Apple Inc. struggled Friday when customers around the world faced technical issues with their iPhones on the very day that the new version of the device went on sale.
Throngs waiting to buy the new iPhone 3G faced long delays as the company's computer servers overloaded and clerks were unable to activate the devices. Apple's technical difficulties also affected owners of the original iPhone, whose devices froze when they tried to download a software update.
Although resolved within hours, the service problems showed that Apple, famous for its products' reliability, was not foolproof and that it might have to rethink future launches.
As of June, Apple said it had sold 6 million iPhones. Friday was Apple's biggest iPhone push to date, with the device available in 21 countries, many for the first time. Apple marketed the iPhone 3G as having twice the speed and half the price of its older version, which went on sale in June 2007.
Apple did not return calls seeking comment. AT&T Inc., Apple's exclusive U.S. partner, directed questions to Apple, saying the technical problems were a software issue.
The new iPhone -- a combination cellphone, iPod and Internet surfing device -- costs $199 for the 8-gigabyte version and $299 for the 16-gigabyte version. That's $200 less than the first model.
Apple and its partners worldwide said that customers had to activate the new iPhone at stores, breaking from last year's launch when people took the phones home to set them up via Apple's iTunes website.
On Friday, Apple released a free software update that added features and services to the older version of the iPhone. The update added to the crush of customers on Apple's website and possibly exacerbated the technical problems, analysts said.
For owners of the iPhone, as with all cellphones, service problems are not just inconvenient but can also be disruptive to work and life.
"I'm now depending on it for my work, my personal communication," said
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