Possible solution: Let Apple's preorders go online only in the United States for the first 12 hours and then open up to other countries immediately afterward.
Genuinely a terrible experience for many people seemingly. Apple standing firm that the store opened at 8:01am (GMT)/12:01am (PST) and it was due to numbers that the opening was delayed for some, but I don't know anyone who got access at that point. By the time I got to order a phone, it was a 4-6 week wait AND there were no options for pick up. Atrocious and I think lessons need to be learned still. Why can't a big tech firm like Apple actually create a system able to cope with the demand they know it'll have placed on it?
because no ecommerce system can withstand 20 million or whatever people hitting it at once.
Stop being such a pathetic apologist. You lose credibility when you do that. This must be, what, the 15th year that Apple -- the largest market market cap company in the world, with perhaps the smartest people, with the largest cash pile in corporate history -- is doing this? At what point do you expect them to get it right? Never?
C'mon.
Yes. Never. Apple has a very long history of underestimating demand. When I bought my first Mac, back in early 1992, I had to wait 6 weeks for it to come. Not much has changed. Apple has always had the perspective of thinking that things aren't going to sell as well as they might, and so they tend to underestimate demand.
i think another problem esp for the phone and iPad is that the yearly release, which is always major, despite what some think, has the manufacturing of product as late in the process as it it because of the time factor of getting everything right. That means that not enough product can be manufactured for release.
in saying all this, I read, maybe about a year ago, that a top executive at possibly Foxconn, said that when Apple requests five manufacturing lines, they give them three. So that could be a factor as well.
Yes, this is all on Apple. Back in the early days, they had no talent to estimate demand. Then with the second coming, Steve was cautious because of Apple's near-death experience. Tim got the manufacturing supply chain under control -- but not so for estimating demand.
It could be something as simple as:
Phil: "Hey Siri, here's our new product catalog for the upcoming release."
Siri: "Got it"
Phil: "Hey Siri, ask Watson what the demand for each product will be by model, country and timeframe."
Siri: "Watson says, based on your history, economic conditions, and the new products -- you will sell..."
Just a little toungue-in-cheek!
Tongue in cheek maybe, but it's almost true. I know from my own experiences with my companies, that estimating demand is very difficult. Several years ago, when Nintendo was riding high, they were out of stock on a regular basis for close to a year. Some accused them of deliberately doing that, but no company does that on purpose, unless they've got an unpopular product that they are selling in small numbers, and want to make it seem as though it's sold out. But when you're dealing with such large numbers, it makes no sense.
but Apple always seems surprised when something sells in greater numbers than they expect. And you're correct about securing proper supply chain reliability, vs estimating demand. Those are two completely different things. And even the supply chain can get messed up no matter how well Cook, and now, Williams, manages it. All it takes is one manufacturer having a problem with one part, and boom! The entire chain goes down.
So was the sellout of pre-orders, and the push back on delivery dates, for all models, or just the jet black version that most on this thread wanted to purchase? The one which was expected to have the most limited quantity due to it being available only in the higher storage models (and rumours of shortages)?
I don't know, but just go to the site and try to buy one. Back out of the sale afterwards.
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but Apple always seems surprised when something sells in greater numbers than they expect. And you're correct about securing proper supply chain reliability, vs estimating demand. Those are two completely different things. And even the supply chain can get messed up no matter how well Cook, and now, Williams, manages it. All it takes is one manufacturer having a problem with one part, and boom! The entire chain goes down.