Boy Genius Report has an interesting scoop on how Sprint and Apple will be handling the upcoming iPhone 4S launch this Friday, October 14th.
Apple is well-known for keeping its unreleased products under lock and key, and the 4S launch is no exception. Those that were lucky enough to pre-order the iPhone 4S during the initial rush last Friday will get the product delivered to their doorstep when it becomes available in stories Friday.
Apple will be sending contractors out to Sprint stores this week to set up for the approaching iPhone 4S launch. BGR notes that Apple gets to choose where and how the 4S is displayed in-store, not Sprint.
“After the displays are installed, it seems that the stores will close for the rest of the day to give the locations time to prepare for Friday’s launch. We are told iPhone 4S devices will be shipped overnight to retail store locations on Wednesday, and all employees are under strict orders to not open any of the iPhone boxes or related materials. In fact, Sprint has communicated to employees that Apple’s team will be there on Thursday, and if any boxes are tampered with or opened, employees “will be fired immediately and walked out of the store.”
iPhone 4S units will begin arriving to AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint stores this Thursday. Sales begin at 7:00 a.m. local time on Friday.
This morning Apple announced that there were 1 million iPhone 4S pre-orders in the first 24 hours of availability last Friday. That makes the 4S Apple’s fastest-selling handset of all time. Apple’s pre-order stock has already sold out, and shipping estimates have been moved back to 1-2 weeks for those that didn’t make the initial rush.
If you want to get your hands on an iPhone 4S Friday, get there early and be prepared to wait in line. We’ll be covering the product launch throughout the day.
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
32 responses to “How Sprint Will Handle the iPhone 4S Launch This Friday”
Verizon seems to have botched the launch pretty badly. They’re now telling everyone that the 4S will SHIP, not ARRIVE on 10/14. This means those who pre-ordered on VZN won’t get it until sometime during the week of 10/17 at the earliest.
Ok, nevermind. VZN customer service rep I spoke with was not the brightest bulb. It turns out, it will ARRIVE on the 14th. Disregard prior comment!
Glad I pre-ordered
Two corrections
1. Sales start at 8am, not 7
2. Second paragraph is unrelated and should be deleted. Makes it seem like you get paid by the word and thus are padding
Will you change your user name to Placated VZN customer? :)
Why does everyone around COM think they’re an editor? It’s so annoying!
myy ATT iphone 4s 16 black says “processing ” i hope i get it launch day?
anybody know about ATT ship times
sprint still offers 32gb and 64 gb on their website
Really glad I pre-ordered early Friday morning, my white AT&T 16gb 4S should be on my doorstep around 8 AM Friday(:
(I just moved to a new house and discovered that UPS and FedEx deliveries come EXTREMELY early)
My black 4S’s shipping info’s been updated, it’s already left China, delivery is scheduled for the 14th in Chicago.
Not sure why you should quote a site like BGR – there record on apple is spotty at best – remember just last week the “spring will get an exclusive iPhone 5” rumor they put out.
i keep checking mine at least twice a day but still processing
That’s true I hate BGR. They were also the dumbasses that said the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S would have no home buttons back in February.
I like this! I ordered mind through sprint that morning and ETA is friday, fingers crossed.
Poor ppl wasting money on old tech I can’t wait til nov 3 for nexus prime iPad’s are great so would an iPhone 5 but a iPhone 4s is just stupid to buy
If COM actually had editors that did a decent job, no one would have to ‘think’ they are one. There wouldn’t be errors in need of being corrected.