Earlier today, Apple opened pre-orders for its newest iPhones. Unlike years past, though, things didn't kick off at 12:01 AM Pacific Time, which probably made it a bit easier for folks on the East Coast. This morning, pre-orders started at 5:00 AM Pacific Time, making folks on the same coast as Apple's headquarters wake up early, rather than stay up late.
All-in-all, I didn't see any major complaints about the change. I'm sure it wasn't ideal for some, but it doesn't sound like it was a complete failure.
Of course, that always comes down to the individual experiences. This year I decided I wasn't going to stand in a line to get a new iPhone, which meant I had to wake up early and try for a pre-order. The concern isn't so much about getting it ordered in general, but rather getting it ordered in time, to make sure you get the device on launch day. Or at least pretty close, anyway.
That's the whole deal with getting up early (or staying up late). Trying to secure that launch day delivery. That's why I've typically just opted to go stand in a line, because that method has never failed me to date. But this year a store isn't close to me and I don't feel like driving two hours out of my way.
The pre-order experience was okay for me this year. I started on Verizon's website right at 5:00 AM and the site was working pretty well for the most part. Until it wasn't, which was to be expected. What probably should have taken five minutes total ended up taking a half hour in total.
However, the website was just slow. It never came up with any errors. It never failed on part of a task. And despite the fact it took 30 minutes I still ended up securing the model I wanted (the Midnight Green, 256GB, iPhone 11 Pro Max) for what appears to be launch day delivery.
Of course, the order is still in the "processing" phase, so I have to keep my fingers crossed that it changes and the delivery date does, indeed, get nailed down.
But, I'm curious to know how the pre-order experience went for you. Did you order your handset from a carrier directly? Did you opt to use Apple's website, or even the iOS app? Let me know how it went for you, and of course which iPhone model you went with and your expected delivery date.
