3G iPhone up for grabs online - or is it?

The 3G iPhone has today been made available to pre-order online from the O2 and Carphone Warehouse websites.

The smart phone device is not due to ship until 11 July but one-device-per-customer pre-orders can now be placed on the websites for delivery on that date.

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O2 said pre-ordering was available from 08:00(BST) this morning, while Carphone Warehouse had a pre-order page up at 11:00(BST). Both sites, however, have reported problems - which include prospective customers being incorrectly informed 3G iPhones are out of stock, and the sites running slower than usual.

A Carphone Warehouse spokeswoman said there had been "an issue" with its website wrongly stating all 3G iPhone models are out of stock. The retailer is not in fact out of stock of any of the 3G models, she said. Carphone Warehouse's website saw a 46 per cent increase in traffic after 11:00(BST), she added.

Meanwhile O2's site currently reports the operator is out of stock of iPhones, yet an O2 spokeswoman said she believes the 8GB version is still available. "The website is up and running. But it's a bit slow," she added.

A statement for prospective customers on O2's website reads: "Orders will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Your order may be delayed if we have stock shortages or if your order requires further security validation. Certain remote postcodes will require an additional day for delivery."

The spokeswoman said O2 had "roughly split its stock in half" - between its online stores and retail stores. There has been "unprecedented demand" for the 3G iPhone, she added.