Canadians across the country rejoiced on July 30th as the iPhone 4 was available, and they could now line up outside of retailers and buy their shiny new phone. And, despite the “death grip” problem with the phone, that’s exactly what people have been doing – only to find that there is a consistent shortage of iPhone 4s. And while you may line up to get one, it doesn’t mean that you’ll walk away with possibly the greatest piece of technology to hit the market in a long time. Even those retailers that Apple is supplying with iPhone 4s, they’re not giving a lot of them, so it’s first come, first serve. And in this case, you’re better off being one of the very first ones to come.
It’s not only retailers across the country that are starting to find their stock of iPhone 4s short, or altogether depleted. Wireless carriers such as Bell and Rogers have also had trouble keeping any iPhone 4 on the shelf, and complaints are starting to pile up on customer service boards everywhere. So, what exactly is the problem, and why the shortage when it’s only been available for such a short time already?
Some think that the problem may lie in the death grip problem itself. Because Apple has promised to give out free bumpers along with any new iPhone 4 to combat the problem until September 30, it could be that Apple is trying to just wait out the problem. And, because they have bigger issues on their minds, such as fixing the new iPhone 4s that won’t come with the free bumper, dealing with retailers that are low in stock may not be on their priority list.
Or, maybe Canadians are just onto something and know what a great little piece of machinery the iPhone 4 really is, and this is the reason why the retailers can’t keep enough of the little beauties on their shelves to make their customers happy.