O2 sells out of online iPhone pre-orders in hours

After confirming last week that it would host early hours on July 11th as the iPhone 3G launches, O2 on Monday confirmed seeing "unprecedented" demand for the device, citing sales numbers for pre-orders through its website. Pocket-lint reveals that the UK wireless carrier offered customers who pre-registered through its website the chance to purchase the iPhone on its online store, and noted that, within hours, it had completely sold out of the stock set aside for those orders.

"Though O2 had invested several million pounds to increase the order capacity of the site (with order processing capacity increased by over 250 times its normal rate), at times the site still couldn�t process the sheer weight of demand," wrote O2 in a statement to the British press.

The company states, however, that it would keep its online store current, as far as when it receives stock of the device, and will also post new arrivals on its main website. O2 says that it has not seen such demand from any other mobile device, with CEO Ronan Dunne ensuring customers it would work with Apple to see that "everyone who wants an iPhone 3G can get one."