Carphone Warehouse has admitted running out of stock of Apple’s new iPhone 3G before it is even available for sale.
The retailer - one of the UK’s largest - has had the immensely popular iPhone 3G available on pre-order for some time and has now sold out of the handsets, despite the launch of the product for sale being scheduled for July 11.
Blaming Apple’s supply chain, the Carphone Warehouse has also insisted that there will be more deliveries allowing for further sales before Friday, when the iPhone will be on sale.
According to one report, Apple is being characteristically secretive about information regarding the launch of the iPhone, and as a result many store owners are unsure of where customers stand regarding the chance to upgrade or
"We have seen unprecedented demand, it's hugely popular," said one Carphone Warehouse spokesman.
Apple are likely to see a few more headaches in their supply chain yet however, as even buyers heading directly to the source - Apple’s website - managed to snatch the online shelves clean.
"We'd done everything we could to cope with high demand but on that scale our Web site did struggle," an O2 spokesman told Reuters, following the website crashing under high demand.
Orders for Apple’s new iPhone 3G had even sold out online, it has been reported.
Order Fulfilment:
Order fulfilment is your number one tool for customer retention. Download a case study – FREE.
