O2 say supply of Apple iPhone cannot match demand
Demand for the S-Phone is much greater than for any of the two earlier iPhone models – and even with the earlier models, there were widespread complaints that phones weren’t available for purchase in Irish stores.
O2 has said that Apple control the number of the phones coming into the country and that the Californian-based company’s manufacturing units cannot keep up with demand across the world.
One customer in Cork said that she had been waiting three weeks to get a phone: “I have wanted to get my hands on the iPhone for weeks now. But every time I go to an 02 store, I’m told that I’ve just missed delivery by a day or so. It seems they seem to be getting less than half a dozen in at a time and delivery is often only once a week.”
An 02 spokesman said they are in constant communication with Apple and that supply will increase in September.
O2 would not provide figures on how many iPhones have been sold in this country since the mobile phone provider got exclusive access to the brand in this country.
“There has been unprecedented demand for the new iPhone 3GS since it went on sale in June, not just in Ireland but around the world. We continue to work with Apple to ensure frequent deliveries of stock into Ireland. However, at the moment, demand continues to exceed supply, as is the case in other countries also. We anticipate that stock levels will improve in the coming weeks,” an O2 spokesman said.
Three generations of the iPhone have been brought to the market since it was first introduced in the US in 2007.
The smartphone includes a telephone, iPod, satellite navigation, video camera, photo camera, email and wi-fi connectivity.
It was the Time Magazine Invention of the Year that year.
