Yup. I guess it was a good thing i wasn't able to get my order in on time. I was also wondering if I should get the 38mm but after seeing it in real life there is no doubt the 42 is the right size. I was shocked how small the 38mm was even though I used the app to see it at actual size on my iPad.
Totally agree. I had a try on appointment today and provisionally thought 38mm would be okay for me as I have slim wrists. But 42mm is defo the size for me. I was shocked at how small and neat the 38mm is. All in all the watch is very neat and tidy compared to other smart watches on the market. TBH the Apple Watch does look more premium than the Sport, although $200 more premium. I'm not sure. I think I will settle for the 42mm a Sport with White Band. But at the moment it says June. So I'm in no rush to preorder. I will wait and see what happens.
I don't buy that 'artificially limiting supply to create demand' nonsense because that's exactly what it is, but I also have a hard time believing an immediate 4-6 week delay is all driven by demand. It seems clear some models are supply constrained at launch. But perhaps that 4-6 week estimate will come down quite quickly.
It's not artificial, at least not how you think it is.
Apple is careful not to tool-up for high volumes that never occur. It's not building Zunes that won't sell. Apple's chinese suppliers are fact-acting and fast reacting and so is Apple.
With any product, Apple has to assume some amount of initial inventory and some minimum risk in production volume capability. Once the initial orders and reviews are in, they constantly measure demand for a given future time perio (backorders, store & web traffic, etc.) The chinese suppliers kick into high gear, first by doubling and tripling shifts for a given set of tooling or production method, then by increasing speeds, then by increasing the tooling (this takes the longest). Lather, rinse, repeat.
So they don't keep the initial volume low so it looks like a product is popular. Apple doesn't need to do that. However, Apple assumes a minimum amount of volume if the product is essentially a failure, and ramps up is it isn't. It's not an exact science, but it explains how the second and third wave of dates reported for delivery tend to move up and get delivered earlier and earlier. June delivery right now is likely based on the initial production rate. It may move to May within two weeks when Foxconn, et al officially report to Apple that the new production shifts are in full swing or as the production line is ramped from 50% maximum capacity to 100%.
There no conspiracy. There's no manipulation. It's wise business planning.
From many of the posts I've seen on MacRumors the try-on process seems to be working quite well. Perhaps pre-orders should have been pushed out a week. But I have a feeling these shipping dates are going to change. I've had that happen to me with iPhone before; initially I got quoted 3-4 weeks and then a few days later it changed to 1-2 weeks.
And *why* do you think Apple made a mistake by not providing a chance for people to see the watch before opening up preordering them? Anyone that goes to the store this week and look at the watches is still able to preorder them - right? And last week they already took orders for several million (probably) and they are starting to manufacture/prepare/assemble these. LOL! So where is the mistake or misstep by Apple in this area? How would a 1 week delay in allowing preorders have benefited Apple in any significant way? I can see how it may have benefitted YOU and others who place a high-degree of importance on actually seeing/touching them before deciding on a model - in that you could have placed your order at the beginning of the preorder window and possible gotten your watch a month earlier - however pre-ordering is a bonus to start with and not the only way to buy the watch. You have an equal chance as anyone else does for purchasing one on the 24th.
If getting one sooner than that was that important to you, you could have placed a pre-order for the one or two models you thought you were most likely to purchase - and then cancel one or both of them if your visit to the Apple Store changed your mind... Or perhaps even that is not convenient enough for you...? Maybe Apple dropped the ball by not sending someone to your house to show you the available watches and to take your order in person? But I'll bet that even if they did, you'd complain that they showed up at 7:15pm instead of 7:00pm and you were eating dinner - and they should have really known that because *you* eat dinner at 7:15pm, then it stands to reason that EVERYONE eats dinner at 7:15pm and the Apple rep shouldn't have chosen that time to knock on your door....right? In other words, I think you would find something to be critical about no matter *what* happened or how they handled pre-orders. I think the pre-order process went very smoothly and I'm happy to be receiving my phone around May 15th!
pre-ordering is a bonus to start with and not the only way to buy the watch. You have an equal chance as anyone else does for purchasing one on the 24th.
Nope. ?Watches will not be sold to walk-in customers at brick and mortar stores on April 24th, they will only be available as pre-orders until Apple advises otherwise, and they have not set a date when the watches will be available for purchase in the stores. If you could line up outside an Apple Store with an equal chance of buying one on the 24th, there would be no issue. But you can't.
If getting one sooner than that was that important to you, you could have placed a pre-order for the one or two models you thought you were most likely to purchase - and then cancel one or both of them if your visit to the Apple Store changed your mind...
Yeah that's ethical. And constrains supplies for others. But hey, as long as people are willing to fork over their money without consideration of how the company they are making richer treats them in the process, it's all good, right ... especially if said company put the customer in the position to make that decision? /s
But here's how it could hurt Apple. Let's say 500,000 customers ordered two sizes of the watch, intending to cancel one. And it takes them a week to get into the store to see the watch. So Apple has received orders to make a million particular watch combinations, the factories ramp up, and over the next two weeks get 500,000 cancellations. That's a lot of inventory sitting around which may or may not be in immediate demand given the custom size and bands. And it otherwise kept those watches out of the hands of enthusiasts who would have had them close to the launch date, and not had such a frustrating experience trying to order one. Perhaps this is old school, but making the customer happy is usually good for a businesses. It certainly makes more financial sense given the tactics you propose to game the system.
Nope. ?Watches will not be sold to walk-in customers at brick and mortar stores on April 24th, they will only be available as pre-orders until Apple advises otherwise, and they have not set a date when the watches will be available for purchase in the stores. If you could line up outside an Apple Store with an equal chance of buying one on the 24th, there would be no issue. But you can't.
Yeah that's ethical. And constrains supplies for others. But hey, as long as people are willing to fork over their money without consideration of how the company they are making richer treats them in the process, it's all good, right? /s
I hope you never stop your righteous journey...
Do I need to even add a snark tag?
EDIT: "And it otherwise kept those watches out of the hands of enthusiasts"
Nope. ?Watches will not be sold to walk-in customers at brick and mortar stores on April 24th, they will only be available as pre-orders until Apple advises otherwise, and they have not set a date when the watches will be available for purchase in the stores. If you could line up outside an Apple Store with an equal chance of buying one on the 24th, there would be no issue. But you can't.
Yeah that's ethical. And constrains supplies for others. But hey, as long as people are willing to fork over their money without consideration of how the company they are making richer treats them in the process, it's all good, right ... especially if said company put the customer in the position to make that decision? /s
But here's how it could hurt Apple. Let's say 500,000 customers ordered two sizes of the watch, intending to cancel one. And it takes them a week to get into the store to see the watch. So Apple has received orders to make a million particular watch combinations, the factories ramp up, and over the next two weeks get 500,000 cancellations. That's a lot of inventory sitting around which may or may not be in immediate demand given the custom size and bands. And it otherwise kept those watches out of the hands of enthusiasts who would have had them close to the launch date, and not had such a frustrating experience trying to order one. Perhaps this is old school, but making the customer happy is usually good for a businesses. It certainly makes more financial sense given the tactics you propose to game the system.
I re-read my post this morning and realize it was unfairly harsh against Rogifan when in fact his post was relatively positive and tame. My sentiments overall haven't changed - but they really are meant to be directed at the posts I read PRIOR to getting to Rogifan's post. If you're listening Rogifan - I apologize.
@mac_128 - I didn't realize they weren't available for sale starting on the 24th. I did know that you couldn't simply line up for 1 and that they would be using an appointment based system - but I thought they would be pulling stock from a different pool of phones - not the same pool that they made available for pre-orders - as they have always done with iPhone product releases. Are you sure that's not the case?
As for your example of 500,000 returns, I think that's an exaggerated number and that Apple has plenty of data from previous product releases to show them who is and who isn't going to be trying to game the system and know that the number of people who do this isn't generally significant. But the data they generate from the number and type of returns will also be be important and valuable. It will tell them things like which model looks better on paper and in photos as opposed to which model people choose when they are able to touch them. This data will undoubtedly be used to influence future offerings as well as how many of each color/model/etc should be manufactured.
I don't see why people who *know* they want a watch shouldn't be able to purchase them immediately just to give people who aren't sure what they want - time to touch them first. There is plenty of data available online about each type of model. I think that's more than enough of a fair start to make the process ethical, just like I understand why some people will want to wait until they can see it and touch it and other people will wait until there is real world data on reliability and battery life and others still will wait until they can chat with someone who actually owns one before they decided to purchase. So the line needs to be drawn somewhere - and I think Apple has chosen a reasonable spot to do so!
I personally think Apple has done this wrong. If I hadn't booked an appointment to see the Watch then I would have probably ordered a 38mm version. What I do for see happening is that a large number of preorders of the 38mm versions will be cancelled once these guys see the size of it. It really is very small. On a personal level. I now have to wait til June before I can get a Watch now. I may have changed my mind by then.
Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail.
Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail.
My ship date is 4/24 to 5/8 and my order is still "processing". My gift card balance has also not been deducted. I guess that means I'm not getting it on Friday. Damn.
My ship date is 4/24 to 5/8 and my order is still "processing". My gift card balance has also not been deducted. I guess that means I'm not getting it on Friday. Damn.
To be fair, it doesn't change the look of the watch, it changes the look of the band. The watch is still going to be an identical black glass square with silver highlights for most people in the world.
Wait until some shops start advertising gold plating services
My ship date is 4/24 to 5/8 and my order is still "processing". My gift card balance has also not been deducted. I guess that means I'm not getting it on Friday. Damn.
Same here!
My 42mm SS Milanese Loop is now Preparing for Shipment! Yay!
Hope it's going by Fedex as some Apple shipments have in the past, as the FedEx office is just two blocks from my house.
Comments
Totally agree. I had a try on appointment today and provisionally thought 38mm would be okay for me as I have slim wrists. But 42mm is defo the size for me. I was shocked at how small and neat the 38mm is. All in all the watch is very neat and tidy compared to other smart watches on the market. TBH the Apple Watch does look more premium than the Sport, although $200 more premium. I'm not sure. I think I will settle for the 42mm a Sport with White Band. But at the moment it says June. So I'm in no rush to preorder. I will wait and see what happens.
I don't buy that 'artificially limiting supply to create demand' nonsense because that's exactly what it is, but I also have a hard time believing an immediate 4-6 week delay is all driven by demand. It seems clear some models are supply constrained at launch. But perhaps that 4-6 week estimate will come down quite quickly.
It's not artificial, at least not how you think it is.
Apple is careful not to tool-up for high volumes that never occur. It's not building Zunes that won't sell. Apple's chinese suppliers are fact-acting and fast reacting and so is Apple.
With any product, Apple has to assume some amount of initial inventory and some minimum risk in production volume capability. Once the initial orders and reviews are in, they constantly measure demand for a given future time perio (backorders, store & web traffic, etc.) The chinese suppliers kick into high gear, first by doubling and tripling shifts for a given set of tooling or production method, then by increasing speeds, then by increasing the tooling (this takes the longest). Lather, rinse, repeat.
So they don't keep the initial volume low so it looks like a product is popular. Apple doesn't need to do that. However, Apple assumes a minimum amount of volume if the product is essentially a failure, and ramps up is it isn't. It's not an exact science, but it explains how the second and third wave of dates reported for delivery tend to move up and get delivered earlier and earlier. June delivery right now is likely based on the initial production rate. It may move to May within two weeks when Foxconn, et al officially report to Apple that the new production shifts are in full swing or as the production line is ramped from 50% maximum capacity to 100%.
There no conspiracy. There's no manipulation. It's wise business planning.
If getting one sooner than that was that important to you, you could have placed a pre-order for the one or two models you thought you were most likely to purchase - and then cancel one or both of them if your visit to the Apple Store changed your mind... Or perhaps even that is not convenient enough for you...? Maybe Apple dropped the ball by not sending someone to your house to show you the available watches and to take your order in person? But I'll bet that even if they did, you'd complain that they showed up at 7:15pm instead of 7:00pm and you were eating dinner - and they should have really known that because *you* eat dinner at 7:15pm, then it stands to reason that EVERYONE eats dinner at 7:15pm and the Apple rep shouldn't have chosen that time to knock on your door....right? In other words, I think you would find something to be critical about no matter *what* happened or how they handled pre-orders. I think the pre-order process went very smoothly and I'm happy to be receiving my phone around May 15th!
Nope. ?Watches will not be sold to walk-in customers at brick and mortar stores on April 24th, they will only be available as pre-orders until Apple advises otherwise, and they have not set a date when the watches will be available for purchase in the stores. If you could line up outside an Apple Store with an equal chance of buying one on the 24th, there would be no issue. But you can't.
Yeah that's ethical. And constrains supplies for others. But hey, as long as people are willing to fork over their money without consideration of how the company they are making richer treats them in the process, it's all good, right ... especially if said company put the customer in the position to make that decision? /s
But here's how it could hurt Apple. Let's say 500,000 customers ordered two sizes of the watch, intending to cancel one. And it takes them a week to get into the store to see the watch. So Apple has received orders to make a million particular watch combinations, the factories ramp up, and over the next two weeks get 500,000 cancellations. That's a lot of inventory sitting around which may or may not be in immediate demand given the custom size and bands. And it otherwise kept those watches out of the hands of enthusiasts who would have had them close to the launch date, and not had such a frustrating experience trying to order one. Perhaps this is old school, but making the customer happy is usually good for a businesses. It certainly makes more financial sense given the tactics you propose to game the system.
Nope. ?Watches will not be sold to walk-in customers at brick and mortar stores on April 24th, they will only be available as pre-orders until Apple advises otherwise, and they have not set a date when the watches will be available for purchase in the stores. If you could line up outside an Apple Store with an equal chance of buying one on the 24th, there would be no issue. But you can't.
Yeah that's ethical. And constrains supplies for others. But hey, as long as people are willing to fork over their money without consideration of how the company they are making richer treats them in the process, it's all good, right? /s
I hope you never stop your righteous journey...
Do I need to even add a snark tag?
EDIT: "And it otherwise kept those watches out of the hands of enthusiasts"
Now you make me cry....
I re-read my post this morning and realize it was unfairly harsh against Rogifan when in fact his post was relatively positive and tame. My sentiments overall haven't changed - but they really are meant to be directed at the posts I read PRIOR to getting to Rogifan's post. If you're listening Rogifan - I apologize.
@mac_128 - I didn't realize they weren't available for sale starting on the 24th. I did know that you couldn't simply line up for 1 and that they would be using an appointment based system - but I thought they would be pulling stock from a different pool of phones - not the same pool that they made available for pre-orders - as they have always done with iPhone product releases. Are you sure that's not the case?
As for your example of 500,000 returns, I think that's an exaggerated number and that Apple has plenty of data from previous product releases to show them who is and who isn't going to be trying to game the system and know that the number of people who do this isn't generally significant. But the data they generate from the number and type of returns will also be be important and valuable. It will tell them things like which model looks better on paper and in photos as opposed to which model people choose when they are able to touch them. This data will undoubtedly be used to influence future offerings as well as how many of each color/model/etc should be manufactured.
I don't see why people who *know* they want a watch shouldn't be able to purchase them immediately just to give people who aren't sure what they want - time to touch them first. There is plenty of data available online about each type of model. I think that's more than enough of a fair start to make the process ethical, just like I understand why some people will want to wait until they can see it and touch it and other people will wait until there is real world data on reliability and battery life and others still will wait until they can chat with someone who actually owns one before they decided to purchase. So the line needs to be drawn somewhere - and I think Apple has chosen a reasonable spot to do so!
----------------------> www.netjob80.com
Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail.
----------------------> www.netjob80.com
My White Sport 42" is finally changed over from "Processing" to "Preparing to Ship"! Hoping to receive on Friday.
My ship date is 4/24 to 5/8 and my order is still "processing". My gift card balance has also not been deducted. I guess that means I'm not getting it on Friday. Damn.
Same for me, but it's still the 21 only ^^
Rogifan when in fact his post was relatively positive and tame.
It's "her", I believe.
Same here!
To be fair, it doesn't change the look of the watch, it changes the look of the band. The watch is still going to be an identical black glass square with silver highlights for most people in the world.
Wait until some shops start advertising gold plating services
Same here!
Keep hopes up
Hope it's going by Fedex as some Apple shipments have in the past, as the FedEx office is just two blocks from my house.
Why won't they take my money? No fair
First world problems smh ????