“Apple executives yesterday brushed off questions about iPhone shortages, saying they are “very pleased” with their efforts to ramp up production. However, they gave no indication when the iPhone would again be widely available, other than to say that the company has slated August 22 as the launch date for the smart phone in another 20 countries,” reports ComputerWorld.
“On Tuesday, meanwhile, Apple’s own stock-checking tool claimed that 31% of the company’s 188 U.S. stores had one or more iPhone 3G models to sell, an uptick from Monday’s tighter inventory when just 23% of the stores reported the device in stock.”
“As you say, there are a number of stock outs,” Tim Cook, Apple’s chief financial officer, said in an earnings call with Wall Street analysts Monday afternoon as he answered a question about low inventories. “This is a factor of the overwhelming demand. I am very pleased with the production ramp, very pleased with the trajectory of it. We’re shipping units as fast as we can and, obviously, we’re trying to catch the demand and serve our customers.”
“Cook then announced that Apple plans to roll-out the iPhone 3G in about 20 more countries on Aug. 22, although he did not name the markets. Currently, the iPhone 3G is available in 22 nations: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.”
“Asked when stocks would be replenished, Cook refused to answer. “I am confident in our ability to supply,” he said. “I am not going to predict when supply will meet demand. We’ve been selling the phone for 10 days and so this is a very difficult thing to do with this level of data.”
“AT&T, however, continued to report that its 1,200 retail stores remain out of iPhones. Customers, however, can use the carriers “direct fulfillment” program to order an iPhone 3G at a local store, company spokesman Mark Siegel noted. When additional inventory arrives at the store — the wait is currently running 10 days to two weeks, Siegel said — customers are notified, at which time they must return to the store to pick up and activate the phone.”
“Consumers who placed orders via the direct fulfillment program flooded the support forum with tales of woe or success in getting the iPhone 3Gs they ordered. On one thread that sported nearly 5,200 messages as of mid-day Tuesday, for instance, one user reported that his 8GB iPhone 3G, ordered on July 14, shipped today and would be in hand tomorrow.”
Additional Thoughts: While Apple’s plans to ship out iPhone 3G’s to 20 more countries come August may seem ambitious, they are failing to meet the current demand from the countries that are experiencing seriously deficient supplies. I am certainly for the idea of the iPhone 3G’s presence in as many countries as possible, yet not maintaining adequate supplies to do so, could pose more potential problems.
Full article here.
