(image: Samsung Electronics)
SEOUL, Apr. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — A continuing supply shortage of the latest smartphone made by Samsung Electronics Co. is leaving many of the early buyers in South Korea without a new phone in their hands, as the tech giant has failed to predict demand and ready stock in time, industry sources said Saturday.
Samsung began to receive preorders for its new Galaxy S8 series from April 7, which it had promised to deliver to the customers within the next 11 days for registration with local mobile carriers.
But as the preorders surpassed the record 1 million mark, Samsung saw its stock run out fast, unable to provide the handsets in time, along with other promotional gifts it said will be given especially to the early buyers.
Samsung said late Saturday it will extend the deadline for the registration of the preordered 64 GB Galaxy S8 and its variant Galaxy S8 Plus, citing “an imbalance of inventories by color or model at retail stores.”
“We have extended the registration period of the two models till April 30, from the initially planned 24th,” a Samsung official said.
This is the second time Samsung has extended the deadline for its latest premium Galaxy lineup. Early last week, the smartphone maker announced an extension for the registration of the 128 GB Galaxy S8 Plus, apparently due to tight supply.
According to mobile phone vendors, they are short of the Midnight Black models, while the Orchid Gray ones are also in tight supply.
Industry watchers raised the specter that such a supply shortage may result in an awkward situation where the early buyers get their new Galaxy phones later than the customers who bought the new Samsung smartphones after the official April 21 release.
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 has recorded a 1.04 million units for the preorder sale, of which some 400,000 units have been registered with local mobile carriers so far.
The Galaxy S8 series, featuring displays that bend at both edges and a smart voice assistant program, is considered Samsung’s most ambitious invention seeking to reclaim its edge in the handset business after the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 phablet gave the company a major setback due to battery problems.
(Yonhap)
