Jamie Sturgeon, Financial Post Published: Friday, July 11, 2008
Mark Blinch/ReutersJordon Brown, the first buyer of the new Apple iPhone 3G in Toronto, shows off his phone July 11, 2008.
TORONTO -- Rogers Wireless Inc. literally rolled out the red carpet for the next-generation iPhone 3G Friday, as Apple Inc.'s latest wonder device was launched in Canada as well as over 20 other countries around the world.
In Toronto, a throng of about two hundred customers -- dozens of whom had been camped there since Thursday evening -- wrapped itself around the corner at a downtown Rogers outlet as new and old subscribers jostled to be the first in this city to get their hands on the coveted piece of technological and marketing wizardry.
Surrounded by media, Jordon Brown, a 16-year-old high school student, was first in line on the red carpet laid before the store's entrance.
"I've been waiting for this phone for a long time now," Mr. Brown, who had been at the store near Yonge and Dundas Square since 4 p.m. Thursday, said.
"Standing outside for one day is nothing."
Such was the case in front of cellphone outlets across the country Friday, where supplies of the wireless phone and media player were easily outstripped by demand.
By mid-morning, heavily-stocked Rogers Plus stores in Halifax and Ottawa had run out. The two Plus outlets in Montreal soon followed suit.
"It's definitely going to sell out across the country," said Rogers chief marketing officer John Boynton in an interview shortly after the doors opened in Toronto. "And we had a lot of inventory."
Rogers said it girded over 1,000 retail outlets and authorized dealers with the device, which boasts between three- and five-times faster Internet service as well as access to new third-party software.
However, some stores like Rogers Video Plus in Aurora, Ont., 45 minutes north of Toronto had but half a dozen for sale.
"People were arriving and were told there was only six," said 32-year-old Web developer Brandon Hill, who was third in a line of about 15 people.
"When I got in there, someone said there was eight, but as far as I know there was just six."
Unsatisfied demand wasn't the only problem to plague the telecom and wireless giant Friday. The crush of new subscribers temporarily crashed Rogers' system in the morning and resulted in slower activation service in some areas throughout the day.
Rogers, Apple's authorized provider in Canada, wouldn't say how many 3Gs, which retail for $199 for an 8-gigabyte model or $299 for the 16-gigabyte version, had been delivered to Canada. Worldwide though, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company projects sales to exceed 10 million by the end of the year.
An RBC Capital Markets report Friday said initially short inventory as well as some consumer backlash from higher-than-expected plan prices could be a concern.
"Limited stock may frustrate buyers," RBC analyst Mike Abramsky wrote in a note to clients, but added, "carriers, not Apple are likely to face ire on service plans or activation."
jasturgeon@nationalpost.com
Financial Post, with files from Canwest News Service, Reuters
L'iPhone 3G est disponible dans 21 pays ceux en bleue et vert foncé ; les pays en vert clair auront l'iPhone 3G bientôt disponible.
 Le nouvel iPhone 3G est sorti vendredi dans 21 pays, mais cette première journée de vente a été marquée par des problèmes de synchronisation de l'appareil avec iTunes.

Un porte-parole de l'opérateur télécom AT&T a déclaré qu'Apple travaillait à résoudre le problème mais qu'il s'est refusé à donner un délai. , a-t-il dit à propos des délais de résolution.

An Apple iPhone
Apple Store de l'Avenue Palo Alto en Californie en juin 2007.

CBC News trouve excessif le prix des services de base de l'iPhone, dont en Italie pour Vodafone vend l'iPhone à 499€ de 8Go dont le forfait est de 180 € par mois soit 2160 € par an cela en fait le forfait le plus cher pour les iPhones dans le monde suivi par le Canada avec un peu plus de 1368 €. Swisscom dont le service est le moins cher avec un peu moins de 62 € par mois.