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Apple iPhone

raintree

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raintree

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Gadget lovers flip for iPhone 3G but glitches mar release

NEW YORK CITY (AFP) - - Gadget lovers around the world on Friday crammed into stores to buy the latest super-fast iPhone G3 only to find activating the coveted devices was hit-or-miss due to Apple computer troubles.
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The much-ballyhooed launch of iPhone 3G was marred by activation troubles blamed on Apple's online iTunes system.

Telecom giant AT&T, the exclusive service provider for iPhones in the United States, said iTunes computer problems were felt internationally but did not deter people from snatching up the second-generation models.

"It's an issue with iTunes," AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel told AFP. "We've just had a great day. Many of our stores are sold out. We're thrilled."

While Apple's plan was to require people to activate new iPhone 3G handsets before leaving stores, it switched to unlocking the software so people could tend to it later using home computers.

IPhones must be synced with iTunes before they will work even if service contracts have been signed with carriers.

Some customers shrugged off delay in bringing iPhones to life while others derided it as "a nightmare."

In New York, customers jostled outside the company's Fifth Avenue store as Apple employees cheered them on when sales kicked off at 8:00 am, one of the last places to join the global rollout.

First out of the shop with his prize in his hand was David Yoo, 24, of New York. "I am very happy. I am going to call my mother," he said.

Yoo, who arrived at midnight and bought the 16G phone for 299 US dollars, said he bought it because it is "faster with the Internet, and for the GPS."

Nearly 200 people queued outside the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco north of Apple's headquarters in the California city of Cupertino.

Customers leaving the store with new iPhone 3G models after sales began said the shop's computers were down and the mobile phones weren't activated.

Britons crowding around Apple's flagship store in London took delays caused by the technical glitch in stride, saying the wait was worth it.

"I'm leaving now because I've got to go to work but I'd otherwise wait all day. I've got a lot of patience for Apple," said Chris Moorby, 26.

Another customer, Antonio Guerra, 19, was prepared to be patient.

"I'm good, I've been here for 19 hours, I don't mind waiting a few more," he said.

Apple did not respond to AFP requests for comment but mobile phone network provider 02, its partner in Britain for the handset, said demand for the iPhone 3G had been "absolutely phenomenal."

Staff at the London store said the glitch had apparently been caused by the volume of people overloading the system.

Apple fans across Asia queued for hours to get their hands on the new iPhone.

More than 1,000 people, many waiting through the night, besieged a store in downtown Tokyo as the iPhone went on sale for the first time in Japan, where having the latest gizmo is almost a national obsession.

Some Japanese began camping out days before the launch for the thrill of being the first to buy the new smartphone -- described as twice as fast and half as expensive as the original iPhone, released in June 2007, but never sold in Japan.

New Zealanders got the first chance to buy it when stores in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch opened just after midnight.

In Australia, a few hundred people spent a chilly evening outside a Sydney store which got a jump on its competitors by opening at midnight.

First through the doors was business analyst Brett Howell, who said he was surprised to find himself at the head of the queue when he turned up about 11 hours earlier.

"I was shocked that no one had lined up," he told reporters. "I'm not a super geek, but apparently I am. I'm Australia's super geek."
 

raintree

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Asia queues for new Apple iPhone

HONG KONG (AFP) - - Apple fans across Asia queued for hours to get their hands on the new iPhone Friday, looking to be the first to own a gadget the company hopes will be as big a worldwide smash as the iPod.
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More than 1,000 people, many waiting through the night, besieged a store in downtown Tokyo as the iPhone went on sale for the first time in Japan, where having the latest gizmo is almost a national obsession.

Some Japanese began camping out days before the launch for the thrill of being the first to buy the new smartphone -- described as twice as fast and half as expensive as the original iPhone, which was never sold in Japan.

Apple is rolling out the much hyped iPhone 3G in cities around the world on Friday, but New Zealanders got the first chance to buy it when stores opened just after midnight.

Shoppers braved the cold winter weather to queue in the main cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, waiting for three stores to open especially for the occasion.

Auckland student Jonny Gladwell, 22, was first in line outside his local store, having queued since Tuesday after friends promised to pay for his phone if he lasted the distance.

"I'm going to go home, put this on charge, have a play with it and have a nice big sleep," a weary Gladwell told Television New Zealand after securing one of the first iPhones sold in the world.

But many potential customers expressed outrage over the cost, with the cheapest price, 199 New Zealand dollars (150 US), tied to a two-year calling contract costing 250 dollars a month.

Pricing is expected to be key to the success of the iPhone 3G, which boasts faster Internet access and file transfer than the first version and also has a built-in iPod.

In Australia, a few hundred people spent a chilly evening outside a Sydney store which got a jump on its competitors by opening at midnight.

First through the doors was business analyst Brett Howell, who said he had been surprised to find himself at the head of the queue when he turned up about 11 hours earlier.

"I was shocked that no one had lined up," he told reporters. "I'm not a super geek, but apparently I am. I'm Australia's super geek."

Enthusiasm ran higher in Japan, where white smoke shot up in front of the flagship store of Softbank Mobile in Tokyo, with curtains pulled back to reveal huge iPhone 3G images as the countdown to the launch ended.

"This is great, there is nothing more to say, this is great. I have made a call to my girlfriend," said the person who got the first iPhone, priced at 23,040 yen (215 dollars).

"Finally, finally. At last!" yelled English teacher and gadget freak Charles Browne from his camping chair minutes before the launch. He already owns seven Apple Macintoshes and five iPods.

Experts have said the iPhone could face an uphill battle in Japan, where handsets allow users to watch television and pay for goods like they do with a credit card -- neither of which the Apple phone can do.

Nonetheless, IT worker Yuki Kuroda spent a night outside the store to be one of the first Japanese to own an iPhone -- despite saying he was "not an enthusiastic Apple fan."

"But you should get this kind of gadget on the debut day. It loses value day by day," Kuroda said.

In Hong Kong, more than 60,000 people have already ordered the iPhone 3G, but only around 1,500 pre-chosen customers were able to pick up their handsets on Friday.

One of the lucky 1,500 told a local TV station he had thought about selling the gadget, but "nobody is interested in buying."

Black market debut-version iPhones are already widely available in Asia, serviced by countless shops that "unlock" their software to allow them to operate.
 

storm

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Asia queues for new Apple iPhone

But many potential customers expressed outrage over the cost, with the cheapest price, 199 New Zealand dollars (150 US), tied to a two-year calling contract costing 250 dollars a month.

....

$250 per month contract is definitely too much. Might as well buy one without contract!
 

SammyHulk

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Hi demand = price jackup bah. Now dun earn wait when? When e market is rite, chop chop maituliao chaito bua lai lai.:biggrin:
 

storm

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Hi demand = price jackup bah. Now dun earn wait when? When e market is rite, chop chop maituliao chaito bua lai lai.:biggrin:

Hahah right, like chopping carrot head right? :biggrin:

This reminds me of the 1st gen of iPhone. Price was reduced a while after it was released!
 

storm

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Glitches hamper iPhone launch

  • Glitches hamper iPhone launch
  • Story Highlights
  • Software problems prevent the phones from being fully activated in-store

Buyers told to go home and activate phones via their own computers

However, iTunes servers were hard to reach from home, leaving phones unusable

Amid global rollout, new phone on sale today at 8 a.m. in each U.S. time zone


Sigh, I wonder if activation is required for Singapore. I heard its not.
 

raintree

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But problem is siiilporean damn kiasu

I remember when the nokia N95 1st launch. was selling like hot cakes though it cost 1k plus and a 2 yr contract :eek:
 

westsv

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Suggest you wait till the bugs are ironed out....... otherwise its just plain fustration. To be frank, i own an iphone and don't really see what the fuss is all about. Maybe it's just me.

westsv
 

SammyHulk

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Software problems bug Apple's launch of new iPhone


NEW YORK - The launch of Apple Inc.'s much-anticipated new iPhone turned into an information-technology meltdown on Friday, as customers were unable to get their phones working.

"It's such grief and aggravation," said Frederick Smalls, an insurance broker in Whitman, Mass., after spending two hours on the phone with Apple and AT&T Inc., trying to get his new iPhone to work.
In stores, people waited at counters to get the phones activated, as lines built behind them. Many of the customers had already camped out for several hours in line to become among the first with the new phone, which updates the one launched a year ago by speeding up Internet access and adding a navigation chip.
A spokesman for AT&T, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S., said there was a global problem with Apple's iTunes servers that prevented the phones from being fully activated in-store, as had been planned.
Instead, employees are telling buyers to go home and perform the last step by connecting their phones to their own computers, spokesman Michael Coe said.
However, the iTunes servers were equally hard to reach from home, leaving the phones unusable except for emergency calls.
The problem extended to owners of the previous iPhone model. A software update released for that phone on Friday morning required the phone to be reactivated through iTunes.
"It's a mess," said freelance photographer Giovanni Cipriano, who updated his first-generation iPhone only to find it unusable.
Apple shares fell $4.05, or 2.3 percent, to close Friday at $172.58 amid a general decline in U.S. stocks.
When the first iPhone went on sale a year ago, customers performed the whole activation procedure at home, freeing store employees to focus on sales. But the new model is subsidized by carriers, and Apple and AT&T therefore planned to activate all phones in-store to get customers on a contract.
The new phone went on sale in 21 countries on Friday, creating a global burden on the iTunes servers.
The iPhone has been widely lauded for its ease of use and rich features, but Apple is a newcomer to the cell-phone business, and it's made some missteps. When it launched the first phone in the U.S. a year ago, it initially priced the phones high, at $499 and $599, then cut the price by $200 just 10 weeks later, throwing early buyers for a loop.
Rollouts to other countries were slow, as Apple tried to get carriers on board with its unusual pricing scheme, which included monthly fees to Apple. The business model of the new phone follows industry norms, and the price is lower: $199 or $299 in the U.S.
On Thursday, Apple had problems with the launch of a new data service, MobileMe. The service is designed to synchronize a users personal data across devices, including the iPhone, but many users were denied access to their accounts.
Enthusiasm was high ahead of the Friday morning launch of the new phone.
Alex Cavallo, 24, was one of hundreds lined up at the Fifth Avenue store, just as he had been a year ago for the original iPhone. He sold that one recently on eBay in anticipation of the new one. In the meantime, he has been using another phone, which felt "uncomfortable."
"The iPhone is just a superior user experience," he said. The phone also proved a decent investment for him: He bought the old model for $599 and sold it for $570.
Nick Epperson, a 24-year-old grad student, spent the night outside an AT&T store in Atlanta, keeping his cheer up with bags of Doritos, three games of Scrabble and two packs of cigarettes. Asked why he was waiting in line, he responded simply "Chicks dig the iPhone."
IPhone fever was strong even in Japan, where consumers are used to tech-heavy phones that do restaurant searches, e-mail, music downloads, reading digital novels and electronic shopping. More than 1,000 people lined up at the Softbank Corp. store in Tokyo and the phone quickly sold out.
"Just look at this obviously innovative design," Yuki Kurita, 23, said as he emerged from buying his iPhone, carrying bags of clothing and a skateboard he had used as a chair during his wait outside the Tokyo store. "I am so thrilled just thinking about how I get to touch this."
The phone went on sale first in New Zealand, where hundreds of people lined up outside stores to snap it up right at midnight _ 8 a.m. Thursday in New York.
"Steve Jobs knows what people want," Web developer Lucinda McCullough told the Christchurch Press newspaper, referring to Apple's chief executive. "And I need a new phone."
In Germany, sales were brisk at local carrier T-Mobile's stores, particularly in Munich, Hamburg and Cologne, said spokeswoman Marion Kessing.
___
AP Business Writers George Frey in Frankfurt, Germany, Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo and Greg Bluestein in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Nowadays due to competitions, new products r often launch w/o adequate testing...:cool:
 

raintree

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Heard singtel will hv all rights to the phone. Guess those who dun hv lines wiz singtel will hv to buy from open market
 

Spud_Boy

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Guess e main pt of apple iphone is not e camera bah.:cool:

it's more of selling a concept, a lifestyle or attitude u protray to others.. it's like getting an ipod.. where there are so many other better mp3 players in the market, but ppl still buy Apple.. :smile:
 

Spud_Boy

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sinktel have the headstart first
then follow by the next 2 telco :(
yup.. but think eventually all 3 telcos will be selling it..

anyway, other than the early adopters, more advisable to wait out & like the minor problems of the new iphone iron out 1st and price stablize before getting it..
 
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