Some face delays activating new iPhone 4S

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Some face delays activating new iPhone 4S

Saturday, October 15, 2011 ANSOR No comments

Rosa Golijan/msnbc.coma

By Rosa Golijan

Updated at 5:53 p.m. ETa

Uh oh! Some of the folks who managed to get their hands on iPhone 4S devices are dealing with quite a headache right now: Thanks to overloaded activation servers, they can't get their shiny new Apple gadgets up and running.a

The issue — while incredibly frustrating — isn't exactly unfamiliar to those who have set up iPhone devices in the past. Almost since the very beginning, iPhone launches seem to have been plagued by the same problem — which has occasionally been dubbed an "iPocalypse."a

A look at Twitter reveals that despite the fact that the iPhone 4S is being offered on three major carriers, it is AT&T that appears to be struggling the most to keep up with new device activations. (I've reached out to the carriers for details regarding the delays and will update when I hear back.)a

In the meantime, feel free to head into the comments below and tell us how you're faring. Did you manage to activate your new iPhone 4S right away? Was there a delay? Are you still waiting for your gadget to get activated?a

Oh, and in case you're wondering: Yes, my own iPhone 4S activation was delayed as well — but only by about 10 to 15 minutes.a

Update: AT&T provided the following statement regarding the activation delays experienced by some new iPhone 4S owners:a

As of 4:30 pm ET today, AT&T had already activated a record number of iPhones on our network – and is on-track to double our previous record for activations on a single day. These record volumes may produce slower activations for some customers, though our systems continue to run at record levels.a