Today marked the official launch of the iPhone 3G in over 20 countries, though some customers expressed frustration and confusion as long lines, short supplies and registration issues prevented many users from activating their new purchase.

While previous announcements indicated that all iPhones would need to be activated in-store at the time of purchase, reports began surfacing earlier today that customers were being instructed to activate their phone from home due to an issue with in-store activation through iTunes. Even worse, upgrading from a first-generation unit disables the SIM so some users were temporarily left with two non-working phones.

Apple executives acknowledged the problem and stated the combination of original iPhone users attempting to upgrade in combination with iPhone 3G users trying to complete their activation swamped the company’s servers. As of 3:30 EST Tuaw reports that iPhone activation is working, albeit intermittently.

If you are experiencing activation issues, the folks at Gizmodo suggest letting your iPhone sit plugged in for anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to allow the activation process to complete. Let us know how your experience went in the comments.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...