In a break with past product launches, Apple has announced it will begin shipping the iPhone 4 on June 23, a day earlier than planned. Monday, customers who had pre-ordered the new handset were told by email to expect a Wednesday delivery.
“This email is to confirm that your delivery will occur on June 23rd,” reads the note addressed to Apple Store customers. “Although Apple and FedEx tracking information may currently indicate a later date, you can check the FedEx website the morning of the June 23rd to track your package to your doorstep.”
In previous product launches, deliveries have been timed to coincide with the general availability of Apple’s new devices. When the iPad launched, although devices were shipped early, they sat in distribution centers until the April 3 date when the tablet officially went on sale.
This change may be designed to head off the activation headaches which could follow the massive interest in the iPhone 4. On just the first day pre-orders were accepted, Apple said it had more than 600,000 buyers, a number so large it caused headline-making snafus.
[via AppleInsider and MacRumors]
