Though the iPhone 8 doesn’t officially exist yet, the hype and excitement surrounding the device is perhaps greater than what we’ve seen for any previous iPhone release. Still, it may be quite a while before you’ll be able to get your hands on Apple’s next-gen smartphone. Even in a best case scenario where the iPhone 8 launches in September, initial supply of the device is said to be extremely limited, which is to say that early reservation holders might have to wait until November before actually receiving it.
With the iPhone 8 release looming, 9to5Mac reports that carriers are already making preparations for what will likely be a chaotic launch. Earlier this week, Germany’s Telekom put up a new page on its website which allows users to secure a spot in a queue to order smartphones that haven’t been released or even announced yet.
The page reads in part:
Now you can secure your reservation service ticket online. Once manufacturers such as Samsung, Apple, Huawei, etc. present their latest smartphones, we invite you actively to redeem your ticket. In this way, you automatically benefit from a preferred delivery.
As illustrated above, the program isn’t exclusive to the iPhone, but given the high demand and limited availability that typically accompanies a new iPhone release, we have to imagine that Telekom’s reservation option will be mostly populated by eager iPhone 8 owners.
Not surprisingly, the reservation queue can only be used by new subscribers or existing subscribers willing to sign up for a new plan. Still, if you’re a Telekom subscriber and want to get the iPhone 8 as soon as possible, it’s certainly worth looking into.
Now as for when the iPhone 8 release might actually become a reality, that remains the million dollar question. Though we’ve seen a number of reports claiming that the iPhone 8 launch might be pushed back to October or even November, more recent rumblings from the rumor mill suggest that the device will launch alongside the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus this fall, albeit in limited quantities. Specifically, initial supply of the iPhone 8 may be in the 3-5 million range for the quarter. As a point of reference, the cumulative number of sales the iPhone 6 enjoyed during its first three days of availability checked in at 10 million.
