Department of Mysteries: Is there an iPhone shortage?

There’s been some indication in the past few days that iPhones are in short supply in Apple Stores around the country (though, apparently, not internationally). While my sources suggested that Apple Store employees were using the boxes to enact a giant game of Risk in back rooms across the nation, it seems that I may have been misinformed.

Speculation has centered around a few possible explanations: perhaps most tantalizing among them that a new version of the iPhone might be coming down the channel. That theory was given a boost by a comment from AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega at this week’s CTIA conference. De la Vega said that all of AT&T’s smart integrated devices would be going 3G; when asked if that included the iPhone, de la Vega replied “I think that you’re going to see our integrated devices be 3G devices in the not-too-distant future, and I mean months. That should be clear enough.”

Anyway, without giving an exact reason for the shortages, Apple spokesman Steve Dowling did go so far as to tacitly confirm that there was a supply issue at US stores, in talking with Saul Hansell over at the New York Times.

“We are working to replenish iPhone supplies as quickly as we can…Our stores continue to receive shipments almost every day.”

While I wouldn’t expect a 3G iPhone release before this summer (probably roundabout the iPhone hits the one year mark), this does suggest that perhaps iPhone sales will be pretty solid this quarter—though one wonders if those phones are being sold here or sent overseas to be unlocked. (While Apple used to have an availability checker for iPhones, that feature seems to be unfortunately gone).

Category: News

Posted by Dan Moren on Apr 3 2008, 12:26 PM ET

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iPhone illustration by Joe Zeff Design Inc. // Design by Jason Brightman