AT&T Suspends iPhone Sales, Didn't Fully Test Pre-Order System

If you were hoping to pre-order the iPhone 4 through AT&T’s website today, you’re out of luck. A visit to the wireless giant’s pre-order site for the latest Apple super-phone gives you the terse note that “Pre-orders for iPhone temporarily suspended.”

UPDATE: Now the Death Star says the problem IS inventory-related:

iPhone 4 pre-order sales yesterday were 10-times higher than the first day of pre-ordering for the iPhone 3G S last year. Consumers are clearly excited about iPhone 4, AT&T’s more affordable data plans and our early upgrade pricing.

Given this unprecedented demand and our current expectations for our iPhone 4 inventory levels when the device is available June 24, we’re suspending pre-ordering today in order to fulfill the orders we’ve already received.

The availability of additional inventory will determine if we can resume taking pre-orders.

In addition to unprecedented pre-order sales, yesterday there were more than 13 million visits to AT&T’s website where customers can check to see if they are eligible to upgrade to a new phone; that number is about 3-times higher than the previous record for eligibility upgrade checks in one day.

We are working hard to bring iPhone 4 to as many of our customers as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, there was a glitch in their ordering system that was showing the incorrect account information to customers during the ordering process.

Trying to downplay the security breach issue, especially in light of last week’s mammoth iPad e-mail address leak, AT&T says, “We have been unable to replicate the issue, but the information displayed did not include call-detail records, Social Security numbers or credit card information.”

AT&T temporarily suspends iPhone pre-orders [MSNBC]

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