Apparently, Apple is having trouble keeping white 16
GB Apple iPhone
3G S models in stock.
As of this morning, the $199 white iPhones have all but vanished from stores and from the Web, a sign that users are picking them up at a faster rate than the black version of Apple's latest smartphone. It could be a sign that iPhone users are sticking with what made Apple and its products the icons they are: the crisp white casing that differentiates it from the pack of others with their matte or shiny black outer shells.
The 16 GB white Apple iPhone 3G S is out of stock in 30 of the 41 states where Apple has Apple Stores, as well as Washington D.C., according to Apple's iPhone 3G S availability tracking Web site, which is updated every few hours.
A white 16GB model is available in only one of California's 45 Apple Stores, one of the nine in Massachusetts, one of the seven in Illinois and one of the six in Virginia. White 16 GB Apple iPhone 3G S smartphones are also in short supply in the Big Apple, where only one of the three New York Apple Stores has them in stock. Additionally, Connecticut's three Apple Stores are plum out of 16 GB white iPhone 3G S models.
While it's unclear if the shortage of white 16 GB iPhone 3G S smartphones is a sign that that particular model is more popular or that Apple isn't churning out enough of them, it's an odd shortage.
For the $299 32 GB model of white iPhones, however, it's a different story. In states where white 16 GB models are in extremely short supply or apparently long gone, white 32 GB iPhone 3G S smartphones are plentiful. In California, the 32 GB white iPhone is available in 34 of its 45 Apple Stores. All three New York City stores have 32 GB white iPhones available. Each NYC store also has the black 16 GB and 32 GB models available.
When the iPhone 3G S officially launched three weeks ago, there were expectations of shortages, but analysts failed to predict that one particular model would sell out before the others. In its first weekend alone, the iPhone 3G S sold more than one million units, making it one of the swiftest selling smartphones of all time.
Along with Apple Stores, AT&T Stores also experienced iPhone 3G S shortages, with many rapidly selling through their initial supplies and waiting for more stock.
