and software store, saying it was probably caused by too
many people trying to access iTunes at the same time.
Apple had no immediate comment on the problem, which
appeared to be affecting users of the older iPhones as well.
"It's pretty lousy. It was not a very Apple-like
experience," said Frank Beacham, a 60-year-old writer who was
left with basically a so-far-useless phone after an hour spent
inside a Manhattan Apple store, and a four-hour wait outside.
AT&T spokesperson Michael Coe said Apple was working to
resolve the problem, but he had no timeframe.
"There's been a lot of demand worldwide for the iPhone 3G,"
Coe said. "That means a lot of people synching with iTunes."
AT&T, which was still selling phones by mid-afternoon after
selling out in some stores, advised customers to go home and
activate the phone later themselves on iTunes, Coe said.
Some customers at the Apple store in New York's SoHo said
Apple employees had told them the problem was with AT&T's
network. Coe said he was unaware of any AT&T problems.
Old iPhones affected
Earlier on Friday, many customers had left stores pleased
it had taken only 15 minutes to activate their new iPhones,
which combine a music and video player, phone and Web browser.
"It's really great, it's a lot better than my BlackBerry,"
said Joshua Deutch, 31, referring to the e-mail device made by
Canada's Research in Motion Ltd that is popular with corporate
users.
"Launching a website takes seconds ... It's very
comfortable," Deutch said. "I'm trying to get it up on my
firm's e-mail and there are some hiccups here and there. But
overall, it's a good experience."
But by mid-afternoon, many customers were being sent home
without having activated their phones.
Some users of the original iPhone and iPod Touch, both
launched in 2007, also said they were having difficulties
downloading software updates so they could play video games and
use other applications on their software.
While some cheerfully accepted that hiccups were to be
expected during a big product launch, others were annoyed.
"My phone's not working. So now my old phone doesn't work
and my new phone doesn't work. I'm going to have to find a pay
phone. Do they still make pay phones?" said Deena Hadi, 23, a
marketing analyst at the Fifth Avenue store in New York.