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Fri, 11 Jul 2008 Behind the iPhone 3G launch day fiasco

It turns out that O2's software doesn't work with Apple Safari

Jeremy Kirk

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Software compatibility problems marred the launch of the iPhone 3G at Apple's flagship store in London, where customers had difficulty activating their new phones.

Apple has an exclusive deal with network operator O2 in the UK - but O2's web-based activation system requires the use of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser to register a new phone: It won't work with the Safari browser bundled in Apple's Mac OS X.

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In its Regent Street store, Apple had installed VMware Fusion desktop virtualisation software on some of its Macintosh computers, allowing them to run Internet Explorer on Windows, but the activation process was still not working.

"It just goes dead," said would-be customer Mark Phipps, who left the store frustrated and without an iPhone 3G.

"They wouldn't reserve us one, which is a real kick in the teeth," he said.

Phipps is one of at least three customers that left the store disappointed by the delays.

Another, Josh Young, said the activation process was completely broken. He planned to return later.

The short line that had formed outside the store by the time it opened at 8am quickly moved inside, but two hours later the line had lengthened and extended out onto the street again.

O2 was not without its own software failures as credit checks and registrations failed when the Uk carrier's systems crashed under the pressure. See iPhone 3G: UK gets long wait as O2 systems fail for more details.

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