iPhone 3G Launch Summary…What Really Happened–PICS!

By Gary Ng on July 12th, 2008 94

Yesterday’s iPhone 3G launch in Canada was quite the gong show across the country. Even though the doors opened at 8am, sales came to a sudden halt at–8:05am! The problem was that the iTunes server went down, which made activation impossible.

On top of that, the Rogers internal system went down–and stayed down! So that’s a double whammy. One would suspect that Rogers could have prepared themselves a little better for this. I mean, they know the iPhone 3G is going to sell like hotcakes so why not have your back systems on standby? Yesterday’s post incurred over 120+ comments–an indication that Canadians were either livid or happy regarding the launch. I found a lot of people had bad experiences, while a small minority was quite successful.

Anyways, enjoy the following photo essay of the Vancouver iPhone 3G launch at the Rogers Plus location (aka a Rogers Video with a TINY section for cellphones) on West Broadway/Arbutus.

The line up that went around the corner…

I arrived at 5:45am…shortly after, these people arrived after to form the line behind us

Well, well, well…look at what we found in the Vancouver Sun? It’s Canada’s FASTEST mobile network!

Rogers did have draws as promised! However, afterwards they just gave away the rest of their swag. Managed to get a free umbrella, arm sweatband, and tshirt. Hey, now it’s my time to do the gouging of Rogers freebies!

The form you see on the chair was handed out to us to tally up how many people wanted the rare 16GB iPhones.

Looks like we have upper management being interviewed by Bradley Shende, executive producer from MSN’s Connected Life technology show. They also interviewed yours truly, so keep your eyes peeled for the next segment!

I also did interviews with Asians media outlets Fairchild TV and ePoch Times. They saw me, asked me if I spoke Cantonese (I said yes) and we were off to the races. Umm…too bad my Cantonese is spotty at best and trying to talk about the iPhone 3G was just humorous. “blah blah blah 3G blah blah iPhone…” is pretty much how it went! If you have a clip of the Fairchild segment, let me know!

But the fun didn’t stop there. I also did some “on the scene” updates with 95 Crave FM (thanks Buzz!). My last update I called them to inform them about the unfortunate turn of events. One hour in and only 1 or 2 iPhones activated, I had to jump ship. I left as it I couldn’t wait any longer. BUT…good news. I managed to track down an 8GB iPhone in Victoria! I should have it by tomorrow!


Ahh…this is when the problems started. Eager iPhone 3G fans getting the unfortunate news that the systems are down. All they can do is wait in pure agony. One of the guys here, upon opening up his brand new shiny white 16GB iPhone 3G, used a BOX CUTTER to try and take out his SIM card tray!

A group of us watching from the outside cringed at the sight of torture on that brand spankin’ new iPhone! I don’t blame him, as the Rogers employee watched him attempt the procedure–I think she was the one who gave him the boxcutter! FAIL!

Here’s a tiny clip of the number of people in line as of 5:45am:

…and that was the launch! Too bad Rogers failed with their systems going down. I will report back with my iPhone 3G if all goes as planned tomorrow. So, how do you like your 3G so far? Is it everything you’ve always dreamed of? ;)

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Founder and Editor-in-Chief of iPhoneinCanada.ca. Follow @iPhoneinCanada and on Google+. Click here to save 20% OFF at ZAGG.com with coupon 'iphoneinca'!

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  • Teejay

    Somehow i feel relieved I didn’t give in to the pressure. Have fun with the awesome boss 3 year contract :P

  • Teejay

    Somehow i feel relieved I didn’t give in to the pressure. Have fun with the awesome boss 3 year contract :P

  • Teejay

    Somehow i feel relieved I didn’t give in to the pressure. Have fun with the awesome boss 3 year contract :P

  • http://oddyoh.blogspot.com/ OddyOh

    It’s probably karma for Rogers’ announcing those outrageous plans in the first place. Feels wrong to reward their behaviour by getting an iPhone. On the other hand, it’s a kickass phone. :) I will continue to wait and hope another GSM provider arrives in Canada in the not too distant future.

  • http://oddyoh.blogspot.com/ OddyOh

    It’s probably karma for Rogers’ announcing those outrageous plans in the first place. Feels wrong to reward their behaviour by getting an iPhone. On the other hand, it’s a kickass phone. :) I will continue to wait and hope another GSM provider arrives in Canada in the not too distant future.

  • http://oddyoh.blogspot.com OddyOh

    It’s probably karma for Rogers’ announcing those outrageous plans in the first place. Feels wrong to reward their behaviour by getting an iPhone. On the other hand, it’s a kickass phone. :) I will continue to wait and hope another GSM provider arrives in Canada in the not too distant future.

  • dmurray

    Option: No Data Plan?

    How about getting the iPhone, then (for $50) downgrading the account to the $25 (250 anytime minutes)? Maybe add Visual VM ay $8 or $15, and fly-by-Wi-Fi?

    Might be a waste of G3, but you still get a mostly functional iPhone for half the operating cost…

    Thoughts?

    (question: will Visual VM work with Wi-Fi and no data plan?)

  • dmurray

    Option: No Data Plan?

    How about getting the iPhone, then (for $50) downgrading the account to the $25 (250 anytime minutes)? Maybe add Visual VM ay $8 or $15, and fly-by-Wi-Fi?

    Might be a waste of G3, but you still get a mostly functional iPhone for half the operating cost…

    Thoughts?

    (question: will Visual VM work with Wi-Fi and no data plan?)

  • dmurray

    Option: No Data Plan?

    How about getting the iPhone, then (for $50) downgrading the account to the $25 (250 anytime minutes)? Maybe add Visual VM ay $8 or $15, and fly-by-Wi-Fi?

    Might be a waste of G3, but you still get a mostly functional iPhone for half the operating cost…

    Thoughts?

    (question: will Visual VM work with Wi-Fi and no data plan?)

  • Iain

    Wow and I had thought the Rogers system had only gone down for only a short period of time. OUCH!

  • Iain

    Wow and I had thought the Rogers system had only gone down for only a short period of time. OUCH!

  • Iain

    Wow and I had thought the Rogers system had only gone down for only a short period of time. OUCH!

  • Justin

    dmuray.

    Is it true that you can simply get a voice plan, which I have with Fido, and simply agree to a 3 year plan and get the iphone with my Fido dollar + extra for the $300 16Gig unit?

  • Justin

    dmuray.

    Is it true that you can simply get a voice plan, which I have with Fido, and simply agree to a 3 year plan and get the iphone with my Fido dollar + extra for the $300 16Gig unit?

  • Rich

    I have a question. What will happen if I upgrade to firmware 2.0 on a first generation iPhone that was jailbroken and unlocked to work on the rogers network. Will it still be able to work and not brick becuase now Rogers is an official provider of the iPhone. I want to upgrade firmware so bad but I am scared that I will brick my 1st Generation phone. Any thoughts?

  • Rich

    I have a question. What will happen if I upgrade to firmware 2.0 on a first generation iPhone that was jailbroken and unlocked to work on the rogers network. Will it still be able to work and not brick becuase now Rogers is an official provider of the iPhone. I want to upgrade firmware so bad but I am scared that I will brick my 1st Generation phone. Any thoughts?

  • Rich

    I have a question. What will happen if I upgrade to firmware 2.0 on a first generation iPhone that was jailbroken and unlocked to work on the rogers network. Will it still be able to work and not brick becuase now Rogers is an official provider of the iPhone. I want to upgrade firmware so bad but I am scared that I will brick my 1st Generation phone. Any thoughts?

  • Jordan

    I’m not sure but… I went to fido instead of Rogers. And from what I saw, the line up was MUCH smaller than Rogers. Although, they also had the down time, we were given numbers and so we could leave… as long as we came back on time it was fine.

  • Jordan

    I’m not sure but… I went to fido instead of Rogers. And from what I saw, the line up was MUCH smaller than Rogers. Although, they also had the down time, we were given numbers and so we could leave… as long as we came back on time it was fine.

  • Jordan

    I’m not sure but… I went to fido instead of Rogers. And from what I saw, the line up was MUCH smaller than Rogers. Although, they also had the down time, we were given numbers and so we could leave… as long as we came back on time it was fine.

  • Tony

    Yes thats true, but your voice plan must be higher than 30 $ dollars per month, and then the iphone goes up to 350$ because you get a 50$ rebate if you spend 60$ or more a month on voice and data.

    I was able to get my hands on a 16G Black iPhone from a tine fido kiosk in montreal. I waited in line at the Fido flagship store but the line was crawling at unbelievably slow rates, so I decided to check out the kiosk in Place Montreal Trust and I was able to get the last 16G they had in stock!

  • Tony

    Yes thats true, but your voice plan must be higher than 30 $ dollars per month, and then the iphone goes up to 350$ because you get a 50$ rebate if you spend 60$ or more a month on voice and data.

    I was able to get my hands on a 16G Black iPhone from a tine fido kiosk in montreal. I waited in line at the Fido flagship store but the line was crawling at unbelievably slow rates, so I decided to check out the kiosk in Place Montreal Trust and I was able to get the last 16G they had in stock!

  • Tony

    Yes thats true, but your voice plan must be higher than 30 $ dollars per month, and then the iphone goes up to 350$ because you get a 50$ rebate if you spend 60$ or more a month on voice and data.

    I was able to get my hands on a 16G Black iPhone from a tine fido kiosk in montreal. I waited in line at the Fido flagship store but the line was crawling at unbelievably slow rates, so I decided to check out the kiosk in Place Montreal Trust and I was able to get the last 16G they had in stock!

  • iBog

    I arrived at about 8:30 AM to the Fido store in Winnipeg (St. Vidal Centre) and was #2 in line.

    I have a month-to-month Incoming calls voice plan ($30/month).

    I requested the white 16GB iPhone 3G and the promotional $30/month data plan (6GB). I paid $350 plus taxes.

    I insisted that my voice plan not be modified in any way and only wish to accept a 3yr agreement on the data plan. After looking over the paper work, it appears my voice plan was modified and is now on a 3 year term.

    I will be returning my iPhone within 15 days as I do not want to be on a long term voice contract.

  • iBog

    I arrived at about 8:30 AM to the Fido store in Winnipeg (St. Vidal Centre) and was #2 in line.

    I have a month-to-month Incoming calls voice plan ($30/month).

    I requested the white 16GB iPhone 3G and the promotional $30/month data plan (6GB). I paid $350 plus taxes.

    I insisted that my voice plan not be modified in any way and only wish to accept a 3yr agreement on the data plan. After looking over the paper work, it appears my voice plan was modified and is now on a 3 year term.

    I will be returning my iPhone within 15 days as I do not want to be on a long term voice contract.

  • iBog

    I arrived at about 8:30 AM to the Fido store in Winnipeg (St. Vidal Centre) and was #2 in line.

    I have a month-to-month Incoming calls voice plan ($30/month).

    I requested the white 16GB iPhone 3G and the promotional $30/month data plan (6GB). I paid $350 plus taxes.

    I insisted that my voice plan not be modified in any way and only wish to accept a 3yr agreement on the data plan. After looking over the paper work, it appears my voice plan was modified and is now on a 3 year term.

    I will be returning my iPhone within 15 days as I do not want to be on a long term voice contract.

  • Juan

    What about with rogers? same deal? you can get it without data plan as long as you pay the extra 50 buks and your plan is more than 30 a month….since mine is actually 40..?

  • Juan

    What about with rogers? same deal? you can get it without data plan as long as you pay the extra 50 buks and your plan is more than 30 a month….since mine is actually 40..?

  • Juan

    What about with rogers? same deal? you can get it without data plan as long as you pay the extra 50 buks and your plan is more than 30 a month….since mine is actually 40..?

  • Rob

    Anyone elses internet not working on their iPhone?

    last nite it was fine…beside the reception bars it said ROGERS, and beside that was a 3G box. That box is gone and I cant go online….wtf?!

    any ideas?

  • Rob

    Anyone elses internet not working on their iPhone?

    last nite it was fine…beside the reception bars it said ROGERS, and beside that was a 3G box. That box is gone and I cant go online….wtf?!

    any ideas?

  • Rob

    Anyone elses internet not working on their iPhone?

    last nite it was fine…beside the reception bars it said ROGERS, and beside that was a 3G box. That box is gone and I cant go online….wtf?!

    any ideas?

  • http://andrewdasilva.com/ Andrew da Silva

    Talked to a rep. yesterday at a kiosk, he said their switches were overwhelmed and are suppose to come back today after the techs upgrade/repair them this morning/night.

  • http://andrewdasilva.com/ Andrew da Silva

    Talked to a rep. yesterday at a kiosk, he said their switches were overwhelmed and are suppose to come back today after the techs upgrade/repair them this morning/night.

  • http://andrewdasilva.com/ Andrew da Silva

    Talked to a rep. yesterday at a kiosk, he said their switches were overwhelmed and are suppose to come back today after the techs upgrade/repair them this morning/night.

  • Michael

    I got the very last 16GB iPhone (white) that my Rogers Plus store had here in Winnipeg. My girlfriend and I both got one (mine 16 and hers 8) and we were in the store for almost 4 hours trying to activate the two of them. When rogers released the 6GB of data, that was what made the deal. I already have an amazing voice plan, but it was the data plan that was expensive and not worth it. 6GB isn’t unlimited, but its close enough for me. Good luck to everyone trying to get their iPhone in the next few days, I hope the computer systems cooperate this time!

  • Michael

    I got the very last 16GB iPhone (white) that my Rogers Plus store had here in Winnipeg. My girlfriend and I both got one (mine 16 and hers 8) and we were in the store for almost 4 hours trying to activate the two of them. When rogers released the 6GB of data, that was what made the deal. I already have an amazing voice plan, but it was the data plan that was expensive and not worth it. 6GB isn’t unlimited, but its close enough for me. Good luck to everyone trying to get their iPhone in the next few days, I hope the computer systems cooperate this time!

  • Michael

    I got the very last 16GB iPhone (white) that my Rogers Plus store had here in Winnipeg. My girlfriend and I both got one (mine 16 and hers 8) and we were in the store for almost 4 hours trying to activate the two of them. When rogers released the 6GB of data, that was what made the deal. I already have an amazing voice plan, but it was the data plan that was expensive and not worth it. 6GB isn’t unlimited, but its close enough for me. Good luck to everyone trying to get their iPhone in the next few days, I hope the computer systems cooperate this time!

  • http://www.adviso.ca/en Louis-Dominic Parizeau

    Yesterday, I went to all three Montreal down-town corporate Fido stores and I learned that the activation system for current customers is basically down (or can only process like 1 client each 3 hours). Activation for new customers is not affected. A rep told me that a system reboot (WTF?) was to take place Saturday night. So Sunday morning should be fine (I call this morning, and the system is still down). He also said that he’ll receive more Iphone on Monday and Tuesday.

  • http://www.adviso.ca/en Louis-Dominic Parizeau

    Yesterday, I went to all three Montreal down-town corporate Fido stores and I learned that the activation system for current customers is basically down (or can only process like 1 client each 3 hours). Activation for new customers is not affected. A rep told me that a system reboot (WTF?) was to take place Saturday night. So Sunday morning should be fine (I call this morning, and the system is still down). He also said that he’ll receive more Iphone on Monday and Tuesday.

  • Jeremy

    I was first in line at my location and got THE ONLY 16GB black iPhone…Store opened up at 9am but no problem with activation. I did have to unbrick it at home a few hours later but that was expected. I love it!

  • Jeremy

    I was first in line at my location and got THE ONLY 16GB black iPhone…Store opened up at 9am but no problem with activation. I did have to unbrick it at home a few hours later but that was expected. I love it!

  • Jeremy

    I was first in line at my location and got THE ONLY 16GB black iPhone…Store opened up at 9am but no problem with activation. I did have to unbrick it at home a few hours later but that was expected. I love it!

  • anonymous

    The thing that made the deal for me was the 6GB plan. I have to say that as much as I hate Rogers the local store did an excellent job. I was in/out in less than an hour.

    For those in the line there was people collecting the required information, and explaining the pricing and plans. Also we were told how many iPhones they had and the type so everybody in the line knew what they would be getting. For those that came late, not a single minute was wasted.

    I was lucky enough to get my order in the system and the only remaining activity was iTunes. I was given the phone to complete that portion at home ! Since I had to work, by the time I got home everything was up & running. So far, so good !

  • anonymous

    The thing that made the deal for me was the 6GB plan. I have to say that as much as I hate Rogers the local store did an excellent job. I was in/out in less than an hour.

    For those in the line there was people collecting the required information, and explaining the pricing and plans. Also we were told how many iPhones they had and the type so everybody in the line knew what they would be getting. For those that came late, not a single minute was wasted.

    I was lucky enough to get my order in the system and the only remaining activity was iTunes. I was given the phone to complete that portion at home ! Since I had to work, by the time I got home everything was up & running. So far, so good !

  • anonymous

    The thing that made the deal for me was the 6GB plan. I have to say that as much as I hate Rogers the local store did an excellent job. I was in/out in less than an hour.

    For those in the line there was people collecting the required information, and explaining the pricing and plans. Also we were told how many iPhones they had and the type so everybody in the line knew what they would be getting. For those that came late, not a single minute was wasted.

    I was lucky enough to get my order in the system and the only remaining activity was iTunes. I was given the phone to complete that portion at home ! Since I had to work, by the time I got home everything was up & running. So far, so good !

  • http://www.rgbfilter.com/ Alex

    Having had some time to reflect on the Toronto iPhone launch and getting some sleep (well a nap of a few hours) I am going to be posting some more detailed accounts of the night and morning.

    FIRSTLY I would like to point out that I am angered by the fact that Rogers quickly turned what should have been an event for all the customers who were excited enough to line up in the rain for hours on end into a media circus where the only person that really mattered to Rogers and most of the swarm of TV, Radio and newspaper reporters (there were some notable exceptions) was the first few people in line, who were poked and prodded for hours on end. Meanwhile further down the line Rogers staff members were explaining to disappointed people that they had ran out of the 16gb model and had limited amounts of the 8gb left – if you wanted a 16gb you were advised to go to another store!…

    there is more to this post and a slide show of pics from the event on http://www.rgbfilter.com

  • http://www.rgbfilter.com/ Alex

    Having had some time to reflect on the Toronto iPhone launch and getting some sleep (well a nap of a few hours) I am going to be posting some more detailed accounts of the night and morning.

    FIRSTLY I would like to point out that I am angered by the fact that Rogers quickly turned what should have been an event for all the customers who were excited enough to line up in the rain for hours on end into a media circus where the only person that really mattered to Rogers and most of the swarm of TV, Radio and newspaper reporters (there were some notable exceptions) was the first few people in line, who were poked and prodded for hours on end. Meanwhile further down the line Rogers staff members were explaining to disappointed people that they had ran out of the 16gb model and had limited amounts of the 8gb left – if you wanted a 16gb you were advised to go to another store!…

    there is more to this post and a slide show of pics from the event on http://www.rgbfilter.com

  • http://www.rgbfilter.com Alex

    Having had some time to reflect on the Toronto iPhone launch and getting some sleep (well a nap of a few hours) I am going to be posting some more detailed accounts of the night and morning.

    FIRSTLY I would like to point out that I am angered by the fact that Rogers quickly turned what should have been an event for all the customers who were excited enough to line up in the rain for hours on end into a media circus where the only person that really mattered to Rogers and most of the swarm of TV, Radio and newspaper reporters (there were some notable exceptions) was the first few people in line, who were poked and prodded for hours on end. Meanwhile further down the line Rogers staff members were explaining to disappointed people that they had ran out of the 16gb model and had limited amounts of the 8gb left – if you wanted a 16gb you were advised to go to another store!…

    there is more to this post and a slide show of pics from the event on http://www.rgbfilter.com

  • http://www.downinmycave.blogspot.com/ MIkey Twit

    As much as I want the iPhone, I’m glad I passed on this round. I’ve got 3 years now to bide my time with my Krzr and Bell Mobility, in which time the Canadian cell industry will hopefully be competitive and an even better iPhone will be out, or perhaps different variations.

    For me, the only thing I really wanted, was to combine my iPod with a cell phone. Surfing and email are nice, but not a huge mobile priority with me. Having said that,I live on iTunes, my iPod is always hooked up to my car stereo(can’t remember the last time I played a CD in the car) and I always carry my cell. Sure there are cell phone with mp3 players in them, but the suck at best or are completely unusable at worst, plus they don’t sync with iTunes, which is what I need. That’s the real real reason the iPhone would be godsend for me. It’s just that data rates just need to make more sense before I can really consider getting one, and just going with a voice plan with a phone this powerful, seems to miss the point.

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