Widespread shipping delays hit iPhone 7 on eve of launch

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iPhone 7 Plus jet black
Jet black iPhone 7 will be hard to find.
Photo: Apple

With the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus scheduled to arrive in less than 24 hours, customers around the globe who preordered are being notified that their devices won’t ship on time.

The unpleasant news isn’t sitting well with these Apple fans, many of whom thought they’d get their iPhone 7 on launch day.

Customers in the U.K. who preordered the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus through wireless carriers O2 and Vodafone, as well as electronics retailer EE, received last-minute notices today that their new phones will be delayed a minimum of four days due to supply constraints.

Angry iPhone 7 customers have flocked to Twitter and company message boards to express their outrage at being momentarily shut out of owning Apple’s new flagship device.

High demand for iPhone 7, no supply

A Cult of Mac writer in the U.K. received a shipping delay notice from EE this evening as well. EE — which is the biggest electronics retailer in the U.K. — could not provide a firm date on when the delayed units will ship. There was no notice upon ordering that there might be delays.

Customers in Singapore also report that they’re being slammed with last-minute delays. Meanwhile, some U.S. customers have been notified by Apple that their orders will ship sooner than expected.

Cult of Mac reached out to Apple to find the source of the delays but received no comment.

The company revealed earlier today that stores won’t have any iPhone 7 Plus units in stock tomorrow due to high demand. Anyone hoping to buy a jet black iPhone 7 will also be out of luck.

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