O2 stops taking iPhone 3G pre-orders – Deluge of customers causing iPhone 3G sell-out

In a not so unsurprising turn of events, O2 has had to halt its iPhone 3G pre-order system in the face of massive customer interest. O2, being the sensible and classy UK outfit that we know them to be, started offering queue-wary customers the option of pre-ordering their iPhone 3G online early Monday. Rather than subject their subscribers to the hustle and bustle that will no doubt define the iPhone 3G‘s global launch on July 11, O2 hoped to give iPhone 3G hopefuls a more civilized method of buying the new Apple handset. Customers placing online pre-orders would find their brand-new iPhone 3G at their doorstep on July 11, side-stepping any need to wait in a queue (European-speak for “line”).

It seems, however, that the deluge of customers placing their orders for the as-yet un-launched handset has quickly depleted O2′s initial iPhone 3G stock. O2 opened the floodgates to the iPhone 3G pre-order system at 8am local time, only to take part of the system offline a few minutes later as the customer demand overloaded O2′s servers. iPhone owners looking to upgrade to a shiny new iPhone 3G were locked out early, while new iPhone customers were getting their pre-orders for a few hours longer.

O2 finally shut the entire iPhone 3G pre-order system down completely just hours after it green-lighted the fiasco, citing “huge demand” that depleted O2′s online-allotment of iPhone 3G handsets.

Here’s a rundown of O2′s iPhone rate plans (tariffs).

For the sake of crowd-averse Brits, let’s hope that O2 can re-up their online iPhone 3G stock and bring the pre-order system back online before July 11. It’d be a shame for just a lucky few in the UK to be privileged enough to avoid the lines on launch day.

But, more importantly, let’s hope that the UK has enough iPhone 3G stock to satisfy what is shaping up to be some serious demand for the new hotness from Cupertino.

O2