UK iPhone Buyers Hit by Delays Amid "Phenomenal" Demand

LONDON (AFP)--Britons queuing to possess the latest iPhone faced delays in getting hold of the must-have gadget Friday after a technical glitch at manufacturer Apple's flagship London store.

Around 150 people lined up outside the flagship Apple store on London's Regent Street before it opened at 0803 (0703 GMT) although some had to leave empty-handed due to delays caused by the problems inside.

Staff at the store said the glitch had apparently been caused by the volume of people overloading the system.

Apple wasn't immediately contactable for comment on the delays but mobile phone network provider O2, its partner in the U.K. for the handset, said demand for the iPhone 3G had been "absolutely phenomenal."

Although O2 had no precise sales figures as yet, an O2 spokeswoman said it was selling around 40 handsets an hour in its London stores.

O2 is owned by Spain's Telefonica.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

Posted to the site on 12th July 2008