iPhone 4 Demand – Pre-Order Lines & Websites Down

Demand for iPhone 4 is huge, that’s expected, but would you have guessed that both AT&T and Apple’s order processing sites would collapse under the weight pre-order traffic? And would you have guessed that long lines formed to just pre-order the device? Both are happening right now.

iPhone 4 Pre-Order Demand Brings Down AT&T and Apple Store Websites

Consumers pre-ordering iPhone 4 have caused the AT&T Online Store to crash, shutting customers out of pre-orders for hours. Unfortunately, Apple’s pre-order capabilities of iPhone 4 are also dependent on the AT&T order system, so the Online Apple Store is also suffering and has been giving various error messages all day.

Customers are reportedly trying for hours on end to access either of the websites to pre-order the iPhone to no avail, as they are continuously confronted with “Site Currently Unavailable” and “Your request couldn’t be processed” errors messages.

If you think calling AT&T or Apple’s 800 numbers would help, think again. Both lines have been continuously busy as consumers try to get through to reach a representative to confirm orders.

Long Lines for iPhone 4 Pre-Orders

It’s not just the web that’s in crazed chaos over demand, the Apple and AT&T retail stores are also experiencing long waits as lines develop just to pre-order the device.

Check out this picture from BusinessInsider, the image was snapped early this morning of a line wrapping around the block of an AT&T store… again this is just for pre-orders! A quick check on Twitter confirms this is not unusual; AT&T, Apple Stores, and even Best Buy have pre-order lines all around the country.

The queues aren’t just limited to those in the USA, BusinessInsider also has pictures from Japan showing massive lines wrapping around entire city blocks, just so people can get their name on the pre-order list.

The demand for iPhone 4 is truly remarkable, you have to wonder if Apple and AT&T didn’t see this coming. At this point it wouldn’t be surprising if pre-orders alone sold out the device before it even ships, which could cause iPhone 4 availability to be pushed back weeks as supply finally catches up with demand of the increasingly popular device.