iPhone X delivery dates slip minutes after preorders begin

Did you get yours?

We did! Each with a November 3rd delivery date, one week away, iPhone X’s official launch day. But, those delivery dates didn’t last for long – just a few minutes!

Apple’s iPhone X became available today at 12:01 am PDT / 3:01 am EDT. The iPhone X is available in Silver and Space Gray finishes in 64GB or 256GB storage capacities. The 64GB versions are priced at $999 and the 256GB models are $1,149.

During the preorder process, Apple performed carrier checks for our unlocked iPhone X models (Verizon). This process took a few extra precious seconds, but went off without a hitch and thankfully did not delay delivery on our orders.

Within minutes, by 12:10 am PDT, iPhone X delivery dates for both colors (Silver and Space Gray) and both capacities (64GB and 256GB) slipped to “1-2 weeks.”

By 12:17 am PDT, all delivery dates for iPhone X units slipped to “2-3 weeks.”

Update: By 12:28 am PDT, all delivery dates for iPhone X units slipped to “4-5 weeks.”

Update: By 1:44 am PDT all delivery dates for iPhone X units slipped to “5-6 weeks.”

Apple's revolutionary iPhone X
Apple’s revolutionary iPhone X

 
Those customers who haven’t preordered can still brave Apple Stores, third-party retailers (Best Buy, Target, et.), and carrier stores in order to try to get their iPhone X on November 3rd.

An early iPhone X preorder with Day One delivery (November 3) email message from Apple Inc.
An early iPhone X preorder with Day One delivery (November 3) email message from Apple Inc.

83 Comments

    1. Yeah me too. At about 12:07am. Had me going when nothing was happening as the clock started running and precious minutes were dripping by. Wonder how fast they’ll run out of this first batch? Guess we might find out tomorrow, meaning later today.

  1. I had my iPad Pro 12.9 in split screen on the AppleStore App and Safari on Apple.com. But, my iPhone 6S got me onto AT&T faster and I got a Nov. 3rd delivery date! Sometimes you gotta go at it multiple ways I guess…

  2. Got it, but Nov 17-24, ugh! The apple store app didn’t work till 12:20 am! The website worked, but as soon as I went to order it said I had to complete it on the apple store app, but it wouldn’t connect till 12:20.

    Frustrating, but I suppose it could be worse!

  3. First off, the Apple Store App and the website didn’t “launch” on time, which I can understand. The AT&T site also opened, on a queue, 6 minutes or so past launch.

    Apple Store Website actually came up first. So I rolled with it. My bag was empty, mistaken favorites as some means to get there quickly – it wasn’t. Selected through everything and always stumble on that accept check box. Hoooo. Apple Pay. Fail fail fail. What??? I know this is right. Turns out on the Safari Website it was defaulting everything, CC and delivery to my work address. My CC must hate me now. Apple Pay simply did not work whatsoever, from the Mac.

    Checked the Apple Store App, it was completely synced with my web session. I selected Apple Pay and zing!!! It went through, correct address and all.

    I don’t know WTF happened with Apply Pay on Safari.

    I got slipped into Nov 17-24 ship date. I don’t even know if this is 2nd or third group. If it goes week by week, I guess it’s the third group. Dates slipped twice by 12:16am.

    1. I had a similar but much worse experience. For comparison, for the first Apple Watch, the Apple Store app store opened at 03:03, and it took me about 20 seconds to complete my order, without a favourite having been previously set in my account in the app. That was two years ago.

      Fast forward to a ‘more mature’ store, more than two years later, and it seems that I was lucky to get my order in at all. In Canada the store, overall, did not ‘start to open’ until 03:06, and late in that minute. I had to use the web store as an indicator, because I’d already spend six minutes opening and closing the Apple Store app on my iPhone, because it was clearly having problems. The app was not showing me my favourite, that I had so carefully prepared and checked for the launch. So, I started a completely new order, several times, but was shown something about carriers. This was not for an upgrade, but for a new order. This is supposed to be an unlocked ‘phone, so carriers do not come into the equation. Worse still, the carriers were U.S. carriers, not the Canadian carriers. I could not get rid of the insistence on choosing a U.S. carrier for my non-upgrade Canadian iPhone X. Then there was the ‘doubling’ of my order in the app, but let’s not dwell on that.

      By about 03:17, I’d had enough, and tried to order with the web site. That barfed about four times with Apple Pay, so much so that, for a while, I gave up hope and went back to the iPhone app. The iPhone app was still a clusterfsck, so I had to try the web store again.

      Finally, it went through at about 03:19. By this time, what should have been a successful order in a few seconds, putting my order, as happened with my Watch over two years ago, in the first delivery, ended up being an order that put me at 2-3 weeks delivery.

      At 10:38, my Canadian account in the Apple Store app still shows me the U.S. carriers. :-/

      FWIW, even though the web order was for my AppleID and through ApplePay, the e-mail confirming my order gives me a link that takes me to the iPhone Apple Store app’s order section, asks me to TouchID, and then promptly tells me that “The following order number xxx does not belong to the provided account.” My account information on the app is still totally borked. For example, I’m told that “At this time, we’re unable to display devices linked to your Apple ID.” Thanks, Apple.

      Methinks that the Apple ID team and the Apple Store teams did not to their intersystem testing properly, a) forcing Canadian customers to use the web store, when they expected to use the Apple Store app, and b) not linking the app to the Apple ID, so that the wrong series of app ‘pages’ during the purchase process were shown to the app user, resulting in an inability to purchase the iPhone X from the Apple Store app. I still cannot purchase anything using the app, because all my information is missing from the app, even though it logs in properly under my Apple ID.

      For so many nominally independent reasons, this was by far the worst clusterfsck of a launch that I can remember in several years.

      Someone(s) at Apple should be fired, or given some equally painful fate.

      1. Something on this level happens every year. There are many factors involved. An iPhone launch is one of the most complex marketing actions any company can make, on a global scale.

        The whole scope is to vent our failures and successes.

        The amazing thing here, in the past, I could complete my order more than 30 minutes past launch-preorder and still get launch day delivery. And now it’s less than 6 minutes to delivery slippage.

        I have come to the conclusion that access to the Apple Store to pre-order is rolled out regionally. There is no equality regarding the Store opening up at 12:01AM PDT. This is, I think, an Akamai issue as either a controlled rollout or a technical issue that the script takes x time to update all the systems, that re-enable the Apple Store.

        I suspect, if we used VPN to rout to an appropriate region, we would have access to the Store earlier. That’s a bit extreme. Having the new iPhone within a couple of weeks is okay with me. The alternative is time wasted.

        1. > The amazing thing here, in the past, I could complete my order more than 30 minutes past launch-preorder and still get launch day delivery.

          Yes, but in which country are you? Canada?

          I finally succeeded at about 03:20, but was put at 2-3 weeks. It is at least bothersome that a so-called international rollout at the same 00:01 PST, would let you get a first-day delivery for an order that was completed some ten minutes after mine completed.

          Apple, you must do better and treat your customers more consistently. The is, frankly, no excuse for the above.

        2. Oooh that makes me so angry when it happens. Like how can this be fair.

          What I think is possible, Sprint designated phones aren’t selling as fast, as an example. For Canada, sure it’s something else. It’s all about SKU or model numbers. More demand for a specific model means later delivery at an earlier time. But I do know that some people will get the exact same phone, later and still get launch day. Frustrating. I can’t believe this is specifically Apple’s fault – but more of an issue with how the Internet is built. Some random biological like things happen.

  4. 1. The Apple Store app didn’t go live until 7-8 minutes past when it was suppose to go live.

    2. When it finally did go live I completed the order within 1 minute and got a reservation number message stating the carrier systems could not be reached.

    3. The message said they will be emailing me to complete the order. Almost 30 minutes has past and no email has been sent.

    4. Confused.

    1. 1. It’s been one hour and ten minutes since I placed the order in the Apple Store app and the carrier servers still can not be reached to complete the order.

      2. There are no reservations listed for my “order” in the Apple Store app

      3. Apple sales doesn’t answer the phone

      3. Even more confused

  5. 12:06 256 silver nov 3.. yeee ha:)

    12:10 all 256 models sold out.. 2-3 weeks
    64s still abailible

    12:20 all models sold out…. 2-3 weeks

    12:32 all models sold our….. 4-5 weeks

    1. I personally feel there is massive interest..
      But that is just what i feel/think!

      …. ummm … yet …what if Apple can only produce 1000 phones a day ???? (Just being the devils advocate;) )

      I truly believe x is a hit.. even with F-ing Notch..

      IIVobmijoy

  6. The App Store only started working at 12:05AM PST (or 4:05AM my time). Regardless, I managed to get it (Silver 64GB) for Nov 3rd and a case for Nov 2nd. I was charged right away for the case and about 20-25 minutes after I ordered for the phone. I used a VISA Debit and I had to call my bank to get an increase in my allowable Online Spend Limit. Of course, I woke up 20 minutes before the preorder and only checked to make sure the numbers were still updated and above the usual $1,000 limit like 8 minutes before and sure enough, the limit reverted back to $1,000. Luckily I had my bank on speed dial and quick access to my debit card AND the guy on the other end was super quick. Managed to get off the phone by 11:59 PST. So I was sure I was going to be on the phone much longer… needless to say, I was almost sweating bullets! My first online preorder for an iPhone and what an experience!

  7. Still don’t have e-mail order confirmation as of 12:40am. When I look at the Apple Store app under Orders it says I don’t have any but I know for a fact I went through the whole process with a delivery date and everything. Maybe Apple monthly payment plan reports differently than straight sales? Find out later today I guess.

  8. 11/3 64g silver on Verizon, watched the Macworld twitter feed, which was useful to hear which carrier sites were up, TMo was taking orders 3 mins before the start time of 12:01. Verizon seemed to be the next one to open after mid nite. Since the Apple Store app was taking too long, I ordered directly thru Verizon.

  9. I made a basic assumption:

    -Who waits until 12:01a.m. for an iPhone? Geeks, fans, people like me….
    -Are they woman or man? Mostly man
    -Are they going for black or white? Black
    -64GB will be the more popular choice because it’s a bit cheaper.
    -What should I put as favourite in my Apple Store App? White 256GB, followed by White 64GB, followed by Black 256GB.

    And the result is: White 256GB for a delivery on Nov 3rd!

    I might have made the wrong assumptions on all fronts, but I will believe it’s right because it worked!

  10. Usually the ap on the iPhone or iPad gets you in quicker. Not this time. I was trying iPhone, iPad via the ap and computer via safari. Got in first with Safari on the Mac even though it took until 12:12

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