With all the hype of the iPhone release, you'd think Apple would have them on hand ready to ship. I ordered one online on Saturday morning, about 12 hours after the official launch, and was told that the iPhone would ship in 2 to 4 weeks.
In the meantime, Apple gave me homework to keep me busy during this interminable wait. Helpful, or annoying? I vote for annoying.
After I placed my order, Apple sent me an email with helpful information about how to activate a phone plan, with a little note at the end that suggested that I "Do a little organizing" of my contacts, calendars, email and iTunes playlist. While a reorganization of all these files may indeed take me two weeks, I felt seriously irked that Apple didn't have anything to give me other than homework.
I really wanted to know whether the wait is closer to two weeks or a month. An Apple customer service rep told me that on July 4 I will receive an email telling me when to expect my iPhone to ship. With all the anticipation of June 29, "iPhone Eve" advice, and hourly countdowns, I am disappointed to think that I might not actually receive my order until August.