Proudest Apple ][ moment might have been a day that a substitute was in our computer class. We had a typing program written in BASIC and you could just send an interrupt and modify the code. I changed it so that you only had to hit one button to move to the next letter and increase your score, added an intro that said, "This game sucks," and then saved it to the disk.
Yeah, the Apple ][ was a great machine. A lot of people's first introduction to Apple was through that machine.
Even back then I noticed the difference between using that machine and the machines made by others. I don't know exactly what it was, and I can't describe it fully, but it was like using a Xoom compared to an iPad2. Everything just felt better on it.
Will Apple's grip on this segment of devices remain as strong as the iPod on music players? The Zune is the latest device to succumb to the iPod. The latest generation of iPad wannabes are already out performed by the iPad 2.
The iPhone is certainly a different story though and shows Apple can't dominate that fast paced market for long.
My hopes for the iPod Touch are a 4" screen version this coming fall. That would take the iPod up a notch and quiet those seeking a smaller iPad.
Artificial supply shortage to drive demand - lineups and mass impulse buying expedited.
How do you drive a market to covet your product - tell them it's in limited supply.
This tactic is routine in a lot of business. People want what they can't have.
Nowhere is this practiced more then in the tech industry.
Also a great way to determine and monitor market demand.
Could this be the case here? The timing of the international release is interesting. It's different from their iPhone strategy, but that may be because of carriers.
This is not true, at least not anymore. If you sell something which do you prefer? Getting the money now or later. If you constraint supply not only you risk turning people away due to wait time but also you'll lose the constant stream of income you would otherwise get by fulfilling orders. The truth is Apple sell hot cake products, new and old users like it and want it. Simples.
The only people who wants thing they can't have is people with OCD issues - not the one you think people would OCD normally have like doing things or routine repeatedly but just like hoarding, it is obsessive, compulsive and unnecessary. I'm not saying that it is a horrible disease to have or people who do that will necessarily be diagnosed with it, I'm just saying what you said is just an assumption.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomlawler
The iPad demand is found outside the US, right? Apple knows this, right? Constrained shipments in the US are for a reason...the launch of this year's iPad outside the US will go on as planned.\
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bageljoey
Having to wait is one thing, having people line up for hours to be disappointed is another. No doubt, the iPad is a hit and it will sell millions. I just worry about the Apple brand. My belief (and I know many don't agree) is that in small doses these shortages drive excitement, but if they are too frequent I worry about engendering resentment. People (at least in America) want to root for the underdog but all too often they like to see the big guy brought low.
Apple isn't the little guy anymore!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SDDave
Am I the only one who believes this product shortage reflects badly on Tim Cook, the Apple COO?
How many consecutive Apple product launches have involved shortages? That's revenue not collected. Why do they consistently under-produce?
Those Chinese people are making them ipad 2 as fast as they can with the 10 fingers they have. Spare some thought for them with their low wages. Before anybody start, wages are determined by their immediate employer ie the factory and not the client like Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by digitalclips
I had to read this several times to get the joke (I knew there had to be one). Hailing from England originally, I simply didn't see the spelling! I am truly dual lingual now, I can't spell in either US or Brit English equally!
Ha ha so true that. The correct way should get it first.
Where are the sea pirates when you want them to re-route the ships, eh?
Apple should sell as much as it can as fast as they can. I really wish they would've shipped at least 3-4 million Ipads to stores for the opening weekend launch. People will line up for Ipads
And you would have been OK with the launch being pushed back 2 months so that such production could be made to happen?
Will Apple's grip on this segment of devices remain as strong as the iPod on music players? The Zune is the latest device to succumb to the iPod. The latest generation of iPad wannabes are already out performed by the iPad 2.
The iPhone is certainly a different story though and shows Apple can't dominate that fast paced market for long.
My hopes for the iPod Touch are a 4" screen version this coming fall. That would take the iPod up a notch and quiet those seeking a smaller iPad.
I see two main differences in the phone market that don't apply to the PMP or tablet markets:
#1 In the phone market there are carriers between the consumer and manufacturer. In addition, there are subsidies and contracts muddling things. Some of the Apple experience is lost in this scenario.
#2There were already well established manufacturers in the phone market with plenty of experience and the ability to take advantage of economies of scale.
*In the PMP/iPod arena, the market was nascent before the iPod and no one ever got going. Apple entered the market, took the lead and no one even came close to touching them. By the time the big competitors figured out how important the market could be (Microsoft) it was too late for them to make a relevant play.
*In the Tablet arena the market was even less than nascent. The existing offerings were so off track from what people wanted that they effectively ceased to exist when the iPad was introduced. It has taken a year for them figure out what was happening and get a first generation placeholder onto the market! Here the big difference from the iPod story is that EVERYBODY sees how important this market is going to be. The big guns will keep hammering away on tablets--they have to. I think Apple has the right idea--keeping prices very low, quality high and introducing a second generation fast. If Apple gets millions more in the lead and gets iPad 3 out before something popular (outside of the geek/spec-hound circles) challenges them, they might be able to lock the market up for a while!
They should continue with the international launch as planned, but don't give the foreigners too many iPads. Make them wait in long lines, just like everybody else has to do here in the US.
One guy in France did even better: he flew to New York, waited in line at the Apple Store in SoHo, got his iPad 2, then got back on a plane and flew back to France. True story: http://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainme...ad-2/38465.htm
And you would have been OK with the launch being pushed back 2 months so that such production could be made to happen?
Hopefully they can ramp up faster than that. They are going to need to get to a few million a month to keep up with demand this year!
Just curious, though, if they did have to launch a month later (assuming that they decided before they announced anything so no "delay" would have to be admitted) what would the damage to Apple have been if they did this?
They still would have been coming in inside a year on the refresh and the original was still selling (I know 3 people who bought iPads in the month before iPad 2 was announced).
They have no competition yet! Are you worried that the Xoom would have taken off without the iPad 2 to block it? Are RIM and HP ready to ship?
Hopefully they can ramp up faster than that. They are going to need to get to a few million a month to keep up with demand this year!
Just curious, though, if they did have to launch a month later (assuming that they decided before they announced anything so no "delay" would have to be admitted) what would the damage to Apple have been if they did this?
They still would have been coming in inside a year on the refresh and the original was still selling (I know 3 people who bought iPads in the month before iPad 2 was announced).
They have no competition yet! Are you worried that the Xoom would have taken off without the iPad 2 to block it? Are RIM and HP ready to ship?
The original would not have been selling, because they are OUT of it. Capacity was switched from one to the other, so no, there would have been zero iPad sales for that 4-6 weeks. And yes, when you can't send a product to market, some people will buy the competition. Or do you think that Droid on Verizon didn't hurt Apple in a real, long term way?
They also would have suffered damage to their reputation, because despite all the whining here, long lines of people desperate to buy your product is good for Apple's reputation. That assume that they do catch up with demand relatively soon, of course, but yes, frantic consumers beget frantic consumers.
Could it be that the 25th is when the real date for the international launch (and prices, these are still MIA in Australia) is announced, rather than the actual release date...? Just speculating based on experience with iPad 1.
Artificial supply shortage to drive demand - lineups and mass impulse buying expedited.
How do you drive a market to covet your product - tell them it's in limited supply.
This tactic is routine in a lot of business. People want what they can't have.
Nowhere is this practiced more then in the tech industry.
Also a great way to determine and monitor market demand.
Could this be the case here? The timing of the international release is interesting. It's different from their iPhone strategy, but that may be because of carriers.
I think it's going a bit too far to claim that Apple must be holding back on production capacity, just to drive up demand. Otherwise, they would do that with something unpopular like the old G4 Cube or the first AppleTV. Besides, with the iPad 2, they don't need to. Hadn't it occurred to you that maybe consumers really want the iPad 2 and don't require manipulation to stand in line? The "limited supply" tactics you are referring to are usually reserved for "As Seen On TV" crap ("supplies are limited, so don't delay, act now; operators are standing by"). Also, there is a risk with impulse buying that if you can't fill the customer's order in the heat of "tech lust", it will cool and the buyer might think, "gee I don't really need a tablet" or "gee, maybe I can buy a cheap Dell netbook instead".
Artificial supply shortage to drive demand - lineups and mass impulse buying expedited. How do you drive a market to covet your product - tell them it's in limited supply. This tactic is routine in a lot of business. People want what they can't have.
Nowhere is this practiced more then in the tech industry.
Also a great way to determine and monitor market demand.
Could this be the case here? The timing of the international release is interesting. It's different from their iPhone strategy, but that may be because of carriers.
Apple may have purposely constrained stock in the past (more because of being very conservative with their estimates and supply, rather than purely for hype).... but maybe you can tell me how to make 5 million iPads a month and sell it globally each month in ever more countries, stocking over 300 stores each day, without running into supply issues....
If at the end of the day only 1-2 million iPads are sold each month then there are artificial constraints. If they are selling through over 4 million each month, then the only constraint is how fast they can make and sell it.
The original would not have been selling, because they are OUT of it. Capacity was switched from one to the other, so no, there would have been zero iPad sales for that 4-6 weeks. And yes, when you can't send a product to market, some people will buy the competition. Or do you think that Droid on Verizon didn't hurt Apple in a real, long term way?
Out you say? Funny, they are still for sale (new) at reduced prices through a variety of outlets--including though the Apple Store. Presumably they would not have had to discount them until the new version was ready.
But I hear you--I am not saying that having 4 million on hand at launch is the only thing to think about. Bare shelves for a month would be bad. Of course, that is what it feels like to consumers now, anyway...
In reality, if everything was pushed back a month and the original did run out it would have only been for a short while. Announce the new version and put them up for pre-order online. I doubt the anemic competition would have been able to make much hay with the hype and press that would follow Apple's intro...
Quote:
They also would have suffered damage to their reputation, because despite all the whining here, long lines of people desperate to buy your product is good for Apple's reputation. That assume that they do catch up with demand relatively soon, of course, but yes, frantic consumers beget frantic consumers.
This is really the point some people are trying to debate without descending into whining or criticism. I hope you can agree that people may differ on the long term consequences of repeated chronic shortages on new product rollouts. I will concede to you that I see that there are benefits to lines, anticipation and excitement. Will you concede that it is possible that it could also cause problems?
One guy in France did even better: he flew to New York, waited in line at the Apple Store in SoHo, got his iPad 2, then got back on a plane and flew back to France. True story: http://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainme...ad-2/38465.htm
Tell me that isn't awesome.
I'm tempted to do that to Australia from Asia. (5 hours, USD$400 return airfare). It would be awesome, except the Australian dates apparently aren't confirmed (eg. whether it's just an announcement on the 25th or will they have actual stock on the 25th etc etc).
Plus, it's kinda the same iPad, it's not like it has a Retina display or Xbox360 graphics you could hook up to a TV. I wanna get a white one but I have had a white iPhone 3GS, so...
I'm kind of bummed actually because I'm figuring out how to get into app development. The barriers to programming are higher than HTML and Flash ("with good reason", I hear some of you say).
give me an effing break. Here we go with perception used to screw with the stock.
Look, ipad 2 is a hit. I held it in my hand today at the Apple store right across the street from my house. It is awesome. But those who want it will get it. Wait!!!!!
Hell, why is it a bummer if you can't get it right right now?
Good Point . Apple is known for playing catch up with demand and that is a good thing. If there was enough around people would NOT want it as badly. Be assured that supply is arriving everyday and distribution is being made.
As for the international launch, most likely it will go off on time as anything else would signal a supply bottleneck. However how much supply will be delegated overseas remains to be seen.
I hope you can agree that people may differ on the long term consequences of repeated chronic shortages on new product rollouts. I will concede to you that I see that there are benefits to lines, anticipation and excitement. Will you concede that it is possible that it could also cause problems?
Hell yeah it is an ongoing, extremely annoying problem for everyone. In fact, it is the worst aspect of Apple, which actually means they are doing quite well ... But it can be bloody annoying for everyone, that has to be admitted. But remember some people especially in Asia, thrive on having stuff no one else has yet.
I've read in at least 3 non-tech publications that supplies may be further constrained because some components will not be as available owing to the horrible disaster in Japan.
But nothing on an Apple site.
Does anyone have any real info about this?? Or was it just the non-tech press extrapolating wild speculations out of their butts?
Comments
Proudest Apple ][ moment might have been a day that a substitute was in our computer class. We had a typing program written in BASIC and you could just send an interrupt and modify the code. I changed it so that you only had to hit one button to move to the next letter and increase your score, added an intro that said, "This game sucks," and then saved it to the disk.
Yeah, the Apple ][ was a great machine.
Even back then I noticed the difference between using that machine and the machines made by others. I don't know exactly what it was, and I can't describe it fully, but it was like using a Xoom compared to an iPad2. Everything just felt better on it.
The iPhone is certainly a different story though and shows Apple can't dominate that fast paced market for long.
My hopes for the iPod Touch are a 4" screen version this coming fall. That would take the iPod up a notch and quiet those seeking a smaller iPad.
Artificial supply shortage to drive demand - lineups and mass impulse buying expedited.
How do you drive a market to covet your product - tell them it's in limited supply.
This tactic is routine in a lot of business. People want what they can't have.
Nowhere is this practiced more then in the tech industry.
Also a great way to determine and monitor market demand.
Could this be the case here? The timing of the international release is interesting. It's different from their iPhone strategy, but that may be because of carriers.
This is not true, at least not anymore. If you sell something which do you prefer? Getting the money now or later. If you constraint supply not only you risk turning people away due to wait time but also you'll lose the constant stream of income you would otherwise get by fulfilling orders. The truth is Apple sell hot cake products, new and old users like it and want it. Simples.
The only people who wants thing they can't have is people with OCD issues - not the one you think people would OCD normally have like doing things or routine repeatedly but just like hoarding, it is obsessive, compulsive and unnecessary. I'm not saying that it is a horrible disease to have or people who do that will necessarily be diagnosed with it, I'm just saying what you said is just an assumption.
The iPad demand is found outside the US, right? Apple knows this, right? Constrained shipments in the US are for a reason...the launch of this year's iPad outside the US will go on as planned.
Having to wait is one thing, having people line up for hours to be disappointed is another. No doubt, the iPad is a hit and it will sell millions. I just worry about the Apple brand. My belief (and I know many don't agree) is that in small doses these shortages drive excitement, but if they are too frequent I worry about engendering resentment. People (at least in America) want to root for the underdog but all too often they like to see the big guy brought low.
Apple isn't the little guy anymore!
Am I the only one who believes this product shortage reflects badly on Tim Cook, the Apple COO?
How many consecutive Apple product launches have involved shortages? That's revenue not collected. Why do they consistently under-produce?
Those Chinese people are making them ipad 2 as fast as they can with the 10 fingers they have. Spare some thought for them with their low wages. Before anybody start, wages are determined by their immediate employer ie the factory and not the client like Apple.
I had to read this several times to get the joke (I knew there had to be one). Hailing from England originally, I simply didn't see the spelling! I am truly dual lingual now, I can't spell in either US or Brit English equally!
Ha ha so true that. The correct way should get it first.
Where are the sea pirates when you want them to re-route the ships, eh?
I have already book a day off for the arrival of the iPad2 in Canada please don't disappoint me.
thank you
Ottawa mac user
An international launch helps Americans get their products quicker too because it removes the market for professional scalpers.
Your logic is very poor.
200 ish Apple stores at 1000 ipads each = 200k
The Corte Madera, CA store had no more 40 iPads and 160 people in line on the release date.
I was number 118.
No shipments on Monday or Tuesday.
1,000 per store is wildly optimistic, IMHO.
Apple should sell as much as it can as fast as they can. I really wish they would've shipped at least 3-4 million Ipads to stores for the opening weekend launch. People will line up for Ipads
And you would have been OK with the launch being pushed back 2 months so that such production could be made to happen?
Will Apple's grip on this segment of devices remain as strong as the iPod on music players? The Zune is the latest device to succumb to the iPod. The latest generation of iPad wannabes are already out performed by the iPad 2.
The iPhone is certainly a different story though and shows Apple can't dominate that fast paced market for long.
My hopes for the iPod Touch are a 4" screen version this coming fall. That would take the iPod up a notch and quiet those seeking a smaller iPad.
I see two main differences in the phone market that don't apply to the PMP or tablet markets:
#1 In the phone market there are carriers between the consumer and manufacturer. In addition, there are subsidies and contracts muddling things. Some of the Apple experience is lost in this scenario.
#2There were already well established manufacturers in the phone market with plenty of experience and the ability to take advantage of economies of scale.
*In the PMP/iPod arena, the market was nascent before the iPod and no one ever got going. Apple entered the market, took the lead and no one even came close to touching them. By the time the big competitors figured out how important the market could be (Microsoft) it was too late for them to make a relevant play.
*In the Tablet arena the market was even less than nascent. The existing offerings were so off track from what people wanted that they effectively ceased to exist when the iPad was introduced. It has taken a year for them figure out what was happening and get a first generation placeholder onto the market! Here the big difference from the iPod story is that EVERYBODY sees how important this market is going to be. The big guns will keep hammering away on tablets--they have to. I think Apple has the right idea--keeping prices very low, quality high and introducing a second generation fast. If Apple gets millions more in the lead and gets iPad 3 out before something popular (outside of the geek/spec-hound circles) challenges them, they might be able to lock the market up for a while!
They should continue with the international launch as planned, but don't give the foreigners too many iPads. Make them wait in long lines, just like everybody else has to do here in the US.
One guy in France did even better: he flew to New York, waited in line at the Apple Store in SoHo, got his iPad 2, then got back on a plane and flew back to France. True story: http://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainme...ad-2/38465.htm
Tell me that isn't awesome.
Somehow Microsoft managed to sell 10 million Kinects without any lineups.
Kinect is an ingenious combination of simple, off the shelf hardware with some very smart software. Guess how that is different from the iPad.
And you would have been OK with the launch being pushed back 2 months so that such production could be made to happen?
Hopefully they can ramp up faster than that. They are going to need to get to a few million a month to keep up with demand this year!
Just curious, though, if they did have to launch a month later (assuming that they decided before they announced anything so no "delay" would have to be admitted) what would the damage to Apple have been if they did this?
They still would have been coming in inside a year on the refresh and the original was still selling (I know 3 people who bought iPads in the month before iPad 2 was announced).
They have no competition yet! Are you worried that the Xoom would have taken off without the iPad 2 to block it? Are RIM and HP ready to ship?
Hopefully they can ramp up faster than that. They are going to need to get to a few million a month to keep up with demand this year!
Just curious, though, if they did have to launch a month later (assuming that they decided before they announced anything so no "delay" would have to be admitted) what would the damage to Apple have been if they did this?
They still would have been coming in inside a year on the refresh and the original was still selling (I know 3 people who bought iPads in the month before iPad 2 was announced).
They have no competition yet! Are you worried that the Xoom would have taken off without the iPad 2 to block it? Are RIM and HP ready to ship?
The original would not have been selling, because they are OUT of it. Capacity was switched from one to the other, so no, there would have been zero iPad sales for that 4-6 weeks. And yes, when you can't send a product to market, some people will buy the competition. Or do you think that Droid on Verizon didn't hurt Apple in a real, long term way?
They also would have suffered damage to their reputation, because despite all the whining here, long lines of people desperate to buy your product is good for Apple's reputation. That assume that they do catch up with demand relatively soon, of course, but yes, frantic consumers beget frantic consumers.
Artificial supply shortage to drive demand - lineups and mass impulse buying expedited.
How do you drive a market to covet your product - tell them it's in limited supply.
This tactic is routine in a lot of business. People want what they can't have.
Nowhere is this practiced more then in the tech industry.
Also a great way to determine and monitor market demand.
Could this be the case here? The timing of the international release is interesting. It's different from their iPhone strategy, but that may be because of carriers.
I think it's going a bit too far to claim that Apple must be holding back on production capacity, just to drive up demand. Otherwise, they would do that with something unpopular like the old G4 Cube or the first AppleTV. Besides, with the iPad 2, they don't need to. Hadn't it occurred to you that maybe consumers really want the iPad 2 and don't require manipulation to stand in line? The "limited supply" tactics you are referring to are usually reserved for "As Seen On TV" crap ("supplies are limited, so don't delay, act now; operators are standing by"). Also, there is a risk with impulse buying that if you can't fill the customer's order in the heat of "tech lust", it will cool and the buyer might think, "gee I don't really need a tablet" or "gee, maybe I can buy a cheap Dell netbook instead".
Think about it.
Artificial supply shortage to drive demand - lineups and mass impulse buying expedited. How do you drive a market to covet your product - tell them it's in limited supply. This tactic is routine in a lot of business. People want what they can't have.
Nowhere is this practiced more then in the tech industry.
Also a great way to determine and monitor market demand.
Could this be the case here? The timing of the international release is interesting. It's different from their iPhone strategy, but that may be because of carriers.
Apple may have purposely constrained stock in the past (more because of being very conservative with their estimates and supply, rather than purely for hype).... but maybe you can tell me how to make 5 million iPads a month and sell it globally each month in ever more countries, stocking over 300 stores each day, without running into supply issues....
If at the end of the day only 1-2 million iPads are sold each month then there are artificial constraints. If they are selling through over 4 million each month, then the only constraint is how fast they can make and sell it.
The original would not have been selling, because they are OUT of it. Capacity was switched from one to the other, so no, there would have been zero iPad sales for that 4-6 weeks. And yes, when you can't send a product to market, some people will buy the competition. Or do you think that Droid on Verizon didn't hurt Apple in a real, long term way?
Out you say? Funny, they are still for sale (new) at reduced prices through a variety of outlets--including though the Apple Store. Presumably they would not have had to discount them until the new version was ready.
But I hear you--I am not saying that having 4 million on hand at launch is the only thing to think about. Bare shelves for a month would be bad. Of course, that is what it feels like to consumers now, anyway...
In reality, if everything was pushed back a month and the original did run out it would have only been for a short while. Announce the new version and put them up for pre-order online. I doubt the anemic competition would have been able to make much hay with the hype and press that would follow Apple's intro...
They also would have suffered damage to their reputation, because despite all the whining here, long lines of people desperate to buy your product is good for Apple's reputation. That assume that they do catch up with demand relatively soon, of course, but yes, frantic consumers beget frantic consumers.
This is really the point some people are trying to debate without descending into whining or criticism. I hope you can agree that people may differ on the long term consequences of repeated chronic shortages on new product rollouts. I will concede to you that I see that there are benefits to lines, anticipation and excitement. Will you concede that it is possible that it could also cause problems?
One guy in France did even better: he flew to New York, waited in line at the Apple Store in SoHo, got his iPad 2, then got back on a plane and flew back to France. True story: http://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainme...ad-2/38465.htm
Tell me that isn't awesome.
I'm tempted to do that to Australia from Asia. (5 hours, USD$400 return airfare). It would be awesome, except the Australian dates apparently aren't confirmed (eg. whether it's just an announcement on the 25th or will they have actual stock on the 25th etc etc).
Plus, it's kinda the same iPad, it's not like it has a Retina display or Xbox360 graphics you could hook up to a TV. I wanna get a white one but I have had a white iPhone 3GS, so...
I'm kind of bummed actually because I'm figuring out how to get into app development. The barriers to programming are higher than HTML and Flash ("with good reason", I hear some of you say).
give me an effing break. Here we go with perception used to screw with the stock.
Look, ipad 2 is a hit. I held it in my hand today at the Apple store right across the street from my house. It is awesome. But those who want it will get it. Wait!!!!!
Hell, why is it a bummer if you can't get it right right now?
Good Point . Apple is known for playing catch up with demand and that is a good thing. If there was enough around people would NOT want it as badly. Be assured that supply is arriving everyday and distribution is being made.
As for the international launch, most likely it will go off on time as anything else would signal a supply bottleneck. However how much supply will be delegated overseas remains to be seen.
I hope you can agree that people may differ on the long term consequences of repeated chronic shortages on new product rollouts. I will concede to you that I see that there are benefits to lines, anticipation and excitement. Will you concede that it is possible that it could also cause problems?
Hell yeah it is an ongoing, extremely annoying problem for everyone. In fact, it is the worst aspect of Apple, which actually means they are doing quite well
But nothing on an Apple site.
Does anyone have any real info about this?? Or was it just the non-tech press extrapolating wild speculations out of their butts?