iPhone 3G demand crashes O2’s servers

iPhone 3G demand crashes O2’s servers

7 July, 2008 | 1.39PM

• Section: Music News Topics: Beatport Blog, Technology
• Written by: The Last Real DJ Alive

Anyone who registered their interest with UK service provider O2 was informed at 8 AM this morning, via text message, about their chance to upgrade to the new 3G iPhone on a first-come-first-serve basis.

New buyers didn’t experience too many problems buying their 3G iPhone, but the contracted owners who’ve already got one – tempted in by an irresistible “click here for free upgrade” – flocked to the site in droves, crashing the system.

This is bad news for musically-minded DJs and producers everywhere.

Dance music fans love the iPhone, but it looks like they’re going to have to wait a long time before the next batch comes in.


As proved by our popular music production pages on the iPhone 3G, this kind of technology is what electronic music craves.


Logging on to the O2 website this morning, it was comparable to trudging through treacle to get to the final “order” page for the iPhone upgrade.


Every screen would produce “failed” messages after clicking submit, and one had to reverse and try again twenty to thirty times to get anywhere.


Eventually, the server shut down, and users were greeted with a “our online upgrade shop is currently unavailable, for now, take a look at our online tariffs”.


As if anyone gave a damn about the tariffs, which they’ve just decided upon!


It came back online at about midday, and still the digital treacle remained…


The system told you to enter your mobile number, to which it sent you a text message code.


It then asked for that code.


Ridiculously, after the text was sent to your phone, your web browser left you with no box to enter it.


We’re still sitting here now with our mouldy old iPhones in hand – we’ll let you know if there are any developments.


UPDATE: O2’s website says, as of 15:26 on Monday 7th July: “Due to huge demand for iPhone 3G, we’re currently out of stock online, come back on 10th July for more information.”


Thanks for a waste of six hours on a Monday morning, O2!

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