Delivery delays loom as iPhone 4S orders pour in

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 11 October 2011 06:28

Opinion and Analysis

Flying in the face of the initial disappointment of analysts, orders for the soon to be released iPhone 4S are flooding in from markets all over the world as a result of what the same analysts are now saying is pent up demand for the Apple smartphone upgrade. Apple reports that about 1 million units of iPhone 4S were pre-ordered on the first day it began accepting them.

 

When Apple started its roller coaster ride last week, starting with the unveiling of the iPhone 4S by new CEO Tim Cook, analysts and the market expressed disappointment that the product was merely an improved version of the iPhone 4, with the same display and body shape, rather than the hoped for iPhone 5.

Then the news broke of the death of charismatic Apple founder Steve Jobs and criticism of the iPhone 4S was put on hold, as the world grieved at the untimely loss of the consumer tech world's brightest star.

After the news broke, many analysts were confounded by the fact that Apple shares held up well and the sky didn't fall as some had expected.

Then before analysts could catch their breath, telcos around the world were announcing early release dates and prices for the iPhone 4S.

In Australia, the big three telcos will start delivering iPhone 4S orders on 14 October, just 10 days after the phone was unveiled in Cupertino. Optus and Vodafone released prices and plans on Sunday, 9 October.

All three Australian telcos indicate that there has been a deluge of pent-up demand from owners of earlier iPhone models.

While iPhone 4 owners may be content to wait until the iPhone 5 makes it to market, owners of the iPhone 3GS down are bursting at the seams to get hold of what will be to them a completely new package, with improved screen, much more power under the hood, a voice controlled automated personal assistant interface called SIRI.

If there is any downside for would be iPhone 4S owners, it may be delays in the delivery time.

As was the case when the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 were released, the Apple supply chain may face initial difficulties in meeting the red hot demand, with deliveries delayed by weeks in some case.

Apple, however, will no doubt be buoyant at its success at once again proving analysts wrong and confounding the market by delivering exactly what consumers wanted at the right time in the iPhone 4S.