Telcos squeezed in Apple iPhone shortage

Fears of no stock for Christmas sales.

Apple's Australian carrier partners Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have been sold out of the Apple iPhone 3GS for over a week.

All three carriers have posted alerts on their web sites advising customers that the iPhone 3GS is out of stock for the second time in three months.

Apple's website and stores, meanwhile, continue to have stock available.

"There is currently a global shortage of iPhone models, and we are out of stock of some models," reads a note on Telstra's web site.

A message on the Optus site reads that the popular 16GB iPhone 3GS specifically remains out of stock. A spokesperson for Optus told iTnews the message should be removed overnight in time with an in-take of new stock, but declined to reveal how many units were anticipated in the delivery.

Vodafone, meanwhile, has been out of stock for the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3GS for over a week and is awaiting a delivery of the earlier generation 8GB models this week.

A spokesperson for Vodafone confirmed that Apple is yet to provide notice as to when 3GS models will be back in stock.

Shortage restricted to carrier partners

Apple will be no doubt under pressure to provide its carrier partners with guarantees around availability of the popular consumer device, with most retailers already preparing their marketing materials for the Christmas sales season.

Equally frustrating is that while Apple's key carrier partners are struggling to meet demand, those buying direct from Apple will find the computing vendor well-stocked.

There is no shortage of iPhones at the flagship Apple Store in Sydney and a spokesperson for Apple said the company is "currently quoting an estimated ship time of three business days" for its online store where "supply remains strong."

The Apple spokesperson insisted that "carriers are continuing to receive stock."