Are you one of the millions who are out searching for a new iPhone 3GS? Well, there are people who have been stating that they are going to stores, only to find them out of stock. In addition, the stores have differing policies on if they will hold the phones for you, and if so, for how long. In order to combat this frustration, Apple has a new iPhone app, called the "iPhone Availablity Checker."

Who watches the watchers?

In a great, self-referencing move, Apple has launched an iPhone app that watches the stock of Apples stores, to determine which ones you can get to in order to get the newer model. It is currently tracking the stock of the new phone in hundreds of its retail stores.

This application has existed in the past, but much like the iPhone itself, this one is new and improved. The old version only updated once a day, as stores closed and they did a physical inventory of their items on hand. This lead to problems, particularly on busy days, where the application was reporting wildly different numbers than were available in reality.

This year's model ties into the Apple point of sale system, and it updates in real or near-real time, based on whenever someone makes a purchase. It also currently is checking for all models of the iPhone 3GS, the 16 and 32 GB models, in black or white. Shipments also arrive at the stores every day of the week, so updates, both up and down, happen frequently.

How do you use it?

Go to the Apple site under the retail section. Select the Apple iPhone 3GS, then click check availability. Now you enter your state, and it lists all the stores, and a red circle if the stock is available, or a red square if not. There are four columns, one for each product.

How has availability been?

If you look at the app right now, the answer is, "It depends." Some states are showing stock available in all stores, some are less than half, and a few states are showing none available at all. Using the app will help you avoid disappointment.

Seems like a great way to maintain interest in the product, and reduce frustration. Then again, you can always stand in line on the first day...