I think that the Japanese market does not see value in Apple and vice versa. And the fact that units are up and revenues down indicates that the Japanese are quite happy with their cut-rate Taiwanese/Chinese subnotebok PCs. I am sure it suits their needs fine.
Apple should -- and my guess is, it will -- devote its resources and attention to other parts of Asia. $255 million in Mac revenues is rather pitifully low for a country of 130 million people with a per-capita income similar to that of the US.
One more prediction, FWIW: The iPhone will do very poorly in Japan, and that will be the nail in the Japanese Apple coffin. And, I say as a shareholder, "just as well."
The general impression here is that Apple makes very interesting products. They do lack a few features already common on Japanese machines (the US is pretty far behind on a few things), but all in all they are very interesting to the Japanese.
However, the problems arise in marketing (almost no attempt here) and support, which sucks, to put it mildly, and quality control, which also sucks, to put it mildly. I visited five shops yesterday and asked if they could recommend Apple; all said they could not. When I asked about other manufacturers, they all said there were pluses and minuses with each, but overall, they could. When pressed on quality control, they said that far more Apples were sold with problems (dead pixels, DOA, other) and more needed repairs within the first year than all the other makes combined and they were working on numbers sold, which makes Apple look pathetic. Their real point, however, was with Apple Care, which none of the shops said they had had good relations with.
I recently tried to have my new nano replaced. It is has very badly tilted screen. Took it to the Apple Store in Osaka. The Genius said he could replace it, but the replacement would also have a tilted screen because they all have tilted screens. Apple knows its product has a problem yet they continue to sell it. That is just sick.
As an Apple shareholder, I would be very worried if the company I was trying to get rich off of just by letting them do their business was screwing around like this. I would feel that by holding their stock that I was supporting their ways. I would be worried that they were flopping in a huge potential market. I would also be worried that they were losing customers: my wife and I will not return to an Apple Store to do any shopping what so ever, and my wife said last night that her next computer purchase will be a PC, not a Mac, because she simply cannot trust Apple. Personally, I feel for the first time that I too, might choose a different maker than Apple, and I have been an Apple customer for 20 years.
But then, I don't seem to matter to those who are chasing the easy buck.
The general impression here is that Apple makes very interesting products. They do lack a few features already common on Japanese machines (the US is pretty far behind on a few things), but all in all they are very interesting to the Japanese.
However, the problems arise in marketing (almost no attempt here) and support, which sucks, to put it mildly, and quality control, which also sucks, to put it mildly. I visited five shops yesterday and asked if they could recommend Apple; all said they could not. When I asked about other manufacturers, they all said there were pluses and minuses with each, but overall, they could. When pressed on quality control, they said that far more Apples were sold with problems (dead pixels, DOA, other) and more needed repairs within the first year than all the other makes combined and they were working on numbers sold, which makes Apple look pathetic. Their real point, however, was with Apple Care, which none of the shops said they had had good relations with.
I recently tried to have my new nano replaced. It is has very badly tilted screen. Took it to the Apple Store in Osaka. The Genius said he could replace it, but the replacement would also have a tilted screen because they all have tilted screens. Apple knows its product has a problem yet they continue to sell it. That is just sick.
As an Apple shareholder, I would be very worried if the company I was trying to get rich off of just by letting them do their business was screwing around like this. I would feel that by holding their stock that I was supporting their ways. I would be worried that they were flopping in a huge potential market. I would also be worried that they were losing customers: my wife and I will not return to an Apple Store to do any shopping what so ever, and my wife said last night that her next computer purchase will be a PC, not a Mac, because she simply cannot trust Apple. Personally, I feel for the first time that I too, might choose a different maker than Apple, and I have been an Apple customer for 20 years.
But then, I don't seem to matter to those who are chasing the easy buck.
Great post, that's some terrible customer relations right there. Steve and Co. are doing a great Job running their company in the States, I wouldn't say they are doing a great Job outside of the States, and that makes me sick. There products are selling well because they are so good, but Apple needs to really start taking the world outside the States FAR MORE SERIOUSLY!
Their retail store growth outside of the States is embarrassing. Most people here don't even know they make computers, and I'm not joking, I'm deadly serious.
And.. I've never seen a Mac ad on TV here in Ireland - because there never was one.
Good relative to last year, but still invisible relative to the PC industry here. As in literally invisible.
I don't agree with that. The numbers are small, but they are growing quickly. I'm also sure that even over there, due to the iPod, and iTunes of course, Apple, and its product lines do have much more mindshare than the numbers alone would indicate.
In Japan, most people are aware of Apple, and indeed, the iPhone even made it into the local paper where I live when it was released. So far, so good: every Japanese knows that Apple makes Macs, they know about iPods and they have seen a photo of the iPhone. High positive mindshare.
They also know about the quality control problems and the horrible service, especially when compared to other makers. High negative mindshare.
Apple's sales are pathetic in Japan, so I wonder which mindshare is winning: the positive or the negative?
In Japan, most people are aware of Apple, and indeed, the iPhone even made it into the local paper where I live when it was released. So far, so good: every Japanese knows that Apple makes Macs, they know about iPods and they have seen a photo of the iPhone. High positive mindshare.
They also know about the quality control problems and the horrible service, especially when compared to other makers. High negative mindshare.
Apple's sales are pathetic in Japan, so I wonder which mindshare is winning: the positive or the negative?
Why would Apple be so different there than everywhere else?
iPods are the biggest selling music players though.
Comments
Apple remains very confident with its prediction of shipping 10M iPhones by the end of calendar year 2008.
Well, at least we've gotten that cleared up.
It seems as though, in a way, we were all right.
It did mean sales by the end of 2008, as some of us said, but it also means end of the third quarter of 2008.
Just that end of 2008 means Apple's financial year, and during 2008, means calendar year.
Hopefully, that debate is now over.
Europe feels like that sometimes, especially where the Mac is concerned, and to a smaller extent the iPhone too.
Except that sales in Europe were up substantially more in percentage terms than they were here in the States.
I think that the Japanese market does not see value in Apple and vice versa. And the fact that units are up and revenues down indicates that the Japanese are quite happy with their cut-rate Taiwanese/Chinese subnotebok PCs. I am sure it suits their needs fine.
Apple should -- and my guess is, it will -- devote its resources and attention to other parts of Asia. $255 million in Mac revenues is rather pitifully low for a country of 130 million people with a per-capita income similar to that of the US.
One more prediction, FWIW: The iPhone will do very poorly in Japan, and that will be the nail in the Japanese Apple coffin. And, I say as a shareholder, "just as well."
The general impression here is that Apple makes very interesting products. They do lack a few features already common on Japanese machines (the US is pretty far behind on a few things), but all in all they are very interesting to the Japanese.
However, the problems arise in marketing (almost no attempt here) and support, which sucks, to put it mildly, and quality control, which also sucks, to put it mildly. I visited five shops yesterday and asked if they could recommend Apple; all said they could not. When I asked about other manufacturers, they all said there were pluses and minuses with each, but overall, they could. When pressed on quality control, they said that far more Apples were sold with problems (dead pixels, DOA, other) and more needed repairs within the first year than all the other makes combined and they were working on numbers sold, which makes Apple look pathetic. Their real point, however, was with Apple Care, which none of the shops said they had had good relations with.
I recently tried to have my new nano replaced. It is has very badly tilted screen. Took it to the Apple Store in Osaka. The Genius said he could replace it, but the replacement would also have a tilted screen because they all have tilted screens. Apple knows its product has a problem yet they continue to sell it. That is just sick.
As an Apple shareholder, I would be very worried if the company I was trying to get rich off of just by letting them do their business was screwing around like this. I would feel that by holding their stock that I was supporting their ways. I would be worried that they were flopping in a huge potential market. I would also be worried that they were losing customers: my wife and I will not return to an Apple Store to do any shopping what so ever, and my wife said last night that her next computer purchase will be a PC, not a Mac, because she simply cannot trust Apple. Personally, I feel for the first time that I too, might choose a different maker than Apple, and I have been an Apple customer for 20 years.
But then, I don't seem to matter to those who are chasing the easy buck.
It's called "iPhone", and hopefully, it will get to Japan before too long.
You better have bought something good to celebrate today. You earned enough with the after hours up-tick.
Except that sales in Europe were up substantially more in percentage terms than they were here in the States.
Well that would obviously be the case being how Macs are few and far between here.
The general impression here is that Apple makes very interesting products. They do lack a few features already common on Japanese machines (the US is pretty far behind on a few things), but all in all they are very interesting to the Japanese.
However, the problems arise in marketing (almost no attempt here) and support, which sucks, to put it mildly, and quality control, which also sucks, to put it mildly. I visited five shops yesterday and asked if they could recommend Apple; all said they could not. When I asked about other manufacturers, they all said there were pluses and minuses with each, but overall, they could. When pressed on quality control, they said that far more Apples were sold with problems (dead pixels, DOA, other) and more needed repairs within the first year than all the other makes combined and they were working on numbers sold, which makes Apple look pathetic. Their real point, however, was with Apple Care, which none of the shops said they had had good relations with.
I recently tried to have my new nano replaced. It is has very badly tilted screen. Took it to the Apple Store in Osaka. The Genius said he could replace it, but the replacement would also have a tilted screen because they all have tilted screens. Apple knows its product has a problem yet they continue to sell it. That is just sick.
As an Apple shareholder, I would be very worried if the company I was trying to get rich off of just by letting them do their business was screwing around like this. I would feel that by holding their stock that I was supporting their ways. I would be worried that they were flopping in a huge potential market. I would also be worried that they were losing customers: my wife and I will not return to an Apple Store to do any shopping what so ever, and my wife said last night that her next computer purchase will be a PC, not a Mac, because she simply cannot trust Apple. Personally, I feel for the first time that I too, might choose a different maker than Apple, and I have been an Apple customer for 20 years.
But then, I don't seem to matter to those who are chasing the easy buck.
Great post, that's some terrible customer relations right there. Steve and Co. are doing a great Job running their company in the States, I wouldn't say they are doing a great Job outside of the States, and that makes me sick. There products are selling well because they are so good, but Apple needs to really start taking the world outside the States FAR MORE SERIOUSLY!
Their retail store growth outside of the States is embarrassing. Most people here don't even know they make computers, and I'm not joking, I'm deadly serious.
And.. I've never seen a Mac ad on TV here in Ireland - because there never was one.
Personally, I feel for the first time that I too, might choose a different maker than Apple, and I have been an Apple customer for 20 years.
But then, I don't seem to matter to those who are chasing the easy buck.
I call BLUFF.. There is no way that someone with nearly 2500 posts on this forum is going to buy a PC.
You better have bought something good to celebrate today. You earned enough with the after hours up-tick.
Not today, but we'll be buying a Mac Pro, and two 24" iMacs (unless the fabled xMac comes out) after Macworld. Oh, and a 17" inkjet.
Well that would obviously be the case being how Macs are few and far between here.
But it does look good.
But it does look good.
Good relative to last year, but still invisible relative to the PC industry here. As in literally invisible.
I call BLUFF.. There is no way that someone with nearly 2500 posts on this forum is going to buy a PC.
Try me.
I call BLUFF.. There is no way that someone with nearly 2500 posts on this forum is going to buy a PC.
To even joke about it without being totally sarcastic is bad enough, especially when the person has so many posts.
Take Dot Mac, Apple is literally laughing at people with the cost of that service, it's quite frankly disrespect-able to its customers.
Good relative to last year, but still invisible relative to the PC industry here. As in literally invisible.
I don't agree with that. The numbers are small, but they are growing quickly. I'm also sure that even over there, due to the iPod, and iTunes of course, Apple, and its product lines do have much more mindshare than the numbers alone would indicate.
To even joke about it without being totally sarcastic is bad enough, especially when the person has so many posts.
Take Dot Mac, Apple is literally laughing at people with the cost of that service, it's quite frankly disrespect-able to its customers.
Disrespectable? Is that Irish for disrespectful?
Disrespect-able? Is that Irish for disrespectful?
..Sea.
I don't agree with that.
You don't live here. Everyone I talk to here doesn't know what the heck a Mac is.
In Japan, most people are aware of Apple, and indeed, the iPhone even made it into the local paper where I live when it was released. So far, so good: every Japanese knows that Apple makes Macs, they know about iPods and they have seen a photo of the iPhone. High positive mindshare.
They also know about the quality control problems and the horrible service, especially when compared to other makers. High negative mindshare.
Apple's sales are pathetic in Japan, so I wonder which mindshare is winning: the positive or the negative?
You don't live here. Everyone I talk to here doesn't know what the heck a Mac is.
You do.
Mindshare is an interesting thing.
In Japan, most people are aware of Apple, and indeed, the iPhone even made it into the local paper where I live when it was released. So far, so good: every Japanese knows that Apple makes Macs, they know about iPods and they have seen a photo of the iPhone. High positive mindshare.
They also know about the quality control problems and the horrible service, especially when compared to other makers. High negative mindshare.
Apple's sales are pathetic in Japan, so I wonder which mindshare is winning: the positive or the negative?
Why would Apple be so different there than everywhere else?
iPods are the biggest selling music players though.
You do.
Ireland isn't everyone in Ireland.
That sounded weird...