Apple Fail: iPhone 3.0 OS update breaking some phones

iPhone users are reporting a less than smooth transition with today’s much hyped, tweeted and blogged about iPhone 3.0 OS update.

It’s nearly impossible to keep up with the stream of complaints on Twitter, with many users reporting they “cannot be updated at this time because the iPhone activation server is temporarily unavailable.” A handful of users are reporting their “activation network cannot be found,” including one unlucky Gizmodo staffer. Some tweets also refer to the phone going into “emergency mode,” rendering it unusable save for 911 calls. And a CNET reader sent in a harrowing tale of being cast adrift in a sea of iPhonelessness by the fruity computer giant- until at least 6pm!

“…Reader Michael Samstag wrote in to say his iPhone was rendered unusable when he tried to install the update. “It has the ‘connect to iTunes’ message and will only allow emergency calls,” he says. “I signed up for the ‘Apple callback’ for tech support and they called back and put me on hold for 20-minutes. Then the call got disconnected and now the earliest callback time is between 6:15 p.m. EDT and 6:30 p.m. EDT. So, I’m looking at having no cell for a minimum of three hours, probably longer.”

(Lest I sound unsympathetic, I am among the “without a landline” folk, so if this update breaks my phone I will be royally pissed off, and sans phone. I’m still installing the hell out of iTunes updates to get to the iPhone update. iFeelYourPain, Michael.)

Others are reporting minor but annoying glitches such as popular apps Fring and Skype not working. There are scattered reports of problems of proportional importance, such as losing contacts or all your text messages. Still, some users are focusing on the positive, as seen on Twitter:

Thanks to iPhone OS 3 now I can text photos of my d**k rather than having to email them. It’s about time.

[Image: Gizmodo]