The Samsung Galaxy S4 launch in Australia has been hit with shipping delays.
The South Korean smartphone manufacturer announced the launch of the S4 during a glitzy event on Wednesday, an event that included lighting up the famed Sydney Opera House.
During the launch event and promise of an April 27 release Samsung officials made no mention of the potential for shipment delays.
Customers did not learn of the supply shortage until they showed up at telco retail stores and read signage that explained the delay.
At the time of launch retail locations did not tell customers when they should expect new Galaxy S4 stock to arrive.
Vodafone and other telcos are still displaying Samsung Galaxy S4 signage at their locations and promising to ship those devices directly to customers upon arrival.
Samsung planned the Galaxy S4 launch for 11 countries on April 27.
The Galaxy S4 devices in Australia follow suit with the US version in which the more powerful Exynos Oct 4+4 processor is replaced with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core chipset.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 is offered contract free in Australia for $899 with 16GB RAM. In comparison the Apple iPhone 5 is $799.
Early reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S4 have been mostly positive with reviewers appreciating Samsung’s software and hardware features. Those positive reviews and Samsung’s huge marketing push have helped demand for the S4 soar.
We’ll have to wait a few months to determine if the Samsung Galaxy S4’s sales numbers are hurt by the delay. With the iPhone 5S still months away from even being announced it is likely that Samsung will continue to experience high demand for its new smartphone.
Do you think the Samsung Galaxy S4 is going to be yet another hit for Samsung?