The local AT&T stores sold out of the iPhone 3G by around 9 AM. The salespeople are telling customers that they can order and pay for an iPhone today, and they will get it by “direct fulfillment”, which they explain means that the phone will show up at the store in 7-10 working days for them to pick it up. AT&T obviously has no idea what “direct fulfillment” actually means; what they’re describing is a “back order”.
I’m not willing to pay today for the privilege of waiting two weeks for the phone to arrive.
Given the feeding frenzy that occurred at the introduction of the original iPhone, I’m surprised that Apple didn’t do a better job of stocking the stores this time around. Perhaps they think that the limited supply will add to the hype and eventually generate more sales. Or perhaps they simply don’t believe that a customer that wants to buy a phone today might choose a different brand. Certainly the AT&T salespeople were quick to recommend other phones that they actually have in stock.