Quick, how many blogs have you read since yesterday suggesting that pre-orders for the new AppleiPhone 3GS have been so robust, that they're already sold out? Boy Genius Report had that news yesterday. InformationWeek is reporting that Apple and AT&T have both already sold out of their launch day pre-order units.
Not quite.
AT&T may have issues meeting demand in its stores, but the Apple web site is still offering to satisfy those early adopters. And in a remarkably easy process. Go to Apple and the siteis still letting shoppers reserve their 3GS's today and pick them up at an Apple retail store on June 19; or reserve the phone with an online pre-order today and it'll be shipped to you for arrival on the release date on June 19. Oh, and shipping is free!
- Smartphones Rock, But 'Free' Rules Supreme
So once again, hype begins to steamroll its way through the marketplace. Of course, judgment day comes this Friday when we'll know for sure whether these pre-orders actually get filled. But I just spoke with Apple, and the company directed me to the website to get the latest availability news. And yes, Apple is still taking pre-orders online.
Also, no one is talking about how many of these phones are actually available, or how many will be available at AT&T stores versus the stockpile Apple is sitting on, but you gotta wonder if Apple is holding out on its carrier partner! Whether it is or isn't, shoppers have a choice, and if your local AT&T store is crying "sell-out," there's another option, and it comes directly from the source.
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