According to Apple's phone locator (monitored by Engadget), retail locations in only two cities -- Pittsburgh and Tigard, Ore. -- had any iPhones left before the start of business today; every other shop is clean out. The reduced availability has not done much for after-market prices, however. On eBay and Craigslist, you can pick up an 8 GB iPhone for as little as $650 -- just a bit above Apple's $599 price tag.
Perhaps the (relatively) low prices reflect slightly shrinking demand; with likely a million iPhones sold so far, anyone willing to pay a premium to get it ASAP -- as opposed to waiting for more to come in at Apple Stores -- probably already has one already. And supply, too, might not be truly limited. Engadget reports that retail stores may receive new stock as soon as this weekend. Plus, you can still get an iPhone from Apple's Web site. You've just got to wait a couple of weeks or more for shipping.
So, right. The phone's sold out. But that doesn't mean you can't easily get one.
The world in the iPod
The microchip that runs Apple's popular music player is made in India, Taiwan, China and Silicon Valley. Is this an example of how globalization works to everyone's benefit -- or a sign that the world economy is about to roll over America?
By Andrew Leonard, Salon
iLove it or iHate it
Is Apple's new blue bombshell a hit or a dud?
By Janelle Brown and Scott Rosenberg, Salon
An end to the Apple turnover
Steve Jobs accepts the inevitable -- and embraces the CEO title.
By Lydia Lee, Salon
Steve Jobs' iTunes dance
Now the Apple CEO says he would gladly sell songs without digital restrictions, if the record companies let him. That's hardly a brave defiance, and besides, I don't believe him.
By Cory Doctorow, Salon
Apple's iTunes sells 5 billion songs, but you don't own them
Why DRM means your music isn't really yours.
By Farhad Manjoo, Salon
Steve Jobs’ 2009 letter to the community about his health.
Terse and obfuscatory, this thing is Jobs all over.
Apple's obsession with secrecy grows stronger
Apple’s decision to limit communication with the media, shareholders and the public is at odds with the approach of other companies, which are embracing online outlets like blogs and Twitter.
By Brad Stone and Ashlee Vance, The New York Times
The Untold Story: How the iPhone blew Up the wireless industry
This 4.8-ounce sliver of glass and aluminum is an explosive device that has forever changed the mobile-phone business.
By Fred Vogelstein, Wired
A list of Steve Jobs' best quotes
An example: "The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament."
By Owen Linzmayer, Wired
The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs
Fake Steve Jobs tells all in this hilarious and often informative act of fraudulent auto-blography.
Apple Announces New iPhone OS 3.1 at Keynote
Good Vibrations Sold Everywhere