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iPhones sold out! (West Coast)

M

mrtravel123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 9, 2007
198
2
Well, I was in Portland, Oregon yesterday at one of the Apple stores. I needed to buy a couple of iPhones. (I can't wait any longer for various reasons). Well, this particular Apple store only had two 8gb models in stock. They didn't have any 16gb models in stock. The same is true with the other 2 Portland stores: No iPhones in stock.

I called 3 of the 4 stores in Seattle. All 3 stores are without iPhones. One employee said that all of Washington state is without iPhones, except for AT&T stores. Another person said that the entire west coast is out of inventory.

I called an Apple store in San Francisco. No iPhones.

I called an Apple store in Los Angeles. No iPhones. "All of Southern California is out of stock of iPhones."

At least 2 employees (at WA or OR stores) thought that it was a shipping fluke. One said it was demand related. One employee didn't want to take a guess as to what the problems was. Another employee suspected that maybe a new iPhone was coming out... but really had no idea and wasn't permitted to speculate anyway.

I attempted to call stores in Colorado and Texas (random sampling) and the stores I called were already closed for the day. (Sunday night, March 30, 2008).

So... hmmmm. It seems too early for a new model of iPhone to be coming out. I was thinking that maybe in 2 - 3 months we MIGHT see a new model (3G or some other type of upgrade). But, who knows? It could just be a glitch in the shipping or ????

Any other areas without iPhones? I saw a post about a store in NYC being out of iPhones too.
 
Hmm....I'll chalk this up to us reading to much into thing...but nothing in the world would please me more then to see a 3G iPhone.



But honestly, its a bit soon...I'm expecting it soon, but not to the point that stores would be out, atleast not yet. Shipping seems more likely...but still, its a possiblity that general supply is going down, to make room for 3G iPhone, so Apple wasn't able to fix the mistake as quickly.
 
I'm just curious why everyone keeps saying "iPhones sold out" in entire regions and then follow it up with saying that the Apple stores are out, but the AT&T stores have them. There are many, many more AT&T stores than Apple stores. Why not buy them there? It's not really fair to say that iPhones are sold out on the West Coast if the AT&T stores have them. It's the same phone!
 
It's a different distribution model. Apple has direct control over the stock in Apple Stores. If supplies are dwindling in Apple Stores, you have to wonder if this is intentional on Apple's part. Apple has no control (I assume) over how many iPhones AT&T stores choose to stock.

Personally, I'd rather buy my phone directly from Apple. I know it's easy to return things to the Apple Store. Is it the same with AT&T? I also like the atmosphere in Apple Stores -- the employees are nice. I've never really been able to say that about any cell phone store.
 
geekmommy4 said:
I'm just curious why everyone keeps saying "iPhones sold out" in entire regions and then follow it up with saying that the Apple stores are out, but the AT&T stores have them. There are many, many more AT&T stores than Apple stores. Why not buy them there? It's not really fair to say that iPhones are sold out on the West Coast if the AT&T stores have them. It's the same phone!
Click to expand...

Its not about people looking for a iPhone, people are reading into what these means for Apple's plans for the next iPhone.

Low Supply often leads to new models...although the AT&T card has never been in play, so people are reading it differently. I read it as "less people go to AT&T to buy an iPhone"
 
I know a lot of people now that now have iPhones, on AT&T and since unlocking is just a download and a couple of clicks away, on T-Mobile.

Just more and more people are getting them, hence more likely to be sold out...
 
apple has to keep AT&T stocked but apple stores are selling out fast

there is definitely a new iphone coming out around june give or take Apple is just not over producing phones at this time because they dont want to be stuck with old models but they are making them fast but a majority of the phones are selling out fast at the apple store and being sold over sea where they are also running out of stock you know the euro is worth alot more than the U.S. Dollar and people can save by buying here unlike the AT&t stores where you have to have an account to buy them and maybe then can ony buy 2-3 at a time unlike aple stores as you can buy 5 all day long until they run out .
 
someone on the west coast posted a youtube video of him buying 90+ iPhones in 1 day .... showing a stack of reciepts.

Im not sure what the point of buying them all is or was but he talked about the limits in buying them etc...
 
when u buy at an at&t store, do they force you to sign up with a contract or check to see if u are an at&t customer? i'm strictly buying an iphone to use with t-mobile, so i thought i could only buy one at an apple store....

also can i buy a refurbished one at at&t stores for $249?
 
mjfor40 said:
when u buy at an at&t store, do they force you to sign up with a contract or check to see if u are an at&t customer? i'm strictly buying an iphone to use with t-mobile, so i thought i could only buy one at an apple store....

also can i buy a refurbished one at at&t stores for $249?
Click to expand...

Depends on the store clerks.

My understanding is that AT&T is sold out of the $249 refurbs anyways.
 
mjfor40 said:
when u buy at an at&t store, do they force you to sign up with a contract or check to see if u are an at&t customer?
Click to expand...

They're technically not supposed to and technically there's no reason for them to, except that they don't want people blatantly unlocking them and not using AT&T service. So some stores do check, and do try to get you to activate there in the store.
 
When I went into the ATT store in Downtown denver a few weeks ago, I just said that I wanted to get an iPhone for a gift. They did ask me for my email and name...I guess for return reasons. I told them that I was not with ATT and they still sold me the iPhone. I now use it on T-Mobile no problem.
 
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