Thanks to Jim Hamm for the following report: "We tried ordering the new iPhone 4 yesterday morning when the Apple store opened - we had an appointment for 10 am. Big mess all around, both with Apple and AT&T. We were not successful. The Apple store couldn't help us, so they said why don't you download and install this new store app that Apple just came out with. We did, we tried, we failed, we left, we frustrated.
"Both Apple and AT&T are not prepared to handle a new product introduction such as this. And, they don't seem to learn anything from past experience. It seems to me they should say, for example, if your last name starts with A to D, you can order on such a date; if it is E to J, then order on such a date, and so on. This would break up the ordering process and place less of a load on all their servers.
"Ah well, Apple fans that we are, we'll just wait till the crowd dies down and try again. We don't mind waiting - the frustration comes when Apple/AT&T states pre-orders are available, then it seems they should be available.
"Now, after all this ranting and raving, I feel better already. I think I'll go and have a cold beer...