Apple iPhone 4 Pre-Ordering Is a Total Disaster

The iPhone 4's first pre-ordering day has been a total disaster. AT&T's online system has collapsed, there are account security breaches, Apple's online upgrades are down, and stores are now using pen and paper to process sales.

The photo of the line above was taken in NYC, but it has been happening all over the country. It is not even to pick up the phone itself, but to pre-order it. People are giving their credit card information to be put on a list to have a place in another line on June 24, when the iPhone 4 actually goes on sale.

The reason for the long lines, however, is AT&T's ordering system. Readers in the comments are reporting that the systems are collapsed everywhere. Here's what our own Kyle VanHemert had to endure this morning:

They're just using some web interface, not the exact same customers are using online, but not much better. It's probably the same servers. Basically, they were getting one pre-order thru every 20 minutes. They said the problem was system wide. Here's how it worked: They just kept mashing on the 'submit' button and getting error after error. On the umpteenth try, it'd go through and then the next step, whatever that was, would get error after error. After a long time, it would finally go through. What's worse is that the first step of the process reups your 2 year contract, so you can't walk away if you get fed up. I had to stick around until it went through, or i'd have a new contract but no subsidized phone.

 

Update 1: Apple's processing system seems to be collapsed too. The reason: The iPhone upgrades depend on AT&T account server.

Update 2: Some readers are reporting security breaches while trying to access their accounts online. At least two people have ended inside other people's accounts: 

Source: Internet