Hate Thread: AT&T and the iPhone Preorder Debacle.

[C Del[IS]]

I'm not sure if any of you out there tried to preorder an iPhone 4 today, but if you did you're probably as irked as I am. I, like many, tried to place a preorder countless times today, beginning at 8 AM (EDT), every single time running into a failure of either Apple's or AT&T's web services. Now that the preorder service actually seems to work, I'm being told that they're sold out, and that if I preorder now, my new iPhone would ship July 2^nd, at which time I'll be on vacation. More than that annoyance, apparently AT&T's overloaded servers started exposing its customers' private, sensitive account data to random other users during the preorder process. Not only did AT&T fail to handle the anticipated large traffic volume, such to frustrate the efforts of many tens of thousands or more of its customers to preorder the new iPhone, but their failure allowed our personal data to leak to random users.

In short: RAWR!

Anyway; I just felt that I needed to publicly steam in anger at AT&T's pathetic and amateurish attempt to provide a simple web-based preorder service.

Lastly, I put up a poll to see what cell carriers you all use (data from the US would be most helpful), as I'd really like to give AT&T the boot whenever their exclusivity contract with Apple runs out, especially after their recent run of security breaches and their overall failure to not suck royally. Let me know if you like your carrier and have had good experiences with them; I know all cell carriers are, by nature, not anyone's favorite friendly neighborhood corporation, but I have to think anything is better than AT&T at this point.

[Trapt]

What part of the country are you from? I pre-ordered mine today and got right through. Mine will be there in the store on the morning of the 24th to pick up. I think you got shafted cuz of where you live..

[Mimir[IS]]

Does the change in the data plan piss you off as well? I sure hope the other carriers do NOT follow this new price gouging plan.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20006534-1.html

I use Sprint and very happy with my Android and data plan. I think Android will give Apple (iPhone) a run for it's money.

[r8rsfans75]

Does the change in the data plan piss you off as well? I sure hope the other carriers do NOT follow this new price gouging plan.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20006534-1.html

I use Sprint and very happy with my Android and data plan. I think Android will give Apple (iPhone) a run for it's money.

Android through Verizon (wife works there so get a really nice discount), there aren't as many apps as there are on the iPhone, but if Apple keeps pissing people off like this, I think you are going to see a lot of companies start to put their apps on Android instead.

[Mimir[IS]]

I agree, Apple charges $100.00 US ($99.00) for the privilege to program and possibly get accepted into the app store, where Android through HTC and even Sprint is currently free. The tools (depending of your choice of dev platforms) are also free. Getting an app up to the Android market is also ever so much easier. Did I mention that you don’t need a Mac to program the Android? And bonus here is that the emulator will allow you to debug/run your application on a PC. The OS is getting fun, reliable, and IMHO is better than the iPhone/iPad UI. So long way around, the applications for the Android are growing by leaps and bounds. Soon the number of apps will be as many as the iPhone.

Edited June 16, 2010 by Mimir

[C Del[IS]]

What part of the country are you from? I pre-ordered mine today and got right through. Mine will be there in the store on the morning of the 24th to pick up. I think you got shafted cuz of where you live..

I live in eastern Pennsylvania. What time did you preorder yours? I think I might have screwed myself because i tried to order directly from apple instead of reserving one for pickup, though i did hear stories of people trying to reserve iPhones at stores where employees had to take down peoples' credit card numbers and photocopy their driver's licenses to process the reservation at a later time, so they weren't actually guaranteed to get a phone.

[Akela]

Apple never learns, they are making the same blunder with the Iphone as they did with the PC.

Akela

[Mimir[IS]]

I thought you may find this of interest... could be why you are having issues.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/16/atandt-suspends-iphone-4-pre-orders-altogether/

Edited June 16, 2010 by Mimir

[bondct]

Verizon... the company I love and love to hate... in Long Island NY and pretty much everywhere I have ever been, the service is phenomenal.... you could put me in a lead box with kryptonite in it and I will still have service... when the entire Northeast had that huge blackout... I had service...

Here is the hate part... better f*&^K*ng believe I always have service with what those bastards charge me... and the equipment is like from kindergarden... all the best features of all their phones are locked out and down so you cant use them... and if you want to use them well get out your Amex... no not mastercard or visa... get out your Amex... cuz your gonna need a card with no limit to pay for any type of advanced feature that other people have been using for years...

/end rant

[Terrell [BT]]

Verizon, and have no problems with them or my phone.

[Statyomota]

AT@T have had no problems and get good reception in places my daughters verizon has poor reception.

[Mimir[IS]]

And yet another bit of bad news...

http://gizmodo.com/5565259/iphone-4-delayed-again-now-july-14th

[garblesoup]

I bought my Sprint EVO 4G the day it went on sale. Figured I'd give it a whirl before I pick up another to replace my wife's iPhone 3G. She loves everything about her iPhone . . . except the part about it sucking azz at being a *PHONE*. So far I'm pretty happy with the EVO - it sucks battery like crazy if you turn everything on but if you only turn on the 4G when you need/want it it's much more reasonable. So I'll be picking up another and switching her number over from AT&T and, in so doing, converting her iPhone 3G into a very nice iPod Touch. If Apple didn't single-source the carriers for the iPhone it would be a much more appealing product. As it is I think it's a great device married to a poor service provider.

[Choco]

God I feel sorry for all you guys in the US, having to deal with those awful wireless carriers. Especially after all the stuff I hear about AT&T. Makes me glad I'm up in Canada. Maybe I'm just lucky, but Rogers has always been good to me... (knock on wood) But yeah, definately will be upgrading from my Blackberry to the new iPhone4 whenever it gets launched up here.

[Ekruceal]

I've been unhappy with AT&T for quite sometime now, ever since they took over Cingular, which wasn't great either.

[blattu]

guess im just a noob

i have a trac phone with 100 minuets a month for 10 bucks a month.

thats just it its a Phone and nothing else.

lol i dont even burn up 100 minuets.

ive never had any trouble being with out a signal.

(well it does text as well)

the phone itself was 15$

[r8rsfans75]

guess im just a noob

i have a trac phone with 100 minuets a month for 10 bucks a month.

thats just it its a Phone and nothing else.

lol i dont even burn up 100 minuets.

ive never had any trouble being with out a signal.

(well it does text as well)

the phone itself was 15$

Those trac phones are perfect for people who don't use their cell phones very much. We got rid of our landline and just use the cell phones. I hardly ever talk on mine, but I am constantly texting and emailing, looking up scores, searching something on google, etc. I went crackberry first and now Android and now I feel like I'm missing an arm or something if I ever go anywhere and don't have my phone.

[C Del[IS]]

Those trac phones are perfect for people who don't use their cell phones very much. We got rid of our landline and just use the cell phones. I hardly ever talk on mine, but I am constantly texting and emailing, looking up scores, searching something on google, etc. I went crackberry first and now Android and now I feel like I'm missing an arm or something if I ever go anywhere and don't have my phone.

Agreed. I also got rid of my home phone, to save money. I hate being without my phone; I've become too accustomed to having all the knowledge of the world compressed into a tiny device in my hand. It's great for my ADD.... Hold on, i need to look up how to make C4 and bake cookies real quick... *wanders off aimlessly*

[Terrell [BT]]

Agreed. I also got rid of my home phone, to save money. I hate being without my phone; I've become too accustomed to having all the knowledge of the world compressed into a tiny device in my hand. It's great for my ADD.... Hold on, i need to look up how to make C4 and bake cookies real quick... *wanders off aimlessly*

+1 got a good laugh out of that one. C4 and baking cookies.

[garblesoup]

Hold on, i need to look up how to make C4 and bake cookies real quick... *wanders off aimlessly*

Just be careful not to mix the two up!

[DarkkHero]

Just ordered my HTC Evo 4g as well. Should be shipped soon. Backordered like the iPhone4.

[hobieone]

Does the change in the data plan piss you off as well? I sure hope the other carriers do NOT follow this new price gouging plan.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20006534-1.html

I use Sprint and very happy with my Android and data plan. I think Android will give Apple (iPhone) a run for it's money.

yes, the android gid give the iphone a run for the money but just for a very short time. but look at the specs of the new version. its basically going to be one of if not the most durable phone made to date plus it out performs some of the net books out as well as the 3 previous model iphones out there plus out performs amy of the new ipads. sorry andriod just feel further behind. only way android will giv it a run for the money is a redesign of the phone making it tougher as well plus a complete overhaul of its components and screen technology. iphone 4 supports double tap, video conferencing at 720p high def (better that most webcams out there) 8 megpixel camera with flash, true multitasking. android doesn't plus has been out paced technologically is a very short time. basically android came out to late and with old tech instead of releasing with bleeding edge tech that it should have been released with. so it'll always be lagging behind the iphone until something drastically is done too redesign it.

[garblesoup]

yes, the android gid give the iphone a run for the money but just for a very short time. but look at the specs of the new version. its basically going to be one of if not the most durable phone made to date plus it out performs some of the net books out as well as the 3 previous model iphones out there plus out performs amy of the new ipads. sorry andriod just feel further behind. only way android will giv it a run for the money is a redesign of the phone making it tougher as well plus a complete overhaul of its components and screen technology. iphone 4 supports double tap, video conferencing at 720p high def (better that most webcams out there) 8 megpixel camera with flash, true multitasking. android doesn't plus has been out paced technologically is a very short time. basically android came out to late and with old tech instead of releasing with bleeding edge tech that it should have been released with. so it'll always be lagging behind the iphone until something drastically is done too redesign it.

I'm sorry but the lack of punctuation makes it difficult to follow your post . . . and even harder to respond.

"it out performs some of the net books out as well as the 3 previous model iphones"

Well, gosh, I would sure hope so. Saying the new model outperforms the previous models is really not exactly high praise, though, is it? Does any phone maker release new versions that UNDER perform the previous versions? I mean, really, if the best any company can say is that our newest version is better than our last version . . . that's pretty lame, isn't it?

"8 megpixel camera with flash, true multitasking. android doesn't"

I really don't know what you are saying here. My EVO definitely has an 8 MP camera with flash and definitely does multitask (which, btw, Android OS has been doing quite some time - as John McClain might say to Apple, "Welcome to the party, pal.").

I'm not invested in any of these technologies or their respective companies. My wife loves her iPhone 3G - except for the fact that it just really, really, sucks at being a PHONE. AT&T is to blame for that. I think it's a great device . . . so long as you never want to use it as a PHONE. The EVO is a great device and a great PHONE . . . but if you use all the features constantly (4G, video streaming, etc) you will suck the juice out of the battery in no time. I've found that with proper power management my EVO is OK - enough so that I now feel OK to buy one for my (NOT tech-savvy) wife to replace her iPhone and not have to listen to her get pissed off at me when I get pissed off at her that everytime I talk to her on her cell the call drops.

And that, really, is the crux of it for me. iPhone = AT&T = suxxor

With cell carriers EVERYONE's mileage is going to vary - depending upon where they live, where they travel to and how often, what their usage patterns are, etc. For me, my wife goes to the old Marshall Fields (now Macy's, sigh) on State St every week and is pissed she can't make calls from in there - when everyone around her with non-AT&T phones has no problem. That, quite simply, is the beginning and end of why I need a different carrier and therefore a different phone. But I simply don't follow your ramblings about how you are contrasting the EVO and the iPhone - really, man, punctuation is your friend - check it out.

Edited June 18, 2010 by Jarod

[seekeronos]

IMHO:

Verizon has great service, but they are quite possibly one of the most crooked, extorting corporations out there that are not related to the Mafia for what they charge, and for (the time being) operating a (somewhat outdated) CDMA network.

It's huge and has a bleedingly huge red map, if only because they've silently been buying up and consolidating all the other Baby Bell's CDMA infrastructure (aside from AT&T, and T-Mobile and a small handful of others running GSM networks).

And pray you don't have a family plan and try to break out of a 2-year contract before its up. you'll need nostrils like Representative Robert Waxman (a.k.a. "Torquenostrils") for all the cash you'll pay thru the nose in early termination fees. And while they have good deals and promotions from time to time, they will beat you down with all kinds of spurious fees and dubious extra charges which will appear on your bill with little recourse and you'll quickly meet a nasty wall of willful/belligerent ignorance and delay when trying to rectify such issues with their billing dept.

AT&T has marginally better customer service, but a thin network outside of major metro areas. And there's the iPhone exclusivity contract which hopefully runs out in 2012. But as others point out, Apple is notoriously guarded about letting others develop for its technology, and I believe that HTC/Droid will eventually outpace iPhone for apps and flexibility.

T-Mobile ... I've had little dealings with them, but I hear from friends that subscribe to them that they get a lot of dropped calls (GSM is a bit thinner in the USA outside of major metro corridors) and they are a bit pricier with their plans overall, though deals can be found if one is lucky or digs enough.

I'm happy with Sprint, as a carry-over from Nextel for nearly 10 years. Of course, I'm something of a Telecom Luddite, and use my phone well within my plan's allotted minutes, and am constantly browbeating the missus about not texting her chatty friends (I don't text or use data, she does so sparingly).

We will likely review this again later this summer when we discuss whether or not we want to get or add an unlimited texting plan and reduce our monthly talking minutes.

.

.

.

As for iPhones - can't say I'm all that impressed. Missus has the iPod Touch, and using the keyboard to compose emails or blog entries is nothing but a tortuous excercise.

If I ever make a habit of texting, I'd much rather have a hardware keyboard built into the device, or jack that I can connect a compact PDA keyboard to it.

Edited June 18, 2010 by -Seeker-

[garblesoup]

IMHO:

Verizon has great service, but they are quite possibly one of the most crooked, extorting corporations out there that are not related to the Mafia for what they charge, and for (the time being) operating a (somewhat outdated) CDMA network.

It's huge and has a bleedingly huge red map, if only because they've silently been buying up and consolidating all the other Baby Bell's CDMA infrastructure (aside from AT&T, and T-Mobile and a small handful of others running GSM networks).

And pray you don't have a family plan and try to break out of a 2-year contract before its up. you'll need nostrils like Representative Robert Waxman (a.k.a. "Torquenostrils") for all the cash you'll pay thru the nose in early termination fees. And while they have good deals and promotions from time to time, they will beat you down with all kinds of spurious fees and dubious extra charges which will appear on your bill with little recourse and you'll quickly meet a nasty wall of willful/belligerent ignorance and delay when trying to rectify such issues with their billing dept.

AT&T has marginally better customer service, but a thin network outside of major metro areas. And there's the iPhone exclusivity contract which hopefully runs out in 2012. But as others point out, Apple is notoriously guarded about letting others develop for its technology, and I believe that HTC/Droid will eventually outpace iPhone for apps and flexibility.

T-Mobile ... I've had little dealings with them, but I hear from friends that subscribe to them that they get a lot of dropped calls (GSM is a bit thinner in the USA outside of major metro corridors) and they are a bit pricier with their plans overall, though deals can be found if one is lucky or digs enough.

I'm happy with Sprint, as a carry-over from Nextel for nearly 10 years. Of course, I'm something of a Telecom Luddite, and use my phone well within my plan's allotted minutes, and am constantly browbeating the missus about not texting her chatty friends (I don't text or use data, she does so sparingly).

We will likely review this again later this summer when we discuss whether or not we want to get or add an unlimited texting plan and reduce our monthly talking minutes.

.

.

.

As for iPhones - can't say I'm all that impressed. Missus has the iPod Touch, and using the keyboard to compose emails or blog entries is nothing but a tortuous excercise.

If I ever make a habit of texting, I'd much rather have a hardware keyboard built into the device, or jack that I can connect a compact PDA keyboard to it.

Pretty much agree with everything here. My "other" phone is a T-Mobile Blackberry, office supplied, that I'll (finally!) be returning to them and going crackberry-less (and just using the EVO but no more corporate email ball and chain). T-Mobile has decent enough coverage so long as you don't stray from the highways into the byways - but two of my regular destinations have either NO or weird coverage. Our annual summer vacation is a beach house on St George Island in Florida's panhandle (don't get me started on what BP's done to that, it's a sorry story) and there is no T-Mobile coverage within HOURS of there - literally. On the other hand my wife's iPhone did get AT&T on the mainland, so that's like 15-20 minutes away. Verizon worked even on the island.

Verizon does have great coverage but every single Verizon user I know will talk my ear off about how they feel they get nickle and dimed for every little thing they ever want to do with them. The joke is that while with the iPhone "There's an App for that!" with Verizon it's "There's a charge for that!".

Of course these days with most of the devices also supporting WiFi AND being able to install an App like Skype even if you are out of coverage areas you still have an option if you have broadband access (which the beach house does).