iPhone 4S Launch to Double AT&T's Record for Activations in One Day

att1Following Sprint's announcement of record sales, AT&T also announced a very busy sales day. AT&T didn't break out sales totals for the iPhone, but reports it is seeing record activations.

As of 4:30 pm ET today, AT&T had already activated a record number of iPhones on our network – and is on-track to double our previous record for activations on a single day. These record volumes may produce slower activations for some customers, though our systems continue to run at record levels.

AT&T was Apple's launch partner in 2007, and the exclusive partner until Apple launched the Verizon iPhone earlier this year.

AT&T hit this record despite their activation servers having difficulties handling the unprecedented demand. iPhone 4S owners reportedly had difficulties with activations on multiple carriers, and not just AT&T.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Shares Full List of Over 250 New Features and Changes Coming With iOS 18

Wednesday September 11, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Following its iPhone 16 event on Monday, Apple shared a PDF on its website with a list of all new features and changes coming with iOS 18. The list includes many features that were already announced, including Apple Intelligence, new customization options for the Home Screen and Control Center, a redesigned Photos app, several enhancements to the Messages app, a Passwords app, and more....
iphone 16 pro pro max

First iPhone 16 Carrier Deals Include iPhone 16/16 Pro For Free, $1,000 Off iPhone 16 Pro Max

Monday September 9, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple today announced the latest lineup of iPhones, including the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Pre-orders for these devices begin September 13, and if you plan on ordering from a cellular carrier in the United States, there will be plenty of options for discounts from the major carriers. AT&T is offering the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro at no cost with...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Skipping the iPhone 16 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 17 Pro

Wednesday September 11, 2024 8:20 am PDT by
Will you be skipping the iPhone 16 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 17 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap key new features rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models so far: 24MP front camera for all iPhone 17 models: All four iPhone 17 models will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, according to Apple supply chain analysts Ming-Chi...
iphone 16 lineup colors

Apple Discontinues iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 13

Monday September 9, 2024 2:09 pm PDT by
With the launch of the new iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple has discontinued some of its older iPhones. As of today, Apple is no longer selling the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have been replaced with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The iPhone SE remains as Apple's most affordable device, with the iPhone 14 and iPhone...
16 pro

Apple Announces iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max with Larger Displays, New Camera Control, and More

Monday September 9, 2024 11:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max—its latest flagship smartphones—featuring larger displays, an all-new Camera Control button, and the A18 Pro chip. The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch display—the biggest iPhone display ever. The borders around the display are the thinnest of any Apple device. The...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware With Support for iOS 18 Features

Tuesday September 10, 2024 11:40 am PDT by
Apple today released a new firmware update for the AirPods Pro 2, including both the Lightning and USB-C versions. The firmware has a build number of 7A294, up from 6F8, and it is available for all AirPods Pro 2 users. Apple has been beta testing this update, but it is launching ahead of when iOS 18 becomes available next Monday. There are multiple features that Apple is adding to the...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at Today's Event in 13 Minutes

Monday September 9, 2024 6:02 pm PDT by
Apple today held the "It's Glowtime" fall event to debut new iPhone 16 models, a new version of the Apple Watch, new AirPods, and more. It took Apple more than an hour and a half to introduce the new devices, but we've recapped everything in a quick 13 minute video for our readers who want a short but detailed overview of what's new. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...

Top Rated Comments

mrsir2009 Avatar
169 months ago
...And people said the iPhone 4S was a flop...
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PeterQVenkman Avatar
169 months ago
But wait, according to these forums, the iPhone 4s was a huge fail? Imagine that. It's successful as hell on every carrier.

Hmmm.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gorgeousninja Avatar
169 months ago
OPEN LETTER TO PHIL SCHILLER:

Apple is no longer a toy company with ten customers. It's a major player. People depend on the products and services provided by Apple and pay very goo money for them. Stop with the same day mega-launches which cause everything to crash. Order on Friday, get it on Friday. Order on Monday, get it on Monday. Get it. That stretches the buzz without causing everything to fail.
Open letter to you. You are not one of only ten customers now, you are one among millions. No matter how much care and preparation is taken, the overwhelming popularity of the products continues to swamp the servers. Either dont buy on launch day or realize that this is how it will be and relax.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Routerninja Avatar
169 months ago
Same here. SO FRUSTRATED! Calling corporate for a credit to my account. It's BS. :mad:

Do you call the department of transportation and demand money when the roads are congested too? Yay for our overdeveloped sense of entitlement!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zincous Avatar
169 months ago
It's not like the phone doesn't work in the meantime for all its other functions.

The 4s can't do anything else until it's activated.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
inkswamp Avatar
169 months ago
Given that there are two other carriers to choose from, and given four solid years of complaints from iPhone user's about AT&T's service, why the hell are people still choosing AT&T?

I understand that there are a relatively small amount of people out there who only get AT&T service at their home and/or workplace, and I understand if those kind of people choose AT&T. But it seems that the majority of people buying the iPhone 4S with AT&T are not those kind of people. Could someone please explain why?
Because all the whining you hear around the Internet about AT&T's service being vastly inferior to that of Verizon is coming from a very vocal minority in large cities (SF and NY, to name a couple) where that happens to be the case. Nobody is going out to the countless smaller cities, like where I live about 80 miles north of Seattle, where AT&T's service is impeccable and blows the competition out of the water (in 3 years, I can count on one hand the number of dropped calls I've had with my iPhone3G... no joke.) I suspect that's the case in lots of other places too but reporting on reliable service in a city of 200K isn't an interesting story so the tech press skews in favor of all the bellyaching in more densely populated locations.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)