I am beginning to think that maybe Apple has miscalculated on the iPhone 3G demand front, and that they just can’t simply keep up with that demand. Figures from computerworld.com show that there simply isn’t enough of the iconic much sort after Apple iPhone 3G handsets out there.
Apparently Apple’s own inventory tool showed less than 9 percent of Apple’s own stores had any iPhone 3G handsets to sell on Sunday!
At 11a.m. Eastern time a pitiful 16 of Apple’s US retail stores of their 188 stores listed their own iPhone 3G as available, a figure that show a substantial drop from Thursday when at least 50 stores held iPhone 3G stock.
Last week at least 13 Apple stores stated they had all 3 iPhone 3G handsets for sale, the 8GB in black, and 16GB in both black and white, but by Sunday no Apple store held all three in stock.
Piper Jaffray & Co analyst Gene Munster said last week that “it would take Apple two to four weeks to place orders with its suppliers, receive more iPhones and restock the depleted inventory.”
Apparently AT&T’s 1,200 stores were nearly completely out of iPhone inventory as early as last Tuesday.