Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 hits supply snags in US

Reuters: Supply issues have snarled the US rollout of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.’s latest flagship smartphone, which will go on sale at carriers Sprint and T-Mobile later than expected, the wireless service providers said on Wednesday.

Samsung attributed the disruption to unexpectedly strong demand for the Galaxy S4, the South Korean company’s direct challenge to Apple Inc’s iPhone.

“Due to overwhelming global demand of Galaxy S4, the initial supply may be limited.

We expect to fulfill inventory to meet demands in the coming weeks,” the company said in a statement.

At T-Mobile, online orders will now begin 29 April instead of Wednesday as initially planned because of “an unexpected delay with inventory deliveries”. Sprint will take online orders starting Saturday as planned, but the phone will be sold at retail outlets only as it becomes available.

AT&T, on the other hand, said everything was on track and the S4 would go on sale this Saturday as planned.

It was unclear what specific issues Samsung had encountered with the Galaxy S4 debut.

Supply shortages often plague the global launches of popular smartphones. iPhone buyers once routinely waited weeks or even months to receive their purchases.

Samsung’s ‘S’ line of smartphones spearheaded its assault against Apple in past years and was instrumental in helping the company claim top-spot in the global smartphone market.

The new S4, which sports a host of software-enabled features, is seen as stealing a headstart on what’s widely expected to be an upgraded iPhone later this year. But the phone, which Samsung has said will be available in over 150 countries by the end of April, has drawn mixed reviews so far.

The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg, a widely followed gadget impresario, said the S4 was a good phone, just not a great one.