Droid X sells out despite Verizon preparation

PC World - The Motorola Droid X is sold out online and in certain parts of the country at retail Verizon and Best Buy stores, despite Verizon Wireless' insistence on Wednesday that it would have plenty of the phones in stock.

Customers will now have to wait until July 23 if they didn't get one Thursday. That's when Verizon Wireless says it will replenish depleted supplies.

The Droid X, the latest addition to Verizon's Android family, appears to be Verizon's answer to the iPhone 4. It features a 4.3-inch display, HDMI output, an 8MP camera, and the ability to capture 720p video.

Verizon told CNET Wednesday that it had "done everything possible to ensure [they had] inventory to meet customer needs." Verizon certainly didn't want a repeat of the HTC Droid Incredible shortage, which is currently still out-of-stock and won't ship until Aug 9.

But if users log onto the Verizon Web site now to order a Droid X, they get a message that says the new phone will ship by July 23.

In an official statement to Android Central, Verizon acknowledges the shortage:

"This has been a very good day one for Droid X sales. Customers were in line at midnight in some markets, in other places there were lines when the stores opened and in other stores there has been a steady stream of customers. We have been successful at keeping up with early demand but at present inventory in some parts of the country inventory is either low or out. (It truly varies around the country.) Since we have weekly shipments planned, customers can still order phones and can expect them to be shipped on or before July 23."

So it seems that the Droid X came out ahead. After all, Verizon prepared for the worst (we assume--it didn't say how many handsets they had prepared), and the Droid X still managed to sell out. Could this success perhaps have anything to do with the recent troubles with the iPhone 4?