8GB iPhone and iPod touch reach end-of-life, at least in the UK

Conspiracy theorists and Mac rumor-mongerers, start your engines. According to an internal O2 memo we've received, stock of both the 8GB iPod touch and iPhone have run their courses, and have been EOL'd (at least in the UK). The brief letter sent out yesterday evening states that, "Due to the highly successful sales of the Apple 8GB I-Phone [sic], supply chain have today run out of stock & will not be replenishing stock of this product as it has now gone to end of life." Whether this is due to the recent price cuts, the rumored upcoming 2nd generation iPhone, or just a sign that Apple is moving towards higher capacity devices is anyone's guess. All we know is that soon the 8GB iPhone -- at least in the UK -- will become as rare and precious as the Pygmy Three-toed Sloth.

[Via The Register; Thanks Callum M.]

[MeatyPi @ Apr 25th 2008 9:08AM]

3-toed sloths and 8gb iPhones? close to extinction? oh the horror!

[Chris @ Apr 25th 2008 9:08AM]

Goodbye 8GB iPhone. I waited 6 hours for you last June, and now your gone.

[achilles @ Apr 25th 2008 11:40AM]

"and now you ARE gone"

[Krishan Patel @ Apr 26th 2008 5:56AM]

"Now you're gone" works just as well

[Rich @ Apr 25th 2008 9:09AM]

Apple are losing market share, according to the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7366650.stm

That 3G iPhone can't come out fast enough...

[Saad Rabia @ Apr 25th 2008 9:59AM]

iPhone has been in the "Others" category from the time it shipped until now. I don't see anything new in that article except for the mentioned company names.

Also, I'm excited to see what will the 3G iPhone bring with it; I might buy it after all.

[ssuk @ Apr 26th 2008 3:21AM]

A non-network exclusive iPhone would help that as well. O2 fucking blows.

[Raheem @ Apr 25th 2008 9:10AM]

Holy shit this is actually quite big news. Are we gonna be able to jailbreak/unlock a 3G iPhone within the first week, like last year?

[rock99rock @ Apr 25th 2008 9:11AM]

Even if they were just moving to higher capacities, wouldn't the past show that the 8gb would move to the lower tier of capacity?

[Jack @ Apr 25th 2008 9:12AM]

I would say if anythign its because of the price cut. I went to this birthday party last week and jus about everyone was plannign of getting one. My mate could nto find any in three of the local stores and had to order online... sure seems people are buying it at an alarming rate

[jakem @ Apr 25th 2008 10:47AM]

Maybe where you are but I can't say with any certainty that I've ever seen one. I think I did once but it could have been an iPod Touch??? I live in London.

[looseinthedeuce @ Apr 25th 2008 9:13AM]

Really? You quote somebody and use the notation " (sic) " ? I guess Engadget has so many typos they want to make sure you know which ones they noticed, and which ones they did not.

[Bayard Michael @ Apr 25th 2008 9:17AM]

[sic] is for wrong spelling in the original quote

[looseinthedeuce @ Apr 25th 2008 9:20AM]

Yes....and engadget misspells things quite often. Hence, it's funny.

[Saad Rabia @ Apr 25th 2008 9:52AM]

Stop it. please.

[Bayard Michael @ Apr 25th 2008 9:17AM]

awsome usage of Pygmy Three-toed Sloth, kudos.

[Zouz @ Apr 25th 2008 9:22AM]

I want to buy one, do I have to wait for the 2nd generation ?

When will Jobs show the new one ? In June ?

[toxicpiano @ Apr 25th 2008 9:39AM]

As I understand it, o2 has said that 'all the people who now have an iphone are the ones who wanted it'. That's why the price was cut and assumably they can't shift that stock so they have decided to stop selling

[Saad Rabia @ Apr 25th 2008 9:58AM]

iPhone has been in the "Others" category from the time it shipped until now. I don't see anything new in that article except for the mentioned company names.

Also, I'm excited to see what will the 3G iPhone bring with it; I might buy it after all.

[shaun @ Apr 25th 2008 10:04AM]

Remember not even a year ago when we were gearing up for the US release and the 8GB model was the higher capacity one. It just goes to show

[Nayf @ Apr 25th 2008 10:17AM]

Hands up if you felt the need to Google "Pygmy Three-toed Sloth" just then...

[Michael @ Apr 25th 2008 10:27AM]

What I'd like to know and so far haven't seen talked about, is whether the 3G iPhone's rate plans are going to cost more, or if the early-adopters get hosed and pay the same for slower data.

[GreezyG @ Apr 25th 2008 11:10AM]

Ok.. this sounds like high school....BUT.....

My friend's sister-in-law works for Apple. They had a meeting monday and it was said a new Iphone will deffinatley be announced at WWDC. Take it for what it's worth.. but we all know its coming out anyways.

[BlowURmindBowel @ Apr 25th 2008 11:11AM]

1- Sell a wildly popular device that doesn't have to stand on the merits of its hardware alone.

2- Stop production of said device, release upgraded version ASAP.

3- 2x Profit!!!

[Phil Perman @ Apr 25th 2008 11:48AM]

I was out iPhone shopping in Brighton in the UK and neither of the O2 shops or the Carphone Warehouse in the city center had any stock. The guy in one of the O2 stores said a shipment of 8gig models had just arrived in the depo and would be at the store by Wednesday. So it seems there is still some stock around, its just going to be a challenge to find it

[striggity @ Apr 25th 2008 11:54AM]

the "Oh, Bai" caption never ceases to amuse me. :D

[richard knights @ Apr 25th 2008 12:15PM]

Plenty of Archos devices about still...

[Steffen Jobbs @ Apr 25th 2008 12:29PM]

The 2.5G iPhone is dead. Long live the 3G iPhone (estimated life span, one year). I'm a bit surprised about them saying that the iPhone was a big seller in the UK. I'd heard that those people thought it wasn't worth the money to buy a handset that expensive when they could get another handset for one-third the price.

Some rumors tell of the 3G iPhone being released in Italy at the end of May. Good for those Eye-talians to be the first.

[chris @ Apr 25th 2008 3:18PM]

shouldn't that be iTalians?
just wondering.
~c

[EagerDragon @ Apr 25th 2008 12:39PM]

Please update with the stock levels for the 16Gig version. We need to figure out if Apple is realeasing the 3G or just clearing the 8Gib version. 16 Gig inventory levels should allow us t determine that

[clarke78 @ Apr 25th 2008 2:14PM]

This is wonderful. Theres already a 3g iphone on the way, 8gig iphones arnt even going to be selling anymore and Canada still doesn't have legal service for the thing.

I want a legit iphone and service in Canada ASAP Apple!! Quit dinking around with new gadgets until you've gotten your product out to this HUUUUGE market.

*cries* I'm happy for the rest of you... at least you will be getting upgrades..

[ibanlarr @ Apr 25th 2008 3:23PM]

switch to a mac reported a few days ago that Apple will release the 3G iPhone in May. Worth a read in my view:

http://switchtoamac.com/site/3g-iphone-in-may-new-mobile-device-at-wwdc-2008.html

With the 8GB model now EOL in the UK, Apple is sure to upgrade the iPhone soon.

[The Full English Pleas!!! @ Apr 25th 2008 6:18PM]

I Think it is safe to say that 90% of the phone was bought by box breakers.

Organized people that buy the phone, unlock it then send abroad to sell for profit.

We sold 40 in one week, when prior to the price reduction we sold 14 in 3 months

[The full English Please!! @ Apr 25th 2008 6:20PM]

Your comment:


I Think it is safe to say that 90% of the phone was bought by box
breakers.

Organized people that buy the phone, unlock it then send abroad to
sell for profit.

We sold 40 in one week, when prior to the price reduction we sold 14
in 3 months

[BlackBird @ Apr 25th 2008 7:13PM]

Eh, i dont think this is a huge deal. The edge 8GB iphone was on its way out anyway (assuming the 3G is real), so now maybe they are just stopping production on them and starting it up on the 3G iphone! Ive had my 8GB for a while and as my itunes library grows realize that more space might be nice...

[James Pope @ Apr 25th 2008 9:39PM]

Hopefully Australia will be one of the first to get the 3G iPhone. I think I read somewhere it was coming.. cant remember: anyway some more indications of this:

We have no (official) release yet!
We have nationwide 850mhz HSDPA network (Telstra NextG)

ok.. i ran out of reasons after that :)

[KLanD @ Apr 26th 2008 10:35AM]

"Due to the highly successful sales of the Apple 8GB I-Phone [sic], supply chain have today run out of stock & will not be replenishing stock of this product as it has now gone to end of life"

Wow.. that makes a whole lot of sense.. just like most of Apple's buisness practices.

If it's popular, keep it rolling man! release your new gear, then phase out the old. Come on Apple.. get with the program.

I think the Ipod touch is a decent product (overpriced, but decent), having said that I also believe the Iphone is a POS and can't fathom why anyone would buy one when there are so many better products on the market.

Hell my old LG 535 can do everything the Iphone can do (and more) except the touchscreen.

[ronnie jones @ Apr 26th 2008 12:19PM]

that's funny because i work at an ATT retail locations and we ran out of iphones for the first time since release. my managers can not figure out why they were not automatically shipped like they usually are. we typically recieved shipments weekly to assure that there would never be a shortgage.

[Stephen @ Apr 26th 2008 1:31PM]

yeah, because when everyone is buying your product thats the time to pull the plug. do they think we're morons??? well, the Euros will believe anything they hear anyway (Bush, Iraq War anyone??)

[Patrick @ Apr 27th 2008 3:10AM]

do you guys actually have the iphone or do you just like talking about it?

[Happyhow @ Jun 25th 2008 5:48PM]

Just bumped into this "news". Who cares?

I only have an 8 Gig iPod Touch...but...I dop not intend to buy a new one until it's bigger and lighter. So for now, the 8Gig is just fine.
____________________________________________________________
++ I e-mail the world from hot-spots
++ I store my private docs and photos on an iDisk
++ I Skype phone / message from&to landlines
++ I do not need MobileMe, GPS, or mobile-data at sky-hi rates.

For those who have the bucks the iPhone or iTouch are terrific devices -- but you can get buy with 8 gig's, and you do not have to carry 4 movies everywhere you go. Do you !?.

YOU WILL drop it -- so get a shock-case.

[Dan @ Jul 19th 2008 2:50AM]

Hello guys, just wanted to give you all a tiny bit of insight. Family friend was brought in as an engineer at Santa Jobs secret work shop, and said that he's had his hands all over the new phone, though specs were not given...it sounds like it's two months from coming out, and after playing with it for a while he's completely over his 1st gen that was given to him.