iPhone supplies dwindle in Canada
Our neighbors to the north are grumbling about the lack of 3GS iPhones. The major suppliers, Fido and Rogers, are both reporting they are sold out pretty much across the country. Some Apple Stores in Canada have them in stock, but a couple of calls revealed that even Apple Stores are often out of stock.Both Rogers and FIDO say new shipments will arrive in 'weeks,' and that back orders are being filled on a priority basis. No dates are being given, and buyers are being told to check back with their local stores or online.
There were similar shortages in Canada and the UK earlier this month. During the Apple conference call last Tuesday, COO Tim Cook said iPhone demand has been "staggering in almost every country we've shipped in."
Apple will need to fix this issue pretty fast. The company says it is going to release the new iPhone to 20 more countries on August 22.
Thanks to our reader Alistair for the tip.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
David said 2:42PM on 7-28-2009
still pretty much impossible to find a 16gb black or white in the UK.
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Tulse said 3:36PM on 7-28-2009
To be clear, Fido is owned by Rogers, so there is really only one supplier.
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Jason said 4:36PM on 7-28-2009
Fido is a subsidiary of Rogers... but they are still a distinct company and still count as a separate supplier.
Bjorn Nitmo said 5:03PM on 7-28-2009
The trick is to call an Apple Store and arrange an appointment with a 'personal shopper'. Apple does, or at least was as of last week, guaranteeing stock for those who make appointments. That is how I recently obtained a 32GB iPhone 3GS. Walk-in customers however were being told that the iPhone 3GS was not in stock.
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Alistair said 7:01AM on 7-29-2009
Actually, this 'trick' doesn't work in Canada at least. If you read the Personal Shopper page, you'll see this line:
Please note: Due to overwhelming demand we are not yet offering iPhone 3G Personal Shopping.
AC said 7:15AM on 7-29-2009
Just yesterday I was able to walk into an Apple store (Fairview Mall in the GTA) and purchase a 32GB black iPhone. I had no reservation, and I told the Apple employee that the web site suggested that there were no appointments to be had. He checked the stock and then got me my iPhone. The longest part of the entire purchasing procedure involved getting onto the Fido website to purchase my phone (all charges go onto your Fido account). He actually had to use Windows on one of the Apple machines to do this because no browser running on a Mac OS will work with the Fido or Rogers ordering system.
Ben Poole said 7:01AM on 7-29-2009
David is quite right: all 16GB handsets are out of stock for online orders in the UK, with no ETA. Some o2 retail outlets have them, but you'll be lucky.
Likewise, 32GB handsets are also out of stock, unless you want white—they have a few of those. This has been the case since last week, but O2 are still taking orders, just not confirming them. I was told on Monday more would be in this week, but they can't be sure.
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Denis Boucher said 4:47PM on 7-28-2009
I've been waiting for a month for some iPhones 3GS to come in with no luck. I live in a fairly small city and the people who work at the Rogers outlet at the mall told me they average 100 calls a week from people inquiring about the 3GS. At Costco, you can put your name on a waiting list and they will call when they get some phones in. This is better than having to call every so often to know if they have any... In any case, Apple must be loosing quite a bit of sales over this issue. Unless everybody is welling to wait... like me.
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tomm said 5:03PM on 7-28-2009
same in france. Subscription to notification emails from 2 out of 3 suppliers 2 weeks ago triggered one alert today in the afternoon, availability of 16GB white and/or black, and of the white 32 GB. Didn't take me more than 2 hours to check the site, the 32GB was gone. All three models are gone now, less than 8 hours later.
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Mk8ta said 5:23PM on 7-28-2009
Now the lack of iPhone in stock is becoming a national security in some countries.
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Denis Boucher said 5:35PM on 7-28-2009
I do feel kinda insecure without an iPhone...
Shay said 6:08PM on 7-28-2009
Same in Ireland. Impossible to get one in any retail store(O2 or CarPhone Warehouse). You can order them from O2 online and they claim it will arrive within 3 business days but only from the order being accepted. My order is sitting in a pending state still :(
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urth said 7:06PM on 7-28-2009
this has been a real story for a while now so I wondered when someone, lest fanboy, would mention it. for me being without a 'business networking device' from any network carrier is kinda extreme.rogers lost its official apple rep/supplier status due to rogers' poor service .are they to blame for no iphone, no, is it apple for not making them...is it my fault for creating the demand. but seriously folks, one month without. upgrade/replace customers get before retail?
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Urbz said 7:54PM on 7-28-2009
Thanks Mel. This story is much appreciated!
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Steve McKenna said 7:33AM on 7-29-2009
When did Tim Cook become CEO?
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urth said 10:24PM on 7-28-2009
must say thanks author Mel Martin
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Martin said 10:00PM on 7-28-2009
How is it that there is such a shortage everywhere but US? Is there a problem with the iPhone that nobody is talking about? Are they making some last minute changes to the manufacturing? I don't know how much longer I am willing to wait for an iPhone.... Blackberry is starting to look pretty good to me right now. And if Palm Pre was already available in Canada.... Hey Bell Canada... are you listening? This may be your opportunity to kick some Rogers ass!
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Jagger said 1:06PM on 7-29-2009
Woah, woah, woah! Bell being better than Rogers isn't possible.
vc56 said 10:12PM on 7-28-2009
Hi! I am in USA, what is the price for iphone in Canana? I am going to Vancourver in a couple weeks, will I be lucky and are they factory unlocked? or may be I just pick one up in Portland, Oregon with no tax. Thanks
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jamiestevenson12 said 10:46PM on 7-28-2009
they are not factory unlocked. Price: $199/299 on contract or 699/799 off contract. you can purplesn0w them or ultrasn0w them, but you're prolly best off chillin with AT&T in the US of A.