Conflicting Apple Notifications Stir New iPhone 4 Buzz
The Sunday morning tech buzz features a bevy of conflicting rumors about the slow-motion debut of what's likely going to be the hit tech product of 2010 so far.
Some people who placed pre-orders for Apple's iPhone 4 report having received shipment notifications and FedEx tracking numbers from Apple. At the same time, however, tips sent in to tech blog sites, like Engadget speak of receiving notifications from Apple that their preorders were canceled because they could not be authorized.
The email read:
Dear Customer,
We were unable to complete the authorization process for your iPhone order. As a result, we had to cancel your iPhone order. To complete the purchase of your iPhone, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an AT&T company-owned retail store. We apologize for this inconvenience.
Sincerely, Apple Online Store Team
Last week, Apple and its carrier partner AT&T suffered through a glitch-ridden pre-order debut which had to be cut short in the face of overwhelming demand. Apple reported receiving more than 600,000 pre-orders while AT&T said that pre-orders for the iPhone 4 were 10 times greater than on the first day the iiPhone 3GS was available for pre-order a year ago.
On Saturday, the web site Mac Rumors said that a manufacturing delay was preventing availability of the White iPhone 4 on launch day.
Delay or not, Apple continues to benefit from the intense early interest in its next-generation smartphone, as well as strong sales for its iPad tablet computer. Last week, the company's stock continued its tear, reaching an all-time high of $275, up around 30% for the year so far. The stock finished the week at $274.07