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Although the Apple UK website continues to plug the iPhone heavily on its homepage, visitors who try and order one from the online store are met with a "currently unavailable" message.

Apple's UK partners O2 and the Carphone Warehouse ran out of 8GB iPhones at the end of last

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month. O2's website says it still has 16GB models in stock - although bizarrely the iPhone's not listed among O2's roster of models from the online shop, and can only be found by entering "iPhone" into the search box. The Carphone Warehouse website is out of stock on both models.

Apple is, of course, widely predicted to be launching a 3G iPhone imminently, although it seems unlikely that Apple would artificially choke supply in anticipation of the new model. Several reports have suggested that the iPhone has missed sales targets in the UK, making it unlikely that Apple would deliberately exacerbate the situation.

Apple is also facing renewed competition from RIM, which today announced its first 3G BlackBerry handset.