14 DAY TRIAL // Slated for an April 1st release in the UK, the highly anticipated Sony Ericsson Xperia Play might experience shipping delays, as the manufacturer has recently confirmed.
However, despite both Vodafone UK and O2 telling their customers that the smartphone will not be available as planned due to supply reasons and software bugs respectively, Sony Ericsson stated that Xperia Play is still on track for delivery tomorrow.
“We can confirm that the Xperia Play handsets are still planned to launch in the UK for April 1st, as originally communicated. However, as of today, we have experienced a freight issue that may impact the number of Xperia PLAYs arriving at some retail outlets. This said, consumers can purchase Xperia PLAY as of April 1st at a number of stores across the UK,” Sony Ericsson's statement reads.
The rumors of a possible delay of the Android-based smartphone emerged as soon as several customers who pre-ordered the Xperia Play received a notification from Vodafone UK, in which they were informed that their pre-orders might not arrive on schedule.
“Sony Ericsson has advised us that it will not be able to supply the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Arc devices to meet their original launch date of 1 April. Unfortunately, this means there will be a small delay before pre-order customers receive their orders and the device is made available for sale in our shops.
We’re working closely with Sony Ericsson to ensure our customers’ phones are delivered as soon as possible and we will contact people directly with specific timescales when we know more.
We appreciate this is disappointing and are doing our very best to resolve this as quickly as possible.”
Even though Sony Ericsson admitted the shipping issue that will affect stock numbers at some retailers, it is not clear which of the outlets will be receiving the correct number of units.
Potential customers are advised to call and ask about the handset on launch day before making a trip to the store.