Reserved iPhone 4 at Apple Store

By Jian Shuo Wang on 2010-07-07 09:50 · Hi-Tech Toys

After a meeting from 2:00 to 3:30 PM in downtown Palo Alto, I passed an Apple Store at 451 University Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 (650) 617-9000. Sometimes, shopping idea just happened at a flash of thought - I never thought about buying iPhone 4 before, but when I played it for a while, I decided to spend the $599 to get one. That is the difference - if you feel something on your hand, feel its weight, and play with it for a while, and most importantly, when you feel it is closer to you, and you can get it with a small action, you are more likely to buy it.

That was what happened to me.

Obviously, there is no easy way to get an iPhone 4. There are no iPhone in stock. There is similar poster on the Apple Store as on RadioShack, and other places selling iPhone 4:

Due to popularity of iPhone 4, there is limited or no supply for iPhone in this store….

I used the online system to make an reservation. When an iPhone is available, they will send me an email to pick it up at the Apple Store. Since there is no obligation to buy, it made the decision to reserve one even easier.

So, I am on the waiting list to get an iPhone 4. I just hope it arrives before I leave Palo Alto, although the chance is not very high.

Good job, Apple for generating such huge demand for a single product. When I walked out of the store, I realized Apple’s headquarter at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA, is just 10 miles away by driving from where I stood. Silicon Valley is really one of the tech capital of the world - I also realized that the iPhone will actually be manufactured in a factory somewhere in China. It is very likely to be in Shenzhen, where some young workers just sadly committed suicide. This world is more and more connected and we often realize the lines connecting the dots in special occasions like this one - when someone just reserved an iPhone.

16 Comments
iPhone 4 has an antenna defect. Just do a Google search. I would not purchase it until after they fix the issues.
— Давид · 2010-07-07 10:53
最后是点题: 滴血iPhone, 就像上海的滴血世博.
— diyism · 2010-07-07 11:31
Based on what I heard about the issue, they said it is a signal display algorithm issue. That is pretty convincing for me. At least based on my IQ, I am believing it.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2010-07-07 16:12
will sell this gadget weeks later? hahaha...
— DC · 2010-07-07 16:44
jianshuo, how are you going to use it in china?
— kate · 2010-07-07 23:56
iPhone can be used in China - just did a little bit of work. I hope I won't sell it as quickly as Android, but who knows.
— Jian Shuo Wang · 2010-07-08 00:04
I believe the $599 is the price for iPhone 4 without AT&T contract. But it may be still an AT&T locked phone. There is no way to unlock iPhone 4 yet. You may want a non-US version which is unlocked and can be used with any GSM network.

As for its antenna issue, it is real. Apple made a big and naive mistake....
— JH · 2010-07-08 03:24
Jian shuo, iphone antennae issue is not an issue, had mine for a week with no problems! Nor have any of my 40 colleagues complained!

Your web site is great - I am visiting Expo for the first time in August! Am looking forward to it! I shall bring my iPhone, iPad and MacBook pro!!

Keep up the good work!

I have posted some articles on my blog about my forthcoming visit!
— Tim · 2010-07-08 06:54
apple was cool ten years ago, but when the iphone came around...........have since sold all my apple products and reconvert to pc.
— solopolo · 2010-07-09 01:03
Why not buy this from the Apple Shanghai store?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/technology/09apple.html?_r=1&hp
— Давид · 2010-07-09 01:58
Also, don't believe everything you hear from the company trying to cover its ass.

http://gizmodo.com/5580587/applecare-the-iphone-4-update-wont-solve-the-antenna-problem
— Давид · 2010-07-09 05:22
Also, don't believe everything you hear from the company trying to cover its ass.

http://gizmodo.com/5580587/applecare-the-iphone-4-update-wont-solve-the-antenna-problem
— Давид · 2010-07-09 05:42
Tim, I don't recommend going to the Expo, toooo many people. they're all poor country bumpkins from very poor rural chinese villages. these people have no manners at all. they spit all over the place and throw their rubbish on the ground even though the trash can is right next to them! they're dirty, ugly, and smelly.

The China Pavilion is permanent, so visit it after the Expo is over.
— Tony · 2010-07-10 03:38
Hi,

I heard that it's better to go to the Expo in the evening. Less people. And should be cooler. True?

Tony, good advice about the China pavilion, I will go there in future Shanghai visits. But since I'll be there this summer, I have to go to the expo. How could I miss it?
— Greg · 2010-07-10 04:56
The famous "Consumer Report" magazine doesn't recommend iPhone 4. We may see a major recall.....

----------------------------------------------

Consumer Reports magazine said Monday it can't recommend the iPhone 4 to shoppers, because of persistent reception issues caused by touching the Apple Inc. phone.

The products-review magazine, on its website, also questioned Apple's explanation for the glitch, saying it tested other smartphones in its labs, including the older iPhone 3GS, and "none of those phones had the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4."

"Our findings call into question the recent claim by Apple that the iPhone 4's signal-strength issues were largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software that 'mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength.' Consumer Reports said.

The comments by the product-reviews publication add to a pile of complaints about the iPhone 4's ability to handle voice calls. Apple has responded with a promise for a software update that will change how the phone decides how many signal bars to show, but Consumer Reports' tests cast doubt on whether that will solve the problem.

Consumer Reports tested three iPhone 4s and found that touching a spot on the left side of the phone can cause reception to "significantly degrade enough to cause you to lose your connection altogether if you're in an area with a weak signal."

"Due to this problem, we can't recommend the iPhone 4," the magazine said in a statement. The conclusion was an about-face for Consumer Reports, which said in a July 2 blog post that the new iPhone's issues weren't yet a reason to forgo buying the device.

The newest version of the iPhone is the first that the magazine has failed to recommend. Apple didn't reply to a request for comment.
— JH · 2010-07-13 03:53
Tony - an interesting take on Expo! The purpose of my visit is partly to come to support the London Pavilion, but also to go to Ningbo to the University.

I have read the horror stories about Expo queues - and nightime seems to be an option?

I shall blog about it here www.timgarrattnottingham.co.uk

I am looking forward to my trip...I think!
— Tim · 2010-07-14 07:21