Retail Inventory Of 8GB iPhone 3G Low

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

Several sites have noted that Apple is running low on inventory of 8 GB iPhone 3Gs. Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog notes that as of last night only 36 of Apple's 197 U.S. retail stores had stock of the 8 GB model remaining (http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/09/20/apple-runs-short-of-entry-level-iphones/).

From this raw data several sites are speculating on possible causes of the shortage. AppleInsider has suggested that the 8 GB model may be discontinued (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/09/20/evidence_points_toward_iphone_3g_home_activation_and_model_refresh.html) and a 32 GB model be introduced, however there appears to be no evidence to support this claim. Another possibility includes the dedication of such models towards Best Buy outlets.

Of course another possibility remains that Apple is simply temporarily running low on supplies of the model. Without further information we regard all such possibilities as speculation.

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/09/20/retail-inventory-of-8gb-iphone-3g-low/)

[macbookairman]

great news! i hope they do add a 32GB model to the lineup soon. i think lots of people are waiting for that before they buy.

[Eminemdrdre00]

Grrrrr just bought my 8gb at the end of August!

[EMT123]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)



Of course another possibility remains that Apple is simply temporarily running low on supplies of the model. Without further information we regard all such possibilities as speculation.

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/09/20/retail-inventory-of-8gb-iphone-3g-low/)

isn't the nature of this site speculation?

[longofest]

great news! i hope they do add a 32GB model to the lineup soon. i think lots of people are waiting for that before they buy.

...just keep in mind there's a reason we're putting this on page 2. It could very well be that there is a 32gb model on the way, but it appears they're basing these claims purely from the fact that the 8GB model is running low in inventory.

isn't the nature of this site speculation?

Rumors are based off of what appears to be a leak or otherwise inside information.

Speculation is trying to deduce plans from publicly known information.

We try to stick to news and rumors and stay away from speculation at MacRumors. Most of the time we don't even put speculation on page 2, but in this case the root of the story (the low iPhone 3G stock) was worth a mention and since the speculation has been going rampant around the web, we threw it in there.

[NotoriousLefty]

I jus think the plastic backing 3g iphone was low quality high quantity to begin with. I hope apple moves on to a 8 mega pix 32 gb video recording, video chat iphone asap then i will upgrade from my 2g. I think the only reason they didnt make this move is the economy and the need for a 199$ phone to suck in newbies... even if its att plan cost more. att needs to have a make over and have tv channels asap similar to verizons plan. then apple needs to make its so games can play vs. each other no mater where you are like xbox live. then apple and att with have completely taken over the the consumer market! the corporate world is another monster.

[jessica.]

I believe the low stock can be attributed to the fact that it is priced quite handsomely. Many new iPhone users will find 8GB is more than enough considering that is more capacity than they'll see on any other phone they would normally use. That and there seems to be more to swallow when you go from $200 to $300. To me it is doubling the capacity for half the price, but people will find value differently.

I would love to see a 32GB model and may hold out on the 3G phone until mid-October. Having now seen the iPhone in person I seem to really want one. Though I so wish they would have kept the previous metal back.

[dueweke1697]

psh! i'll believe it when i see it... on page 1 at least!

[goobimama]

The upgrade is inevitable. So one day when Apple does introduce the 32GB iPhone, there will be a lot of "I told ya!"

[lwmcanada]

I jus think the plastic backing 3g iphone was low quality high quantity to begin with. I hope apple moves on to a 8 mega pix 32 gb video recording, video chat iphone asap then i will upgrade from my 2g. I think the only reason they didnt make this move is the economy and the need for a 199$ phone to suck in newbies... even if its att plan cost more. att needs to have a make over and have tv channels asap similar to verizons plan. then apple needs to make its so games can play vs. each other no mater where you are like xbox live. then apple and att with have completely taken over the the consumer market! the corporate world is another monster.

Thats a lot of changes you're demanding for when you upgrade from your 2G, i guess you want your next car to fly?

[hayduke]

Who cares? Does anyone actually buy the 8GB?

[arn]

isn't the nature of this site speculation?

no.

http://normalkid.com/2007/03/16/the-difference-between-rumor-and-speculation/

arn

[fandsw]

Who cares? Does anyone actually buy the 8GB?

Corporations do. At $199 it is the same price as a Blackberry on corporate accounts. With Exchange now available and the data prices the same for both devices a lot of corporate buyers can now justify an iPhone over a BB. I did....

[donga]

why would they come out with a 32 so soon? just make good customers upset they got a 16

[xix]

We try to stick to news and rumors and stay away from speculation at MacRumors.

Ok. I heard that Apple was discontinuing the 8GB iPhone and introducing a 32GB version.


why would they come out with a 32 so soon? just make good customers upset they got a 16

Maybe because NAND prices have come down and they can sell a 32GB version and make the same amount of profit?


I jus think the plastic backing 3g iphone was low quality high quantity to begin with. I hope apple moves on to a 8 mega pix 32 gb video recording, video chat iphone asap

Are you high?

I think the only reason they didnt make this move is the economy and the need for a 199$ phone to suck in newbies.

Speaking of newbies...

[manhattanboy]

Are you high?


Yes I am...

[twoodcc]

i guess it's possible to add a 32 GB model, and i hope that they do, but i doubt they will

[puckhead193]

i hope they do add a 32 gig... if an ipod touch has it, why not the iphone? :confused: (I wouldn't care if it was a tad thicker for the larger size. )

[donga]

Maybe because NAND prices have come down and they can sell a 32GB version and make the same amount of profit?


if they made the same amount of profit on a 16 as a 32, why would they change? there would be some costs incurred by changing to 32 in production. it would also make a lot of consumers upset that they thought they bought the max memory

[retroneo]

Last time, they introduced the iPhone in June, discontinued the 4GB in September and introduced the 16GB in February.

I wouldn't think there will be a 32GB iPhone until well after Christmas.

[dukebound85]

i hope they do add a 32 gig... if an ipod touch has it, why not the iphone? :confused: (I wouldn't care if it was a tad thicker for the larger size. )

because there is only 1 chip slot for the iphone vs 2 in the ipod touch

[dual64bit]

Hard to tell....

The 8Gb is the most attractive to buyers, therefore probably the most sold.

[Apple Ink]

My guess is is just short supply! The 3G debuted just over 2 months ago and not to mention.... about 50% of the companies saw the debut not even a month ago..... Its mainly due to the shift to bestbuy, international demand increase and of course, the probable release of the 3G in 20 new countries!

[iCantwait]

who cares?
They dropped the 4gb around this time last year, we'll see what happend

[dieburnbot]

I have an 8 GB iphone 3g and I have never had less than 6.5 GB of free space. I don't store that much stuff on my phone so I could never justify the extra 100 dollars for the 16 GB model.

[Battlefield Fan]

Apple will add a 32 GB version before the year is over. This will increase there year end numbers of phones sold.

They will if they are smart:apple:

[kalafalas]

who would buy the 8? the white one only comes in 16 :P

[born4sky]

New iPhone coming ... I wish

[bobertoq]

Apple is simply temporarily running low on supplies of the model.

I can guarantee Apple is simply temporarily running low on supplies of the model.

[autumn]

The problem now with the 32GB model is not NAND price but there is really not enough room in current iPhone 3G design for extra NAND chips.

iPhone and iPod Touch uses 8 GB NAND chips and since iPod Touch doesn't have all the extra gsm, HSDPA and bluetooth chips, it can fit 4 of those 8GB NANDs. iPhone can only fit 2 of them.

Frankly, I don't know if there is one single 16GB NAND chip for iPhone, don't even know how expensive it is either.

Someone might be able to do some research on this.

Anyway, I don't see Apple release a 32GB version of iPhone until 1Q 2009.

[Nieval]

I don't understand all this hype, i mean, hasn't the iPhone been short on stock ever since its release? If there is a refresh then it won't have anything to do with unit numbers.

[cdinca]

The problem now with the 32GB model is not NAND price but there is really not enough room in current iPhone 3G design for extra NAND chips.

iPhone and iPod Touch uses 8 GB NAND chips and since iPod Touch doesn't have all the extra gsm, HSDPA and bluetooth chips, it can fit 4 of those 8GB NANDs. iPhone can only fit 2 of them.

Frankly, I don't know if there is one single 16GB NAND chip for iPhone, don't even know how expensive it is either.

Someone might be able to do some research on this.

Anyway, I don't see Apple release a 32GB version of iPhone until 1Q 2009.

I am pretty sure you are very wrong about this.

[maokh]

What a bunch of non-news.

[Rybold]

Corporations do. At $199 it is the same price as a Blackberry on corporate accounts. With Exchange now available and the data prices the same for both devices a lot of corporate buyers can now justify an iPhone over a BB. I did....

Exactly! And Apple knows this. :)


I think the reason the 8GB is low in inventory is for the same reason the 8GB was low in inventory for the first few weeks that the iPhone3Gs came out: The 8GB model is a lot more in demand than the 16GB phone. Before I bought my 8GB, I went to several Apple stores on several different days and the 8GB were sold out and all they had were 16GB. The employees told me that the 8GB were more popular and were the first to be sold. I'm sure we're probably just seeing them sold out again. I talked to a kid about a week ago that works at an Apple store (he was not working at the time) and he told me that although there are not lines outside of the store anymore, they are still selling iPhones all day long from open to close.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1395/667948116_42bc8081c6.jpg?v=0

[goobimama]

One things for sure though. The moment we get the 32GB iPhone, we also get the 64GB iPod Touch. (maybe in a few weeks, but its surely gonna happen that way)

[Mikebuzzsaw]

Well if the 32gb is released.... whats the upgrade policy for people who got the iphone 3g when it first came out? Anyone think Apple would let us just renew our 2yr contract from the date 32gb is purchased?

[michaelsviews]

Apple will add a 32 GB version before the year is over. This will increase there year end numbers of phones sold.

They will if they are smart:apple:

Apple will drop the 8 gig by year end along with introducing the 32 gig right before Christmas ;)

[Elven]

Who cares? Does anyone actually buy the 8GB?4

I got mine free, no not very much bothered if I use half of the 8GB then I am lucky, :) just tickles me how people are so OMG my phones obsolete. Fact is people the 32GB iPhone will look no different, apart from a little badge on the back, and if a color ( white be it perhaps? ) bothers you so much, and affects your feeling over your phone that much, then I advise you see medical help.

[Sanchez27]

Personally I won't go for the iPhone until it comes out in 32GB as I can't justify the premium price for something which won't harness all its potential i.e. films, playing ever more complex games (Spore). If they don't offer a 32GB'r by 14th Oct I'll pull the trigger for the iPod touch in 32GB.

[FoxHoundADAM]

I'm doubtfull this is the case, seams like bad timing, not to mention it seams as though few users (not I) even want/need additional memory in thier iPhone at his point.

[gkarris]

Just low stock.

Lots of people are getting them - I see a lot of them out there now. People I know are getting them had to wait until their old cell contract was over.

If they come out with a 32 Gig, it will be $399 (w/ contract).

[NateDMB]

If a friggin' 32GB comes out after all this hoopla, i'll be super pissed. I bought the 8GB because if have an iPod classic and the 16GB wasn't worth it to me. A 32GB would fit all my stuff. Damn you apple *shakes fist*. Wait I forgot we're on page 2, no need to fret... yet.

[autumn]

I am pretty sure you are very wrong about this.

What's your source? I know for sure that's the reason why there was no 32GB iPhone when 32GB iPod Touch was introduced. There are a couple of sites that have opened and teared everything apart on iPhone and couldn't find any extra room for 2 8GB NAND chips in there.

The only question is: is there a single 16GB NAND chip now and how expensive is it.

[dukebound85]

The problem now with the 32GB model is not NAND price but there is really not enough room in current iPhone 3G design for extra NAND chips.

iPhone and iPod Touch uses 8 GB NAND chips and since iPod Touch doesn't have all the extra gsm, HSDPA and bluetooth chips, it can fit 4 of those 8GB NANDs. iPhone can only fit 2 of them.

Frankly, I don't know if there is one single 16GB NAND chip for iPhone, don't even know how expensive it is either.

Someone might be able to do some research on this.

Anyway, I don't see Apple release a 32GB version of iPhone until 1Q 2009.

i thought the iphone only had one memory slot while the touch has 2, not the 2 and 4 slots respectivley

[whooleytoo]

Low stock? LOW STOCK???

There are no iPhones in stock in Ireland. At all. None. Not one. Nada. Zip. Bupkiss. Not only do O2 not know when they'll have more, but they don't even know when they will know! Most stores here in Cork have waiting lists of 50-100.

Spoilt Americans don't know how lucky they are... </mumble grumble> :p

[cdinca]

What's your source? I know for sure that's the reason why there was no 32GB iPhone when 32GB iPod Touch was introduced. There are a couple of sites that have opened and teared everything apart on iPhone and couldn't find any extra room for 2 8GB NAND chips in there.

The only question is: is there a single 16GB NAND chip now and how expensive is it.

With the v1 iPhone it was 1 compared to the touch's 2.

Since they made a 16 v1, then I assume they are using the same 16gb memory in the 3g. Unless they changed the achitecture of the v1 between the 8 and the 16 to accept 2 NANDs.

[SirOmega]

There is only 1 spot for flash memory in the iPhone 3G. The chip is ****** huge - go look at the ifixit pictures from launch day.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/iPhone3G

The next level of NAND modules (sub 40nm chips) wont launch until the first half of 2009. Thats when we'll see the 32GB iPhone. If the nation isn't in a depression by then...

[plinden]

Plenty of 8GB iPhones are in stock.
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/09/21/rumors-of-8gb-iphones-death-were-greatly-exaggerated

This is a non-story.

[jrbernsen]

Just got back from the Apple Store in Plano, TX, and I have answers. According to a Genius, the shortage has nothing to do with a refresh, and everything to do with the USB Power Adapter for the iPhone 3G that Apple just recalled.

Apparently, Apple has been planning this recall for a while now, and this particular Apple store already had replacement 8Gb iPhones packaged with new USB power adapters. He even showed me the box for the new 8Gb iPhones that had just arrived yesterday...there was a little green circlular sticker on the back of the box to denote that it included the newly designed USB adapters, and not the faulty recalled ones.

So for all you hold-outs thinking 32Gb phone will arrive this Tuesday, the smart money is on not seeing a refresh of the iPhones until after Christmas. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

[mlmorg]

iphone rumors : 5,103,954,839

mb/mbp rumors : 3


haha jk it'd be nice to bump up the low end iphone anyway

[Fahrwahr]

Just got back from the Apple Store in Plano, TX, and I have answers. According to a Genius, the shortage has nothing to do with a refresh, and everything to do with the USB Power Adapter for the iPhone 3G that Apple just recalled.

Apparently, Apple has been planning this recall for a while now, and this particular Apple store already had replacement 8Gb iPhones packaged with new USB power adapters. He even showed me the box for the new 8Gb iPhones that had just arrived yesterday...there was a little green circlular sticker on the back of the box to denote that it included the newly designed USB adapters, and not the faulty recalled ones.

So for all you hold-outs thinking 32Gb phone will arrive this Tuesday, the smart money is on not seeing a refresh of the iPhones until after Christmas. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
You know, somehow I thought this might be tied into the power adapter recall. It seemed silly to me that Apple would sell someone an iPhone and tell them, "Oh, by the way, don't use the power adapter that comes in the box. It's bad. We'll get you one that actually works in a few weeks." They'll probably get the good adapters into the current iPhone supply first before they try replacing those already out there.

[m-dogg]

great news! i hope they do add a 32GB model to the lineup soon. i think lots of people are waiting for that before they buy.

Yes. I'm one of them!

[Roller]

There is only 1 spot for flash memory in the iPhone 3G. The chip is ****** huge - go look at the ifixit pictures from launch day.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/iPhone3G

The next level of NAND modules (sub 40nm chips) wont launch until the first half of 2009. Thats when we'll see the 32GB iPhone. If the nation isn't in a depression by then...

My post from August 17:

I don't think it's going to take as long as some suggest. Toshiba recently announced (http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/08/06/toshiba.32gb.flash/) a 32GB flash module that doesn't take up more space than the 16GB one. Bulk shipments are expected this fall. So it's possible that we could see a 32GB iPhone before Christmas or early in '09.

And, for those who question the need for >16GB, I say that the ability to store and view documents on the iPhone (thanks to apps like DataCase) has changed the playing field. For example, I'd love to be able to carry Keynote and PowerPoint presentations on my iPhone, but many of them are hundreds of MB in size.

Now, I have no idea whether the 8GB shortage has anything to do with an upcoming 32GB model, but it's certainly possible.

[skramsfan13]

stupid

[point665]

Hey guys,

I am having a replacement 3g black 8gb iPhone being shipped out to me from Apple - the order was placed on September 3rd and shipped on the 19th from China. Apple's page showed 1-2 days shipping but it ended up taking over 2 weeks.

I have a few good contacts at Apple and they informed me there was a major backorder - I dont know if it relates to the power plug replacement or what not, they informed me that ALL iPhones were on backorder. I should be receiving my Wednesday but the UPS page doesnt have scheduled delivery date anymore.

[wackymacky]

The problem now with the 32GB model is not NAND price but there is really not enough room in current iPhone 3G design for extra NAND chips.

iPhone and iPod Touch uses 8 GB NAND chips and since iPod Touch doesn't have all the extra gsm, HSDPA and bluetooth chips, it can fit 4 of those 8GB NANDs. iPhone can only fit 2 of them.

Frankly, I don't know if there is one single 16GB NAND chip for iPhone, don't even know how expensive it is either.

Someone might be able to do some research on this.

Anyway, I don't see Apple release a 32GB version of iPhone until 1Q 2009.


But… Samsung has developed and is releasing for commercial use the equivalent chips in 32 GB( NAND MLC) by the new year and working, and they have developed a 64 GB version that they hope to be able to ship by the middle of 2009.

This is old news, with various articles published in various Mac magazines aprox 6 moths ago. (touting the possibility of >200GB iPods)

The details of the releases and even the specs, and (if you’re a manufacture) the order details for the 32 GB chip are on the Samsung web site

Whether Apple will incorporate these in a new model iPhone so soon is the question.

[Cubytus]

Who cares? Does anyone actually buy the 8GB?

I did. Well, sort of.

Rogers's data plan is so expensive (more than $90 per month, voice and taxes accounted for) and the phone is so well locked that I will have no choice but to bring it back to where I bought it.

I really like Apple's products most of the time, but they got this one really wrong in Canada. They should have forced Rogers to provide decent voice+data plans; come on, $30 gives you unlimited data in the US and many parts of the world, plus, a MY5 plan should already include call display and such. And it's a promotional rate ! Usually, 6GB is $100 at Rogers's!! Then they have no intermediate plan between 2 megabytes and 6 gigabyte for users with a decent voice plan, and you're forced to keep the 6GB plan for 3 years if you want it. That's the real deal-breaker here.

Then, locking the phone to the only 2 GSM players here (same company) is nonsense; might as well sell it unlocked, and people would still buy their service as there is no alternative.

So, look for my slightly used iPhone in a Rogers' store in Repentigny soon ;) They said they have "plenty" 8GB models left.

[Max E Verde]

Guessed this was due to the new power adapters after I read the title.
At the Menlo Park apple store and saw some 8GBs being bought with a green circle on the back. Asked a specialist and said they come with the new power adapters, and thinks they may come with 2.1 on them already.

[born4sky]

Well Eventually someday apple will introduce 32gb Iphone, but they probably will keep 8gb model just to keep price as low as possible. They will make money on those who wants more +100 for 8 gb and + 200 for 32 gb

[wizard]

What's your source? I know for sure that's the reason why there was no 32GB iPhone when 32GB iPod Touch was introduced. There are a couple of sites that have opened and teared everything apart on iPhone and couldn't find any extra room for 2 8GB NAND chips in there.

The only question is: is there a single 16GB NAND chip now and how expensive is it.

Well yeah you would be correct a few months back but look closely at the pic of the new Touch tear down. Do you see two flash chips on that device? The point is technology has moved on and it is very possible that 32GB flash devices exist now. Actually I'd say more than possible as the SD and Compact Flash markets both have that capacity device on the market.

The other possibility is that they go with a stacked die chip module. That would be expensive relative to a single chip solution but might work out in the long run. As to your question about 16 GB Flash chips look on Microns web site, you can find them there and likely on other web sites form a number of different manufactures. For example MTFC32GHKDN-WT is a 32GB device with MMC interface built in that Micron has on its web site and is listed as "Sampling". Then we have the MT29H32G08GCAH2-15 which is also sampling and has a more traditional interface. Now obviously one could get tripped up with the term sampling, I would suspect that the volumes Apple demands could lead to early release of the product for their specific application. The iPhone could simply be waiting for production capacity to catch up

In any event unless they have a hidden Flash position on the new Touch or are wiling to stack boards I don't see a 64 GB iPod any time soon. Which is a rotten shame if you ask me as I was really looking forward to a 64 or 96 GB model. Oh they do have one other possibility that might be a smart move on their part. That would be to go with a thicker back and extend the logic board the full length of the device. That should make it easy to incorporate three flash devices. Frankly the current line up of iPods has me a bit confused as there is a huge capacity gap between the Touch and the Classic.

In any event I would not expect the 32 GB iPhone announcement until the Christmas shopping season starts. If for nothing else then to drive traffic in the stores while at the same time making sure manufacturing capacity matches demand. In a nut shell though I'm not to concerned about iPhone as I was really hoping for a beefed up Touch like device. That is a high capacity device with a reasonably larger screen.

Dave

[wizard]

There is only 1 spot for flash memory in the iPhone 3G. The chip is ****** huge - go look at the ifixit pictures from launch day.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/iPhone3G

Much the same could be said about the Touch: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/First-Look/iPod/iPod-Touch-2G/Page-5
Which to my mind indicates that Apple already has access to production quantities of 32GB flash chips. Of course I've found nothing on the Micron web site to indicate the chips come from Micron as all their high density stuff with public info is high performance. Since that Micron chip in the 2 gen Touch has a standard interface they could simply be using a chip form some body else. What is clear is that Touch is on the bleeding edge here.


The next level of NAND modules (sub 40nm chips) wont launch until the first half of 2009. Thats when we'll see the 32GB iPhone. If the nation isn't in a depression by then...

Well there I have to disagree as has been pointed out above they have managed to get the Touch gen 2 to that density with a single flash site. (note an assumption here is that the 32GB Touch has the same motherboard as the lower capacity units) That could be accomplished with hardware not yet released for general sale or they could be stacking dies to double capacity on the chip module. Interestingly here Samsung is into that tech big time and is how the IPhone/Ipod Touch processor manages to have 128Meg of RAM.

To me it simply looks like a marketing and supply issue at this point.

Dave

[JG271]

Its probably just because it is a more popular (read: cheaper) model.

Although it would be cool if we had 16GB as the base model with the same price as the current base model!

[donga]

iphone rumors : 5,103,954,839

mb/mbp rumors : 3


haha jk it'd be nice to bump up the low end iphone anyway

what? you apparently don't follow macrumors trends.... there have been TONS of mb/mbp rumors.

[SFStateStudent]

I say bring on the 32GB 3G iPhone and I'll take (2)! Funny thing is when I bought another MBA last month, I picked up the 32GB iPod Touch for $399 (minus $299 for the rebate, so it only cost me $100 plus tax), which was more expensive than my 3G 16Gb iPhone. Everything about it reminded me of an iPhone, so maybe the rumor or speculation isn't that far from the tree...:cool:

[babyj]

I can't think of a good reason for Apple to release a 32Gb model at the moment the 3G has only been out a few months and they're still selling well.

Sure NAND prices are coming down, but that means more profit for Apple - they wouldn't make extra profit from releasing a 32Gb model at the moment.

I reckon it will be at least 6 months if not longer before we see a 32Gb model.

[Mikebuzzsaw]

I saw 32gb is announced Oct 14.

[point665]

Received my new 3G black iPhone this morning straight from China - has the green dot on the box for the new power plug as does the plug itself. I guess thats what the whole hold up was (waiting since the 3rd for it)...

[SandynJosh]

I'm doubtfull this is the case, seams like bad timing, not to mention it seams as though few users (not I) even want/need additional memory in thier iPhone at his point.

It SEAMS like some users could use the extra memory to run a spell checker. :p

[Thor74]

I'll be waiting until my Sprint contract runs out mid October. If there are no page 1 rumors about a 32GB iPhone model by then (including a before XMas release date), I'll just pull the trigger for the 16GB version. Technology is relative, what I buy today is slower or has less features than tomorrow... I'm used to it. :rolleyes:

[whlphil]

A friend of mine tried to order an 8gb yesterday through O2 in the UK and was told that stocks were depleted and phones would not be available until Oct 15th !! Go figure!

Also Apples website was saying yesterday that the Apple store Sheffield, UK would not have any stock of iPhones this weekend. Now i feel that the short supply is just a result of recent launches around the world and inevitable lack of available stock worldwide but the nothing till Oct 15th does seem somewhat suspicious...

What do you think?

[Derwood]

...if they were going to refresh iPhone 3G to 32gb for the holidays they might have snuck it in with the iPod refreshes, no?

I guess it wouldn't have fit squarely with the "Let's Rock" event theme...

One things for sure - there'll be a whole heap of disgruntled iPhone users who, only a couple of months ago, signed up for 8gb phones on 18 months service plans.

Derwood

[Derwood]

...nothing till Oct 15th does seem somewhat suspicious...

What do you think?

Isn't Oct 14th the date for the rumoured MacBook and/or MBP refresh? Could make a joint announcement about both.

Wait and see I guess.

Derwood

[point665]

Again... I have received a new 8gb from Apple this past Wednesday after waiting since the 3rd of September. Thats 3 weeks when shipping showed 1-2 days. It was held up because of the adapter recall, just as ALL IPHONES WERE.

[PowerFullMac]

Apple aint gonna repeat old mistakes and discontinue the 8GB.

[Macman1993]

Though I so wish they would have kept the previous metal back.

Actually I was in a apple store a few months ago and someone asked a genius why they were getting rid of the metal back. He said that the metal blocks signal and makes downloading slower so I think its safe to say that apple will not be putting the metal backing on a phone anytime soon.

[PowerFullMac]

Actually I was in a apple store a few months ago and someone asked a genius why they were getting rid of the metal back. He said that the metal blocks signal and makes downloading slower so I think its safe to say that apple will not be putting the metal backing on a phone anytime soon.

Yep, thats true. Thats why the metal-backed iPod touch has the back thing in the top left, so it can get a (crappy) WiFi signal.

[franzmueller]

Here in Spain 9 out of 10 iphones sold are 8 gigs ....

Saludos

[edenwaith]

Well if the 32gb is released.... whats the upgrade policy for people who got the iphone 3g when it first came out? Anyone think Apple would let us just renew our 2yr contract from the date 32gb is purchased?

It's not Apple you need to worry about -- it's the service provider that you'll have to wrangle with. However, my dealings with AT&T have been very negative since they have been very, very stingy about upgrading or even purchasing a new phone.

"Oh, did your new phone die already? Too bad for you!"

Perhaps if you already have an iPhone, maybe they'll let you buy it for the higher price, but don't be surprised if AT&T tell you to hit the street since they already have your money, anyway.

[powers74]

I wouldn't be pissed if they did a metal back with a spot of plastic on it. Surely aluminum would be better for signal strength than stainless? Which, I'm no electrical engineer, but couldn't the phone be designed such that the metal housing is the antenna? Maybe not since it seems so obvious. But yeah 32Gs would be nice. Seems like it would be more future-proof since I would plan on keeping mine for a good long while.