The Galaxy S3 has finally been launched in 28 countries today and will be released in many more including the UK and US within the next week. Amidst one of the most popular phone launches of all time there were bound to be some hiccups though.
The Galaxy S3 is available in two colours: Marble White and Pebble Blue. Or at least it should be. While the Marble White is readily available in all markets Samsung has been experiencing a bit of a setback: there aren’t enough to go around.
Many retailers have had to stop offering the Pebble Blue S3 and send out apologies to those who had pre-ordered the phone ready for its release. People who had opted for the Marble White will not be affected and should receive their phone as normal and the white version should be available to collect in store.
Samsung has explained that the lack of Pebble Blue Galaxy S3′s has been due to the difficulty in manufacturing the materials that give the phone its colour.
Strangely, Samsung claims that it had invented an entirely new colour to use with the Pebble Blue Galaxy S3 and that this has been the cause of all the supply shortages. Despite Samsung’s boastful claims of being able to invent new colours the mostly likely cause of the delay is the “hyperglaze material” used in the phone’s finish. The official Samsung statement stated:
“Samsung’s GALAXY S III Pebble Blue version comes with a newly invented blue colour and special hyperglaze material.
“In order to meet the highest internal quality standards and to provide the best quality GALAXY S III to customers, a short supply of Pebble Blue version is expected in some regions in the next 2-3 weeks.
“Samsung is working hard to ensure that customers will get the Pebble Blue coloured devices as soon as possible.”
Prior to its launch this week the Galaxy S3 broke records as the most pre-ordered gadget of all time, racking up an impressive 10 million pre-orders. That’s more than the iPhone 4S, which previously held the record, and makes it almost certain to be the biggest selling phone of the year. Likewise, eBay has reported a phenomenal increase in the number of people listing old mobile phones on the popular auction site this week, presumably for these people to get a bit of extra cash for the new S3.
Even though the Pebble Blue S3 has been delayed the Marble White has so far not encountered any supply problems, despite the immense demand for the phone. The Pebble Blue supply problems are expected to be resolved within 2-3 weeks, according to Samsung. You can keep up to date with Galaxy S3 news on Facebook to find more information on release dates and news in your country.
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