Everyone wants a Wii or an Eee this Christmas. They're the hottest technology items in town, but there's none to be found for love nor money. If you want an iPhone, however, supplies remain plentiful.
Reliable channel sources tell us that Apple's exclusive UK operator has activated just 26,500 iPhones since its launch two weeks ago, below the company's expectations.
This doesn't reflect the true number sold - for reasons we elaborate on below - but the gross is unlikely to be significantly higher. It's far lower than first-weekend sales guesstimates of 100,000, a figure reprinted by tabloid and broadsheet alike. The UK market has around 25m households; 26,500 is around the capacity of Fulham's Craven Cottage, or Wigan's JJB Stadium.
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