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New iPhone debuts without crowds, drama

News Channel 8 photo by ERIC HAUSMANN

Customers line up Friday morning at a Tampa AT&T store to buy the latest iPhone model.

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The Associated Press

Published: June 20, 2009

NEW YORK - The new iPhone went on sale Friday morning, greeted by much smaller lines and less hoopla than previous models.

This year, Apple and AT&T Inc., the phone's U.S. carrier, defused the drama by taking pre-orders for the new phone online. That means fewer prospective buyers had a reason to stand in line, and it sped up the activation process.

Apple also released its software update for previous customers two days early. There were only scattered reports of problems with that upgrade.

The new model is called the 3G S. AT&T said it had taken pre-orders for "hundreds of thousands" of the phones. Apple sold 1 million units of the older model, the 3G, in the first three days last year.

For new customers signing a two-year contract with AT&T, the 3G S costs $199 or $299, depending on the memory capacity. Compared with the 3G, it has a faster processor and an upgraded camera.

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