Google's latest Nexus 4 smartphone have met with an overwhelming response and are flying off the shelves like hot cakes. Now, per reports, the demand for the Nexus 4 is so high that Google is sending out e-mails stating that the smartphone is on backorder and will be shipped "within three weeks."

Earlier, Google had announced that it would ship its Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 devices from Nov.13, and in a first for the company there would be no pre-orders.

On Nov. 13, once the Nexus 4 was available to order, Google sold out  the LG-made smartphone within an hour in the UK and the U.S. Now, it seems that Google oversold the Nexus 4 and buyers who had ordered the device (and were given a shipment date of just a few days) are receiving an e-mail from the company saying that the shipment is delayed. However, the lucky ones who bought the smartphone in the first few minutes of it being available. will receive their Nexus 4 on time.

"Thank you for your recent purchase on Google Play. Due to overwhelming demand, your Nexus 4 is on backorder and is expected to ship within three weeks. We'll send you a notification when your order has shipped and will credit the shipping charges," states the e-mail.

The news will come as a disappointment for many consumers who have purchased the Nexus 4, and are eagerly waiting to lay their hands on the device. Google is trying to salvage the situation by offering to waive off the shipping fee and giving early adopters of the device to cancel their order.

"If you would prefer to cancel your order, please reply to this email and our team will assist you. Or you can cancel your order using our online tool," notes the company per an Engadget report.

To check the status of the order, consumers can visit https://wallet.google.com/manage/#transactions.  For online support to cancel or change the order check here.

The Nexus 4 sports a 4.7-inch WXGA IPS display covered in Gorilla Glass 2. Under the hood it packs in a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2GB of RAM, 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter. It runs on the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and selling at $299(8GB) and $349 (16GB), the Nexus 4 is a steal.

Google may have sold out its initial Nexus 4 inventory; however, it hasn't disclosed the sales numbers. The search giant is yet to give an explanation as to why it continued to take orders even when the initial stock ran out.

Did you order a Nexus 4 and are receiving it or will you have to wait for it to arrive over the following weeks?