NEW YORK — Short supplies,
the postponement of the
white iPhone 4, and the welltimed
announcements of highend
Android-based smartphones
put Apple off -message in
the days before the June
24 iPhone 4 launch.
Nonetheless, Apple
racked up its most
success ful iPhone
launch to date, selling
more than 1.7 million
new models in the first
three days of availability
in five countries, including
the U.S. That
compares to more than 1 million
iPhone 3G S phones sold
during their first three days of
availability last year in eight
countries, including
the U.S.
In one setback, Apple
said it would delay
availability of the white
version of its iPhone 4
until the second half
of July, contending the
white models “have
proven more challenging
to manufacture than expected.”
The black version became
available June 24 as planned.
In another inventory glitch, AT&T
said units for AT&T customers who
didn’t preorder wouldn’t be available
through its stores and online until June
29, citing preorder sales that were 10
times higher on the first day of preordering
compared to the first day of iPhone
3GS preordering.
For its part, RadioShack said it would
make it up to consumers upset over limited
iPhone 4 inventories on the phone’s
launch date. RadioShack said it would
extend its launch-weekend specials
throughout July.
The specials include a $20 accessory
credit with all iPhone 4 purchases
through July 25. Special trade-in values
will also remain in effect through
July 25. They include a trade-in value
up to $200 for the iPhone 3GS and an
iPhone 3G trade-in value up to $100
regardless of memory size. In addition, the chain said its iPhone $49.99
and $109.98 accessory bundles, available
to all consumers, will be available
through July 25.
The chain said it “has heard their customers
loud and clear” and regrets “any
confusion that may have been caused by
the limited devices that were made available
to their stores at launch.”
Meantime, competing carriers drew
attention away from the iPhone with
the announcements of new high-end
Android-based models. Verizon Wireless
teamed with Motorola to announce
the launch of the Droid X,
and Samsung teamed with all four national
carriers and U.S. Cellular to announce
plans to offer Samsung’s flagship
Galaxy S in the coming weeks and
months.
