iPhone News Updated

iPhone 3G is in short supply

iPhone 3G is in short supply

It’s out. The iPhone 3G, the much-awaited update to Apple’s touch screen phone, started selling at 8 a.m. locally. And based on the number of people standing in line to buy the phone at AT&T and Apple retail outlets, it appears that initial supplies of both the 8GB and 16GB models will be sold out by noon in metro Detroit.

It didn’t help that a Federal Express plane loaded with an iPhone shipment destined for some AT&T Detroit stores broke down in Indianapolis. “We do expect more phones tomorrow (Saturday),” said Ken Gaffga, AT&T’s Detroit area sales director.

What’s all the fuss about? Here’s our first look:

I was 25th in line when I showed up at 6 a.m. at the Troy AT&T store. By the 8 a.m. opening, there were 78 people waiting. It was pretty much the same all over the area at other stores. The store sold out by 8:45 a.m.

The demand seemed close to the lines that formed last year when the iPhone first became available, Gaffga. “The iPhone clearly has legs,” he said.

AT&T had about a dozen people processing sales at the Troy store but, still, it took from 7 to 12 minutes per customer to complete the paperwork and get the phone activated.

How does it work? My initial impressions come from making a phone call to my editor .

He said the quality of the sound from the phone sounded much clearer.

Well, I’ll get my new 16GB version charged and check it out, as well as all the new iPhone 2.0 applications.

[Thanks: http://www.freep.com]