Hands-On Apple 199: Preordering the iPhone 17 Like a Pro

Summary

Podcast Summary: Hands-On Apple 199 – “Preordering the iPhone 17 Like a Pro”

Release Date: September 11, 2025
Host: Micah Sargent
Podcast: All TWiT.tv Shows (Audio) – Hands-On Apple

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Episode Overview

In this timely episode, host Micah Sargent guides listeners through the step-by-step process of preparing for and successfully preordering the newly announced iPhone 17 lineup. Geared toward Apple enthusiasts eager to secure their device on launch day, Micah shares practical tips, personal preferences, and best practices for navigating Apple's preorder system with ease—straight from the Apple Store app. He also shares insights on choosing the right model, leveraging trade-ins, and managing preorder day logistics to ensure a stress-free experience.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Announcement & Context for Preordering

• Main Theme Introduced
  • [02:43] Micah Sargent: “Apple has announced that the iPhone is here. The whole new set of iPhones, in fact… iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the iPhone Air, and the iPhone 17.”
  • Importance of being ready for preorders, which open the day after the episode airs (Thursday).
  • Micah encourages viewers to check out previous coverage of the Apple event by him and Leo.

2. Preorder Preparation Steps

• Why Preparation Matters

  • [02:53] “If you want to make sure you get the one that you want, this is the way to go about doing it.”
  • Limited colorways and storage often sell out quickly, especially unique combinations.

• Recommended Device & App

  • [03:13] Suggests using iOS or iPadOS devices for the smoothest experience via the Apple Store app, not the website.
  • Instructs to download the Apple Store app from the App Store if not already installed.

• Navigating the Apple Store App for Preorder

  • [03:31] Go to Products > iPhone > Get Ready
  • Select the exact iPhone model (e.g., iPhone 17 Pro, color, storage size).
  • Example Walkthrough:
    • Chose iPhone 17 Pro Max, Deep Blue, 512GB.
    • Indicated intent to trade in current iPhone 16 ([04:01] “Trade in value is up to $700”).
    • Chose to buy outright rather than finance.

3. AppleCare & Insurance Options

• Explaining AppleCare Choices
  • [04:42] Differentiates between AppleCare+, AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, and AppleCare One (multi-product coverage for $19.99/month).
  • Chose AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss for added device protection ($13.99/month or $140/year).

4. Finalizing Preorder Details

• [05:44] Guidance for reviewing the summary screen:
  • Confirms payment method and trade-in status using Face ID or similar before confirming.
  • Option to select payment: Credit, debit, or Apple Pay.

5. Setting Preorder Reminders

• [08:11] “Then it shows for me. 5am on Friday 9/12, I have to use the app to complete my order. I am going to choose to add my pre order to my calendar... it automatically populates with alerts at 5 minutes before and 15 minutes before.”
  • Micah advises adding the preorder event to your device calendar for timely action.

6. Tips for Avoiding Technical Preorder Problems

• [09:50] “If I am having trouble getting into the store... I will open up the store app on a second device... Some people will have multiple websites open... Apple has gotten better... iPhone preorders [are] relatively peaceful… at five in the morning as is the case for me.”
  • Suggests using both iPhone and iPad, and sometimes having multiple browser tabs in past years—though recent Apple updates make this mostly unnecessary.

7. Final Encouragement

• [10:36] “I wish you all the best of luck in getting the iPhone that you’re after and of course look forward to being back with you next week…”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why to prep ahead:

  • [03:08] “When it comes time to order your iPhone, you know you can get it on day one.” – Micah Sargent

• On model selection:

  • [03:36] “There are a lot of new colorways, a lot of new fun stuff to be able to check out...”

• On trade-in values:

  • [04:01] “Trade in value is up to $700. I say, yes, the trade in is in good condition.”

• On last-minute troubleshooting:

  • [09:50] “Some people will have multiple websites open... Apple has gotten better over time to make that less of a requirement...”

• Final Sendoff:

  • [10:36] “I wish you all the best of luck in getting the iPhone that you’re after...”

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Important Timestamps

• Apple’s iPhone 17 Announcement and Preorder Rationale:

  • [02:43] – [03:13]

• Apple Store App Walkthrough & Selecting Your Model:

  • [03:13] – [05:10]

• AppleCare & Payment Methods Explained:

  • [04:42] – [05:44]

• Completing Your Preorder & Calendar Reminders:

  • [08:11] – [09:34]

• Dealing with Potential Store Crashes:

  • [09:50] – [10:36]

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Listener Takeaways

• Get the Apple Store app and set up your desired iPhone configuration in advance of preorder day.
• Make your preorder directly from an iOS or iPadOS device for seamless integration and payment.
• Use device trade-in options to reduce cost, and carefully select your preferred AppleCare option.
• Add calendar reminders so you don’t miss the preorder window—some variants will sell out quickly.
• Have a second device ready as backup, but recent Apple improvements mean preorders are more stable than in years past.

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This episode is a practical, user-focused guide for Apple fans wanting a stress-free preorder experience and a launch-day iPhone 17 in hand.

Transcript

[Micah Sargent]

All right, Apple has announced new iPhones and that means it's time to prepare for your order. Stay tuned.

[Will]

Let's map out this week's amazing destinations and travel tips.

Honestly Will, I didn't plan any trips, but I did switch to T Mobile with their new Family Freedom offer.

That's not the itinerary we're following.

Well, I'm departing from AT&T and embarking on a new journey with T Mobile. They paid off my family's four phones up to 3200 doll and gave us four new phones on the house.

[Micah Sargent]

Bon voyage.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

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[Will]

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[Will]

Podcasts you.

[Chris Gethard]

Love from people you trust.

[Micah Sargent]

This is twit. Hello and welcome to Hands On Apple. I am Micah Sargent and today I've got a quick one for you this, of course, is a timely addition because Apple has announced that the iPhone is here. The whole new set of iPhones, in fact, We've got the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, we've got the iPhone air and we've got the iPhone 17. So with that in mind, tomorrow as you're watching this episode, hopefully on Thursday the pre orders will open for the new iPhone. And I thought it'd be a great time to talk about the process for setting up a pre order ahead of time so that. But when it comes time to order your iPhone, you know you can get it on day one. There are a lot of new colorways, a lot of new fun stuff to be able to check out. And so if you want to make sure you get the one that you want, this is the way to go about doing it. Now, I also want to recommend that you go and watch Leo and my coverage of the live Apple news event that we did earlier in the week. But let's head over to iOS and take a look. So you can do this on iOS or iPados, but I would recommend doing it from a mobile device again, iOS iPadOS as opposed to using the website on your Mac. What we'll do is we will go to the Apple store app. Now, if you don't have the Apple store app, go ahead and head to the app store, download the Apple store app, and you will see on the main page that it doesn't have much information here. But if we tap on products, you can see that the iPhone pops up as one of the options and you can see a button that says get ready. Now whether you're wanting to buy the iPhone 17, the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 Pro. That will determine which version you choose. I want to buy the iPhone 17 Pro. So I'm going to choose get ready with this. From here, we need to choose the model that we want. So iPhone 17 Pro Max, I want mine in deep Blue. I want 512 gigabytes. You're choosing your different storage spaces. So your first your model, then your finish, then your storage space, then you decide if you have a trade in or not. I do have a trade in. I have an iPhone 16 that I'm holding in my hands. I'll tap on that. And it says, says that the trade in value is up to $700. I say, yes, the trade in is in good condition. And then I say whether I would like to buy or finance the device. I'm going to buy it outright. And this is great. If you do it on the phone, it can determine hey I know this phone works on your AT&T account and therefore I am able to tap on yes replace this on my existing device and then you can add Apple Care be it AppleCare One, no AppleCare coverage or AppleCare plus with theft and loss now AppleCare plus with theft and loss is that standard AppleCare product that has been around for a while with Theft and loss. Of course it helps if you lose your phone or if it's stolen. AppleCare One is the subscription service 1999amonth that gives you multiple product coverage and then of course you can choose no Apple Care. I'm going to choose AppleCare plus with theft and loss. If you do the monthly coverage it's 1399amonth or $140 a if you go that way and then we can choose now get ready for pre order up will pop some options including browsing for iPhone accessories. I've already pre ordered my case or ordered my case as they're available now but this is where you would go to add these if you'd like them. If you don't need one of these you can simply click skip and then you choose a payment method. So during this process it did do a quick face check for me face ID unlock and now what we'll do is we can choose a credit or debit card option or we can choose Apple Pay if we'd like to pay with Apple Pay. So I'm going to switch away for a moment while I type in this information.

[Will]

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Honestly Will, I didn't plan any trips, but I did switch to T Mobile with their new Family Freedom offer.

That's not the itinerary we're following.

Well, I'm departing from AT&T and embarking on a new journey with T Mobile. They paid off my family's four phones up to $3200 and gave us four new phones on the house.

[Micah Sargent]

Bon voyage.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Introducing Family Freedom. Our lowest cost will switch our biggest family savings all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com FamilyFreedom up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement eg Apple iPhone 16128 gigabyte $8,029.99 Eligible trade in iPhone 11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due. If you pay off earlier, cancel contact T Mobile.

[Micah Sargent]

Once I have that information, I'll be shown a screen that has all of the stuff I need to confirm what I plan to do to pay for it, the summary of how much it's going to cost, the fact that I'm going to be using theft and protection, that I'm going to be doing a trade in that I've decided to have AppleCare Plus. And then if you do tie it to a cellular plan that you agree to those terms and if you agree to the trade in terms afterwards, we click save your pre order info. And then sometimes you'll get this option which requires you to type in the security code for your card and this is just a confirmation of that as well. So I'll type that in and choose okay. And once that information is saved, then it shows for me. 5am on Friday 9 12, I have to use the app to complete my order. I am going to choose to add my pre order to my calendar, allow full access and then add this event. You can see it automatically populates with alerts at 5 minutes before and 15 minutes before. And so that way I've got That saved on 912 I will be able to come back to this app and I will have my pre order option here on this screen. So from that point on in the for you section right there at the top, it shows that I'm ready for my iPhone preorder on 9 12. So as soon as the Apple Store opens up on in my case 5am on Friday, boom. I'll be able to hop in here, tap on that and make my pre order. Now, depending on what color option you choose to get, what storage size you choose to get, you may not run into issues with plenty of iPhones being available to you. But this tends to be the case if you go for a more unique model, like the orange one for example, or some of the higher or in some cases lower storage space options. You may struggle to get an iPhone if you don't get it the morning of when pre order becomes available. So this is in particular the reason to go about making sure that you're ready for your pre order. Now, a couple of other things. If I am having trouble getting into the store, if it seems to be taking a really long time to load. Sometimes I will open up the store app on a second device so I'll have an iPad nearby. I'll have my iPhone. I start with the iPhone iPad nearby. You're by loading the store and go between those two. Some people will have multiple websites open. Multiple it seems like Apple has gotten better over time to make that less of a requirement and I have found, knock on wood, iPhone pre orders to be relatively peaceful things at five in the morning as is the case for me. So I wish you all the best of luck in getting the iPhone that you're after and of course look forward to being back with you next week for another episode of Hands On Apple. Bye bye.

[Will]

Hey, thanks for tuning in to Twit, your tech hub for intelligent, thoughtful conversations. If you want to take your experience to the next level and support what we do here at Twit, say goodbye to ads and say hello to Club Twit. With Club Twit, you unlock all our shows ad free. You also get exclusive members only content. We do a lot of great programming just for the club members. You also get behind the scenes access with our show Twit plus bonus feed and live video streams while we're recording. And don't forget the fantastic members only discord. It's where passionate tech fans like you and me hang out, swap ideas and connect directly with all of our hosts. It's my favorite social network. I think you'll like it too. Club Twit. It's not just a subscription. It's how you support what we do and become part of the Twit family. Your membership directly supports the network, helping us stay independent and keep making the shows you love. If you're ready to upgrade your tech podcast experience, head to Twit TV Club Twit and join us today. Thanks for being here and I'll see you in the club.

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