Vodafone has sold out its first shipment of the new iPhone 3G.
Controversial pricing plans for the phone, which went on sale in New Zealand before other countries at midnight last Thursday, did not put off thousands who paid up to $1129 to be among the first toget their hands on the desirable device.
Vodafone spokesman Paul Brislen would not reveal exactly how many handsets were sold, but said it was "in the thousands."
A delay was expected between when the stock ran out and when Vodafone was able to resupply the iPhone 3G, but Brislen says a "surprise shipment" has arrived and shop shelves are now being replenished to meet strong demand.
"We were literally down to one store," he told nzherald.co.nz this morning.
"But the box has arrived, which we weren't expecting, so the good news is that stores will be resupplied today - it's happening as we speak."
In order to buy an 8GB iPhone for the much-hyped $199, consumers must sign on to a two-year deal at $250 per month. There are several other plans with different pricing structures.
Apple announced on Tuesday that it had sold a massive one million iPhone 3G handsets in three days - it took 74 days to reach that milestone with the release of the first iPhone, which launched just over a year ago.
It has sold about six million generation-one iPhones, and intends to sell 10 million worldwide by the end of this year.
The phone, which combines a high-end MP3/video player, internet device and cellphone, is now available in 21 countries. It goes on sale in France today.
