Haven’t been able to find the iPhone 4S anywhere? Are you lost in the wilderness of the old, in search of the newness? Don’t despair, there’s one place you can find the 4S more reliably than anywhere else… Your local Apple Store.
AllThingsD today discusses how demand for the 4S shows no signs of letting up, and which outlets are getting the lion’s share of the devices.
The device became available for pre-order last Friday in Hong Kong, and it sold out in 10 minutes. In the States, Apple Stores run out of stock on an almost daily basis.
Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank says:
Our retail checks reveal Apple is experiencing daily stock outs at 85 to 90 percent of the 30 retail stores we called. Apple employees are directing customers to make an online appointment (first come first serve) for next day pick up at nearby Apple retail stores as stocks appear to be refreshed daily at most locations.
The carrier partners of Apple, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon seem to be having a little more trouble supplying the masses. Whitmore says, “Our calls to carrier stores reveal infrequent shipments and no certainty when the next shipment will arrive with widespread shortages, It appears that Apple is prioritizing its own stores with new iPhones.”
Looks like once again, demand is outpacing supply, and the only limit to how many devices can be sold is how well Apple can keep the supply flowing.
Says Whitmore: “Continued strong demand (ahead of the holidays with more countries to be rolled out) makes our 28 million iPhone estimate for the December quarter appear increasingly conservative.”