iPhone 3G Shortages to Last for Weeks: Part II

If there is current an n answerless question, it is: how long will the iPhone 3G shortages last? Indeed, depending on sources, the answer varies from next week to mid-august. According to the German news website Focus.de, quoting other internal Apple sources, shortage could last till mid-October!
It is difficult to offer a clear and defined answer as it remains unknown if availability is associated to shipment of small number of units, or large refilling of distributor’s stock...
The reason might not necessarily be in Apple’s hand as the iPhone 3G is based on many different components manufactured by many different companies. The price of some components might dramatically influence Apple’s margin, as the NAND flash memory for example, as placing a large ordering would then push its price up, and reduce margins. This could explain why Apple lacks stock of the high-end model. We would not be surprise to see the price of the 8 GB model to be decreased in a near future.
While waiting to the end of the iPhone 3G shortage, Apple successfully managed to create a huge buzz around the iPhone 3G: news websites were talking about it before its release, when it was released, and even when it is out of stock...