Apple

Some lucky customers have received notification from Apple that their iPhone 4 pre-orders have shipped and will arrive on time. Launch day is June 24, and some of the notifications have listed the "Delivers By" date as June 23, a full day ahead of schedule.

As has happened before, it's likely that shipping companies will hold the package to insure that everyone receives the iPhone 4 on June 24. The iPhone 4 pre-order process has been fraught with difficulties for many customers, including some receiving notification that their pre-order was cancelled, not shipped.

Confirmed: the iPhone 4 will not be available in white on launch day. In fact, customers who had pre-ordered the white version of Apple's latest creation were notified by Best Buy that the device will not ship due to manufacturing delays. Other customers have received notification from Apple or AT&T that their pre-orders have been cancelled due to overwhelming demand and website processing errors.

The white iPhone 4 specifically has been a source of rampant speculation ever since the device was demoed at WWDC after Steve Jobs' keynote speech. Apple initially announced that both the white and black models would be available on launch day June 24.

Apple fans who expected to get their hands on the iPhone 4 next Thursday may end up disappointed. The system crashes caused by 600,000 pre-orders have resulted in inconsistent confirmation emails as AT&T's pre-order system remains temporarily closed for business.

Apple now lists the iPhone 4 as shipping July 14, almost three weeks after launch day. Best Buy has suspended pre-ordering and has warned customers with a pre-order that they are not guaranteed an iPhone 4 on launch day. Instead, the pre-order will put them in a queue to receive their devices as soon as inventories are replenished after June 24.

Apple claims to have sold over 600,000 iPhone 4 units in just over a day. Customers struggled to pre-order yesterday as online systems failed and eligibility verification was inaccessible for hours at a time. The mad rush for the next generation iPhone has resulted in shipping delays and the complete suspension of AT&T Wireless pre-ordering.

Apple now lists the iPhone 4 as "Shipping by July 14," a full three weeks later than the original June 24 release date. Apple retail stores will open on June 24 at 7:00 am across the country, however it's first come first served and if the online demand is any hint, the lines could rival those of the original iPhone.

Well, that didn't take long. Only hours into the iPhone 4 pre-order period, US pre-ordering is down. Whether you're attempting to pre-order through Apple or AT&T, for the time being, you're likely to find yourself unable to complete the process. What's the reason? Overload. As has happened multiple times in the past, either Apple, AT&T or both, underestimated the technical requirements necessary to handle demand for the iPhone.

Many of you who have recently tried the Apple Online Store route have like found yourselves staring at a spinning cursor as the Apple store attempts to contact AT&T to determine your eligibility for an iPhone upgrade, which in turn determines the price that you'll be charged to complete your pre-order. Unfortunately, after what seems an eternity of staring at that spinning cursor, most are met with the message seen above, which apologetically informs you that "Your request couldn’t be processed. We’re sorry, but there was an error processing your request. Please try again later."