Mobile operator O2 has confirmed the web pages launched today for 3G iPhone pre-orders have crashed under sheer weight of demand.
It also confirmed that the 16 GB version had already sold out online.
The website for new or existing O2 customers to get their hands on the latest Apple iPhone with 3G connectivity when it is launched in the UK this Friday went live at 8am this morning.
An O2 spokeswoman told IT PRO she did not have any figures on how many customers successfully registered an order before "the site was not able to cope with the exceedingly high demand."
"Although we were prepared for high demand, we're working to get the site back up as soon as possible," she added.
But she also echoed the "temporarily unavailable" notice currently greeting those eager to buy or upgrade to the new iPhone through the O2 online shop by recommending they get down to their nearest O2 store early from 8.02am this Friday 11 June.
O2 has split its 3G iPhone stock evenly between its stores and web shop. But it maintains it will be able to meet demand in-store on Friday.
Apple introduced the second version of its popular iPhone mobile handset in June. It added 3G and HSDPA network compatibility for faster download speeds, a GPS receiver and third-party application downloads.
