Apple may be in a similar boat when selling outside of the US
The items are not really imported as such.
They are simply built to deliver for UK (or wherever) sale.
If they were "imported" from the US to somewhere else, they would be far more expensive, as with your chocolates.
Most international companies don't want to adjust prices on products to match their home country sales prices. You want to do that then buy/sell currency on the open market.
It would drive the finance people crazy and be an accounting nightmare.
They are simply built to deliver for UK (or wherever) sale.
If they were "imported" from the US to somewhere else, they would be far more expensive, as with your chocolates.
Most international companies don't want to adjust prices on products to match their home country sales prices. You want to do that then buy/sell currency on the open market.
It would drive the finance people crazy and be an accounting nightmare.
Precisely. Even more importantly, goods are priced for the market where they sell, not abroad and converted to local currencies. I've never quite understood why anyone would expect goods to automatically drop in price simply because their local currency strengthened. If this happened, the result would be deflation -- which itself is very bad news. So be grateful that it doesn't work this way, and if you want to enjoy your strong local currency, stop griping and get your fanny on a airplane.
The fact that Apple only offered the same $101 off high end models that they did on entry level ones might have had some effect. I think there's an expectation that a "sale" will offer a percentage discount, not a flat one per transaction. 4% off is hardly worth getting out of bed for.
The rush of sales that accompanied the release of the new models in October probably left very few people with both the desire and funding for a new Mac. Why wait 4-6 weeks for what you know is going to be a lame discount when you can get that new machine home and start using it?
Apple has a business model that employs retail stores for showcasing product and taking orders. There is no expectation that anything bigger than an iPod is going to physically walk out of a retail store.
Finally the online resellers offered much better Black Friday deals so while Apple's own retail sales may have been somewhat weaker than some analyst expected, the amount of product moved by the channel could have been very significant.
ZDnet has an blog article comparing the "analysis" done by Munster with that done by Whitmore. Munster spent 9 hours in 3 stores (i.e., 3 hours in each); Whitmore analyzed the sales results of over 150 stores, including online sellers like Amazon and MacMall.
Whitmore says "Apple ... has started the holiday season well and we believe both Macs and iPhones are tracking in-line to above ... while iPods are tracking roughly in-line..."
Let's see, who to listen to? The guy who watched 3 stores? Or the group that analyzed the sales of over 150 outlets? Hmmmm...
Yeesh, I hope Munster made enough off his "research" to be able to pay for the gas he used driving to those 3 stores, cuz I'm not sure it would be worth even that!
ZDnet has an blog article comparing the "analysis" done by Munster with that done by Whitmore. Munster spent 9 hours in 3 stores (i.e., 3 hours in each); Whitmore analyzed the sales results of over 150 stores, including online sellers like Amazon and MacMall.
Whitmore says "Apple ... has started the holiday season well and we believe both Macs and iPhones are tracking in-line to above ... while iPods are tracking roughly in-line..."
Let's see, who to listen to? The guy who watched 3 stores? Or the group that analyzed the sales of over 150 outlets? Hmmmm...
Yeesh, I hope Munster made enough off his "research" to be able to pay for the gas he used driving to those 3 stores, cuz I'm not sure it would be worth even that!
As long as Munster outlines his research protocol, the investment firm he reports to, their brokers and clients are satisfied. All he is doing is trending sales based on the same protocols utilized in his previous report.
Even if Whitmore analyzed the sales results of over 300 stores, it means dick all if they weren't comparing the same stores in his previous report. And Whitmore's analysis is only of interest by his company's clients. Remember, the only people that are truly apprised of all the information within these reports are the company people that pay for them. Not AppleInsider. And that information is transposed by the brokers as part of their advise to their clients/prospects.
If you notice, Munster's historical analysis have been quite accurate. Obvious, the 3 stores that he tracks are quite representative of the whole. Until they wander from the norm, there is no need to expand the selection. True, they are only estimations. But as long as they accurately monitor the actual trend there is no real need to change.
Note that AI reported elsewhere that Munster updated his earlier report with information acquired on tracking on-line stores. And, lets not forget that Munster is regarded as one of the top analyst in the country.
If I am not mistaken, Munster is an analysts and like most major investment houses, he does not or can not own stock or promote the stock he researches on. At least not without a notice of 'conflict of interest', if at all.
Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said his team spent nine hours counting Mac sales in three different retail stores on the day after Thanksgiving. The firm counted an average of 8.3 Macs sold per hour, down from 13 per hour in 2008.
IT'S THE GLOSSY SCREENS I TELL YOU!!!
</>Rant
Ok , it's the economy really.
and the glossy screens
More online sales, means more savvy customers who will choose matte for sake of their eyes.
Comments
don't forgot about import taxes.
...
Apple may be in a similar boat when selling outside of the US
The items are not really imported as such.
They are simply built to deliver for UK (or wherever) sale.
If they were "imported" from the US to somewhere else, they would be far more expensive, as with your chocolates.
Most international companies don't want to adjust prices on products to match their home country sales prices. You want to do that then buy/sell currency on the open market.
It would drive the finance people crazy and be an accounting nightmare.
The items are not really imported as such.
They are simply built to deliver for UK (or wherever) sale.
If they were "imported" from the US to somewhere else, they would be far more expensive, as with your chocolates.
Most international companies don't want to adjust prices on products to match their home country sales prices. You want to do that then buy/sell currency on the open market.
It would drive the finance people crazy and be an accounting nightmare.
Precisely. Even more importantly, goods are priced for the market where they sell, not abroad and converted to local currencies. I've never quite understood why anyone would expect goods to automatically drop in price simply because their local currency strengthened. If this happened, the result would be deflation -- which itself is very bad news. So be grateful that it doesn't work this way, and if you want to enjoy your strong local currency, stop griping and get your fanny on a airplane.
The rush of sales that accompanied the release of the new models in October probably left very few people with both the desire and funding for a new Mac. Why wait 4-6 weeks for what you know is going to be a lame discount when you can get that new machine home and start using it?
Apple has a business model that employs retail stores for showcasing product and taking orders. There is no expectation that anything bigger than an iPod is going to physically walk out of a retail store.
Finally the online resellers offered much better Black Friday deals so while Apple's own retail sales may have been somewhat weaker than some analyst expected, the amount of product moved by the channel could have been very significant.
Whitmore says "Apple ... has started the holiday season well and we believe both Macs and iPhones are tracking in-line to above ... while iPods are tracking roughly in-line..."
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=27869&tag=trunk;content
Let's see, who to listen to? The guy who watched 3 stores? Or the group that analyzed the sales of over 150 outlets? Hmmmm...
Yeesh, I hope Munster made enough off his "research" to be able to pay for the gas he used driving to those 3 stores, cuz I'm not sure it would be worth even that!
ZDnet has an blog article comparing the "analysis" done by Munster with that done by Whitmore. Munster spent 9 hours in 3 stores (i.e., 3 hours in each); Whitmore analyzed the sales results of over 150 stores, including online sellers like Amazon and MacMall.
Whitmore says "Apple ... has started the holiday season well and we believe both Macs and iPhones are tracking in-line to above ... while iPods are tracking roughly in-line..."
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=27869&tag=trunk;content
Let's see, who to listen to? The guy who watched 3 stores? Or the group that analyzed the sales of over 150 outlets? Hmmmm...
Yeesh, I hope Munster made enough off his "research" to be able to pay for the gas he used driving to those 3 stores, cuz I'm not sure it would be worth even that!
As long as Munster outlines his research protocol, the investment firm he reports to, their brokers and clients are satisfied. All he is doing is trending sales based on the same protocols utilized in his previous report.
Even if Whitmore analyzed the sales results of over 300 stores, it means dick all if they weren't comparing the same stores in his previous report. And Whitmore's analysis is only of interest by his company's clients. Remember, the only people that are truly apprised of all the information within these reports are the company people that pay for them. Not AppleInsider. And that information is transposed by the brokers as part of their advise to their clients/prospects.
If you notice, Munster's historical analysis have been quite accurate. Obvious, the 3 stores that he tracks are quite representative of the whole. Until they wander from the norm, there is no need to expand the selection. True, they are only estimations. But as long as they accurately monitor the actual trend there is no real need to change.
Note that AI reported elsewhere that Munster updated his earlier report with information acquired on tracking on-line stores. And, lets not forget that Munster is regarded as one of the top analyst in the country.
If I am not mistaken, Munster is an analysts and like most major investment houses, he does not or can not own stock or promote the stock he researches on. At least not without a notice of 'conflict of interest', if at all.
Analyst Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray said his team spent nine hours counting Mac sales in three different retail stores on the day after Thanksgiving. The firm counted an average of 8.3 Macs sold per hour, down from 13 per hour in 2008.
IT'S THE GLOSSY SCREENS I TELL YOU!!!
</>Rant
Ok , it's the economy really.
and the glossy screens
More online sales, means more savvy customers who will choose matte for sake of their eyes.