Apple begins taking iPhone 4 pre-orders
Early this morning, Apple opened the floodgates for iPhone 4 pre-orders. You can now pre-order the black 16 gigabyte and 32 gigabyte iPhone 4 over at Apple’s online store — for $199 and $299, respectively — with a two-year contract, or if you’re eligible for an early upgrade. There’s no word on when the white version of the device will be up for pre-order.
You can arrange for the phone to be delivered on June 24 (its official launch day), or choose to pick it up in-store. My recommendation? Go for the delivery option for the most stress-free experience.
As is usually the case on the first iPhone pre-order days, Apple’s website is currently having trouble managing all of the requests. You can either wait until a quieter time to do it, or try pre-ordering from AT&T’s website, which seems to be going more smoothly for some people.
As we covered previously, both Best Buy and Radio Shack are offering pre-orders for iPhone 4 as well. The details seem to have changed a bit from our last report — a $50 deposit may no longer be required at Radio Shack, and Best Buy not be taking pre-orders until next week. The story seems to differ depending on location, so be sure to call your local store if you’re interested in pre-ordering.
There’s also the potential that Apple will force third-party retailers to stop taking pre-orders altogether, but there’s no word on that yet. Wal-Mart will also be carrying iPhone 4 at launch, but isn’t offering pre-orders.
Don’t miss MobileBeat 2010, VentureBeat’s conference on the future of mobile. The theme: “The year of the superphone and who will profit.” Now expanded to two days, MobileBeat 2010 will take place on July 12-13 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Register now. Tickets are going quickly. For complete conference details, or to apply for the MobileBeat Startup Competition, click here.
Next Story: Meet the real Apple TV — the new Mac mini
Previous Story: Benchmark Capital offers feedback to ambitious startups
About the Author, Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar is VentureBeat's National Editor and lead mobile writer. He has been writing about technology since 2004, worked in IT support for several years, and studied philosophy at Amherst College. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York. You can reach him at devindra@venturebeat.com (all story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com), and on Twitter at @Devindra.
