Time certainly does catch up with you, doesn’t it? Hopefully you were all having fun, so it flew by and what not. Just feels like yesterday that we all sat here, and brought you the announcement of Apple’s latest iPhone iteration, the iPhone 4. And in all the hub-bub, we also told you that Walmart, RadioShack, and Best Buy would be part of the third-party retailer brigade offering up their own models for pre-order and sale. Well, tomorrow’s the big pre-order day, so jump after the break to find out where you can go to pick one up, and what you need to do to make it happen.
First and foremost, and probably the easiest way to do it, would be to get on your computer, head on over to Apple’s website, and get your pre-order on right then and there. You won’t have to worry about lines, crazy customers or employees, and you’re guaranteed delivery on its release date. So, again, no lines or general craziness. Though, you will have to sit at home and listen to all those people who got it before you, because they did brave those lines and what not. But, we’re sure you can handle it. You could also head into an Apple Store, but they’ll just put you at a computer, where you’ll pre-order it from Apple’s website. So, pick your poison.
Now, the other “direct” option would be to go into an AT&T shop and pre-order that way. However, here’s something to consider: you’ll have to pay the full amount for the iPhone 4 right then and there. Furthermore, you’re not guaranteed launch day arrival at all. In fact, some AT&T employees are reporting that you might even have to wait until June 25th, anyway. So, we’ll just go ahead and say it: probably not the way to go.
As for third party retailers, we’ll start from the bottom of the pile. Walmart is going to sell the iPhone 4 on June 24th, that much is a given. However, there doesn’t seem to be a clear, concise, confirmed approach to the whole pre-order business. Basically, no one knows. So, unless you absolutely need to be at Walmart at 5:30am tomorrow morning, we suggest if you’re going to go to a third party retailer, you head somewhere else.
RadioShack is offering up the same pre-order deal they were for Sprint’s EVO 4G. You’ll need to drop $50 right there on the spot to make sure that you get a launch day device, and that $50 will also come off the total price of the handset. RS is also throwing in an accessory credit, too, so you basically get a free gift for stopping into their stores. That’s awful nice of them. Some RadioShacks around the nation will be opening for launch day.
And finally, Best Buy. They’re doing the same deal as RadioShack more or less. You’ll need to put down $50, and you’ll be guaranteed a handset when it hits store shelves on June 24th. You’ll be able to enter some Best Buy locations early, as most will be opening their doors before normal opening hours to handle all the hustle and bustle. However, on pre-order day, stores won’t be opening early.