Some iPhone owners had trouble activating Apple's new mobile device, with some saying that they had to wait four days before they could start using their handsets.
Iain Gillott waited in the Texas heat to buy an iPhone on June 29, the day Apple's much-ballyhooed mobile device went on sale. But then it took him 47 hours to activate his new phone.
First, Gillott, a wireless technology analyst at IGR Inc. in Austin, learned that his family-rate plan with AT&T wouldn't accommodate an additional number. Then, an activation message sent by AT&T to Apple's servers timed out before it could be processed.
"When the next big device comes out, I'm not rushing out to buy one," Gillott said. He added that AT&T should have activated phones in its stores, instead of leaving users to do so online through Apple's iTunes service.
Gillott wasn't the only frustrated user. Activation problems lit up message forums shortly after the device went on sale. AT&T customers transferring their mobile numbers were affected, as were others switching numbers from rival mobile network operators.
But many iPhone buyers users who took new numbers reported successful activations in less than 10 minutes.
"I have talked with countless customers, all of whom have had no problems getting set up," said Jeffrey Kagan, an independent analyst in Atlanta. "Actually, I think we all expected the mad crush of new customers to [create] many more problems than have occurred."
In a posting on the MacRumors.com online forum, a user named ‘Strum’ said it took four days to get his iPhone fully activated. But he wasn't deterred by the long wait. "Would I go through this again for the iPhone? Yes," he wrote.
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Comments
Dave said: Ask any Joe about issues with ANY cell phone startup If you keep a previous number startup delays are a givenMy iPhones arrived on July 6th By 6PM I configured one to test the process Both phones would keep their numbers both replacing Nextel now Sprint I could place calls on my iPhone within 3 or 4 hours It took 26 hours before I could receive calls All other functions worked shortly after I could call out The second phone was configured at 9PM July 7th First I turned off the old phone When I awoke at 7AM it the iPhone fully functional Based on the start up issues with my first Nextel I found Apples process much easier My Nextel retailer was a computer idiot He screwed up the service so badly that services on three phones were turned off two years later when another company who bought phones on the day failed to pay their bill It took nearly a week to get my Nextel account turned back on
jbelkin said: Took me 3 minutes Maybe the guy didnt shut off his other phone
Bob said: This is old news that has been extremely exaggerated affecting only 2 of activations In actuality the rollout went amazingly well considering the shear volume in such a short time ATampT fixed this problem already which primarily affected people switching carriers