iPhone 4 So Popular, Apple and AT&T Forced to Stop Taking Orders

Filed in archive Mobile Commerce on June 16, 2010

By now you've probably already heard that shortly after opening preorder sales of the Apple iPhone 4, both AT&T and Apple's sites went down due to overwhelming traffic but did you know that demand was so intense that Apple has halted taking orders?

After taking 600,000 preorders for the new iPhone 4 on the first day of availability alone, Apple and AT&T agreed that they have no choice but to stop taking advanced reservations amid overwhelming demand that crippled their computer systems.

Apple states that it was the largest number of preorders they have ever taken in a single day and demand proved far higher than they anticipated, resulting in many order and approval system malfunctions. Apple said in a statement. "We apologize to everyone who encountered difficulties, and hope that they will try again or visit an Apple or carrier store once the iPhone 4 is in stock."

The company also said it hopes to start taking reservations before the launch on June 24, depending on availability but their systems will have to be heavily reconfigured before such plans can be finalized.