CSL: High iPhone 4 Demand In Hong Kong Causing Delivery Challenges

BEIJING -(Dow Jones)- Telstra Corp.'s (TLS.AU) Hong Kong unit, CSL Ltd., said Thursday it is facing challenges delivering Apple Inc.'s AAPL iPhone 4 due to "overwhelmingly high demand" less than one week after it started offering the phone, in a new sign of a shortage of the popular handsets. Apple said in June the iPhone 4 had been the company's most successful product launch after it sold 1.7 million units in three days, but high demand for the phones has made it more difficult for some customers to buy them. The approximate lead time for iPhone delivery by CSL's 1O1O and one2free outlets will be up to three weeks from the date of advance payment, the Hong Kong firm said. CSL last week said it sold all of its iPhone 4 handsets early Friday morning after starting sales at midnight, and that the next shipment was due at the end of the following week. "More iPhones will be available soon and customers should check back with their local store or online for updates on availability," said Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu in Beijing, declining to comment further. High demand for the iPhone 4 in late June led U.S. carrier AT&T Inc. T to stop taking new orders on the first day of preorders, citing processing problems. To read the rest, head over to TheStreet.com