Buying an iPhone 3G gets a little easier

Getting an iPhone 3G got a little easier this weekend:

If you’re still waiting to pick up your iPhone 3G, then the Apple store may be making your job a little easier.

According to an announcement on the iPhone availability page on Apple’s website, some Apple stores that typically open at 10am will now open at 8am to accommodate for iPhone customers. The stores are also reportedly adding new staff to deal with the demand for the phones. Since all iPhones have to be activated in the store iPhone lines are often several hours long, additional staff and hours should help to ease that strain at the stores at least a little bit.

Some stores are also reportedly holding iPhones for customers who get in line and then have to leave for some reason (like going to work) and can’t wait to have their phones activated. In order to hold an iPhone you would still have to go to the store, and pre-qualify for a phone, but afterwards the store could hold a model for you up to 6pm.

iPhone availability is also still an issue for many potential iPhone owners. If your iPhone problems stem from not even being able to find an available iPhone rather than waiting in line for one, then TopMuffin has created the perfect site for you.

TopMuffin’s site checks iPhone availability every 15 minutes at all Apple stores throughout the United States. The site gives you basic information about how many iPhones are available at particular Apple stores in your area, and as an extra bonus also gives out information about the general availability of each color and size of the phone. For instance this morning 8 of the 190 iPhone stores have no 3G iPhone available (4%). 59% have the 8GB, 94% have the white 16GB model, and 72% have the black 16GB available.

While the site is a neat idea, it’s probably still a good idea to confirm availability with your local store via telephone before heading out to pick up your new phone.

The stats on the site are pretty interesting. Before the iPhone 3G was released there seemed to be a lot of people interested in the white iPhone option. Now that the phones have hit the market it’s interesting that 94% of stores still have the white version available, where as only 72% have the black option available for buyers.

Even more interesting is that there seem to be substantially more 16GB versions of the handset available than 8GB versions. You would think with a 16GB option available buyers would tend to purchase the larger size.

The stats on TopMuffin don’t indicate quantities, just that A phone meeting that description is at the store. While 94% of the stores may have white iPhones available, they could potentially only have a single handset.

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