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Was at the Apple store at the Northridge Mall in CA this past weekend and there was still a line outside the store for the iPhone, so I say the shopping mania is not over yet.

It doesn't seem to occur to you that maybe Apple produced fewer white models than black and that's why they are running out of them...

@itsmenyc
No, that's why I said it was curious given that launch day sellouts -- for me at least -- were all the black versions of the phones.

the tracking does not account for the line outside the door waiting to "claim" every last phone inside the store.
When I got my 3G last yr...I got the last backup phone (they kept 2 spare in store just in case people in front of you got phone "activation problem").
There was still a line behind me that had waited for hours...
people were pissed and I don't think those people will come back ever to buy apple product since they were told there is inventory by different employees multiple times and also phone was shown as "Available" online...
well...until one guy comes out and said "that's it...no more"...people were really pissed...
that's more not making enough inventory..
you gain people for the hype and you lose customer that got pissed waiting.
BTW...the store employee were all confused...since shipments comes in odd time...

@andyoo
I, myself, am curious as to how often Apple updates the online tracker -- are we talking about a real-time feed here? Something that's updated once a day as stores close? etc.

TheMurph said:

Not to mention how quickly that inventory left could sell out between the time you check before you leave home and the time you get to the store.

The only way people could "know" that there is enough is if the Apple Store knew the number of phones they had and then handed out numbers to those standing in line and then when they reached the number beyond what they had in the store told the people beyond that number that unless someone ahead of them left the line, there would not be enough phones for those above a certain number.

All of it is a BIG reason why I will never go wait in line...big waste of time for something that you can likely get with ease in a couple weeks.