If you’ve unboxed a shiny new iPhone 4S from AT&T today, you’ve most likely had an experience similar to many others who made the same purchase: frustration. It seems that the surge in activity from the release of Apple’s new handset has reduced activation traffic on Ma Bell’s network to a crawl. This isn’t the first time the carrier has had issues on launch day — but back then, it didn’t have any competition. Now that Verizon and Sprint have joined the iPhone party, the pressure’s on and AT&T’s not looking good compared to the other carriers who don’t appear to be having issues. As if that weren’t enough for the folks in Cupertino, iCloud had a rocky debut this week as well — from absent verification emails to an inability to backup data. Apple has documented all five of the new service’s foibles via the coverage link below, but it appears everything’s been peachy since early this morning. So, have you been waiting for your new iPhone to be more than a shiny new paperweight? Leave a comment, and let us know. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] iPhone 4S welcomed by AT&T activation delays, iCloud stumbles out of the gate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink