63% of Pocket-lint readers not getting iPhone 3G today

11 July 2008 16:20 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

On what could be described as a frustrating day for early adopters in the UK, in our latest poll, we asked the Pocket-lint readership whether they were planning to pick up an iPhone 3G today.

It seems that 63% of Pocket-lint readers weren't planning to brave the high street queues today in order to bag the next-gen device, with only 37% prepared to get one on launch day.

For those that did try, it seems it has not been an easy experience. No-one doubts that O2 and Apple wanted this day to go as smoothly as possible, but it's really only tales of woe that are being reported in our various comments sections today.

So, in tribute the the queuers that have hit up the comments on Pocket-lint today - thanks for helping keep us abreast of your experiences and all the latest news from the streets - here are some of your comments:

"Was there at 08:02 and still don't have my iPhone, just sat now waiting for the call to say I can pick the phone up. Very poor service."

"I had the same problems as everyone else this morning. Fourth in store at 8.02, out at 9.15! I am upgrading but they still gave me my Phone – manually processed details and told that phone would not be active until they had put details on their system."

"I was near the front of the queue at 7am. The poor staff member ended up filling out a paper form rather than the online system. Total pants!"

"After being fourth in the queue at their O2 Redhill store, from 7am today, told by staff that they had around 20 16GB phones, the first three were allowed in at 8.02am as promised, but were still in there at 9.30am! With an increasingly peeved queue forming outside, no drinks offered, nothing."

"I wanted to upgrade from the original iPhone bought from the same store on the first launch day but was told after a 2 hour wait, that as their (Windows-based) systems were down they would only do manual paperwork connections and could not do upgrades manually."

"Tasty 16GB black in hand. Was twelfth in queue at my local O2 store. Nightmare with the systems down - first people out the door took over an hour to process, everything done manually on carbon paper."

"I was in line from 5.30am this morning, sixth in line and it took 1 hour 30 minutes for the store to process the first 10 or so orders."

"Woke up at 6, in queue by 7, system crash confirmed by O2 at 9, and now I'm home waiting for a call from o2 to say it's back up and running. And no, I wasn't allowed to take an iPhone home with me."

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Phones, iPhone, Apple, Pocket-lint, Polls