Skip to Content

Australian carriers feel heavy burden from iPhone 4

by Dave Caolo Sep 7th 2010 at 6:00PM

Stop us if you've heard this one. Apple releases the iPhone 4, and the tremendous demand from customers keeps store shelves bare. That's the case in Australia, where suppliers Telstra, Optus and Vodafone Hutchison Australia are struggling to keep up.

As online stores generate increasing backlogs, shipping times increase. As of this writing, most customers are being asked to wait between two and three weeks for their orders to arrive. It's beginning to wear on shoppers and store owners alike. "Even one to two weeks, or up to three weeks, waiting time is not ideal," said an unidentified representative from Vodafone Hutchison Australia.

Meanwhile, Apple is sending out fresh supplies weekly. "Shipments of the iPhone 4 continue to be made," an Apple rep told The Australian. Supplies were strained in the US for quite a while after launch, but Apple seems to have finally caught up, as customers can now find iPhone 4s in Apple Stores and AT&T stores.

The whole thing reminds us of Monty Python's Cheese Shop sketch, in which a hungry patron is trying to buy cheese from a shop that doesn't have any:

Shop owner: "[Our cheese shop is] the finest in the district."
Customer: "Explain the logic behind that conclusion."
Shop owner: "Well, it's so clean."
Customer: "It's certainly uncontaminated by cheese."

Here's hoping our friends down under get their cheese iPhone 4s soon.

[Via MacDailyNews]

View Tags

Related Stories

Categories

iPhone

Stop us if you've heard this one. Apple releases the iPhone 4, and the tremendous demand from customers keeps store shelves bare. That's...
 

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum

22 Comments

Filter by:
Peter

That's not an iPhone 4 in the pic attached to this story.

September 08 2010 at 2:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Max McBucks

Well, 2-4 weeks is not so bad. Here in Canada I tried with Fido and I have been told if I order by phone I will have to wait up to 3 months. I could have tried the local branches but I wanted to keep my old number and I have been told that I cannot do this while visiting the branch...

September 08 2010 at 7:26 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Remmelt Koenes

In the Netherlands the waiting period is no 5 weeks.

September 08 2010 at 3:30 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Remmelt Koenes's comment
Remmelt Koenes

That needed to the waiting period is now 5 weeks, expected to be more like 8 weeks.

September 08 2010 at 3:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Aitan Roubini

That's what happens when you divert all of your production to getting retina displays into iPods in time for christmas.

September 08 2010 at 1:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
samstick

Ordered on the Optus Raincheck system, which means you start paying for your contract immediately. Told a 2-3 week wait. That passed and was then told to expect another 3-4 week wait. I know heaps of people who rainchecked after me that have already received their phones. The raincheck system is a joke. Beware - Optus seem to furnish their own stores more than their franchisees!

September 07 2010 at 11:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
RepoMonkey

Telstra wouldn't let me do it over the phone either - which is why I went to my usual dealership and why they won't sell me one. If it's such bullsit mate, why don't you ring them yourself and find out - Nowra T-Life. Fill your boots.

September 07 2010 at 11:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to RepoMonkey's comment
Cy Starkman

Hmm, I believe they have no stock in store and have a big wait list. I don't believe that a TLife store could option out of selling the iPhone, they are flagship stores.

You can buy over the phone so if they aren't letting people it must be back log of existing orders and not wanting to make it worse -shrug-

Mine came last week, picked it up Friday. Ordered it just before launch, so like 6 weeks+

September 07 2010 at 11:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Chris

Not sure why you say they "feel a heavy burden"? These carriers are reaping huge profits from the iPhone. Also, what other phone in existence has sold such huge numbers? None.

September 07 2010 at 10:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Shane

ps - 2.5 weeks from apple/au

September 07 2010 at 10:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Shane

Lets see, Apple sets release date in America, demand out strips supply.

Apple "forecasts" international releases and makes everybody else wait....

Oh, maybe instead, when setting international release dates, that should allow for "pre-ordering" with an open ended delivery date to help gauge the demand???

Or, they are deliberatly causing a shortage to further increase the demand!?

September 07 2010 at 10:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
SteveH

I'm with Optus Mobile and have registered to upgrade to their iPhone 4 plan, however their website has been showing 'Out of Stock' for the last 3wks.

I've been told by Optus that as soon as they receive more stock from Apple, they will notify registered users by email, who will then have to go online and upgrade their plan.

First come, first served.

I'd buy the damned thing overseas, but the Optus BYO plan really doesn't give value for money when compared with their regular plan.

This is a nice problem for Apple to have, but it's a pain for us end users.

September 07 2010 at 9:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Buy an ad here

Hot Apps on TUAW

Tweets

© 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.