The iPhone 4S has landed in the UK, and eager Apple fans pulling sickies are queuing up around the country to snap up Apple’s latest smartphone. But if you’re planning to snag yourself a 4S today and aren’t yet in the queue, you’d better hurry up; we’re getting word that Apple Stores in London are already selling out of certain models, with more expected to go by the end of the day.
At the time of writing the Apple Store in Regent Street still has all the iPhone 4S models in stock, but are selling fast. There’s also a queue at the Store. Meanwhile, the Apple Store Covent Garden is completely out of 16GB iPhone 4Ss in both black and white, with customers now buying up 32GB models instead. There’s also a queue about an hour long, so if you’re after anything but the 64GB 4S model, best head to the Regent Street Store.
Meanwhile around the rest of the UK, the Manchester Arndale Apple Store has completely sold of iPhone 4Ss in all models and colours, as has the Store we called in Liverpool (still some handsets available on contract). If you’re in either city and desperate for a 4S, the Phones 4U branches we called in Manchester and Liverpool still have certain models available on certain networks – call ahead.
Phones 4U in London were a lot more forthcoming: no hold time, no stock shortages, all models in stock. The branch we called was on Oxford Street, so if you’re a Londoner who can live without all the pomp and ceremony of an Apple Store on iPhone launch day, a trawl down Oxford Street might be your best bet.
Meanwhile the Carphone Warehouse stores we contacted kept us on hold for seven minutes before a robotic woman told us that, due to high call volume, they would be unable to take our calls at that time, and would we mind calling back later.
According to Simon Lee-Smith, General Manager of Devices at O2, the 4S launch has been their “most successful launch to date with more iPhone 4S handsets sold on O2 so far today than iPhone 4 devices in the same period last year.” He also told us that they’ve seen more interest than expected in the 64GB and white models of iPhone 4Ss, which might be attributable to Apple fans arriving too late for smaller models and plumping for the top-of-the-range iPhone 4S.
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