What's causing the Droid X and HTC EVO to be out of stock?

Some users of the Droid X have been complaining about flickering displays and now it seems that Verizon and Motorola are admitting to a defect.

According to Engadget, Motorola has resolved the issue and is continuing to ship phones. The company is also encouraging affected users to contact Motorola support or Verizon Wireless.

As my colleague, Rachel, points out, admitting to the issue is a lot easier than throwing a press conference to discuss the issue.

In all seriousness, what's going on with all of these issues with phones? First we have a stock shortage on the HTC EVO, HTC Incredible, and iPhone 4, and now we have defects on the Droid X, and debatably, on the iPhone 4? Are we dealing with parts shortages, or are companies just having a hard time keeping up with demand? And if so, are companies now rushing product out the door, and as a result, shipping with defects?

It used to be that people would stay away from the first generation of new tech to avoid dealing with defects. Early adopters, on the other hand, were always aware of the risk. With new tech popping out so quick, though, I think that more people are willing to be the early adopter. However, it seems like those same people aren't used to dealing with the defects that come along with adopting the first run.

The latest check of Verizon Wireless' website shows the Droid X shipping by August 3rd. That means that the hottest phones are now all out of stock. Perhaps Verizon and Motorola are purposely holding back stock to fix the Droid X issue?

It will be interesting to see which phone becomes the hottest next, with all of the hot phones being out of stock now.