iPhone 13: Apple Store comes back online and opens pre-order for new phone – after slight delay

The Apple Store website has come back after an outage to offer people the chance to buy the iPhone 13.

As usual, the online store went offline ahead of the event, apparently to allow Apple to prepare for the likely influx of new orders.

It took a little longer than usual to come back. Pre-orders were supposed to open at 5am local pacific time – but the website did not come back until about 10 minutes after that.

Once it did come back online, however, the store was functioning as normal, offering people four different kinds of iPhone 13 – normal, Mini, Pro and Pro Max – at prices from £679 to £1,549.

Some users did complain that the app version of the store was not working as it should, with error messages and orders that failed to complete. The web version, found at Apple’s website, did appear to be largely working as normal.

The earliest pre-orders will be set to receive their phones a week from today, on the 24 September, when the new iPhones will hit shelves.

The opening of pre-orders means not only that the phone is available through the Apple Store but also through phone networks. The Independent is offering live coverage of those deals as they go live.

Apple introduced the new iPhones at an event on Tuesday. It said that it had dramatically improved their cameras, boosted the battery life, as well as adding new features to both the Pro and normal version of the phone.

It also showed off the new Apple Watch Series 7, which ordinarily arrives on the same schedule as the iPhone. This year, however – presumably as a result of production problems – that will not be released until an unspecific date later in the autumn.