So they sold poorly, and even then costumers weren't as pleased?
Color me unsurprised.
I've seen the Galaxy Tab in Portugal a few weeks ago, it was displayed in the smartphone category, roflmao. The iPad was on the other side of the store.
I was able to use it, took out my SIM card and experienced the Tab. Quite small, but light and apparently fun. Didn't like the iPad, the screen isn't as sharp and it's too heavy.
Don't get me wrong, because the price is a real game changer here. The tab requires you to give more money than the iPad upfront and then you have to pay 3G? Nuts. No one but rich people or companies will ever buy this thing. The 10 inch is also very important.
I'll buy an iPad if it ever goes retina and gets lighter. Probably this happens in 2012. Until then I'll witness the fireworks.
There's another issue as well. Apple, in a sense, vets their buyers. Go into a Radio Shack or a Costo and look at a GT. There's no one in that store who knows much if anything about it and the consumer is totally on their own. With Apple, you have an Apple Store or, at worse, a Best Buy, with often dedicated sales types, trained in the devices and capable of adding some knowledge to the purchase equation.
Like a few have mentioned, Apple goes to extraordinary lengths to cover the details (having said that I guess Apple does not consider the fact wifi on my iPad is a joke).
I've had the unfortunate experience in working with retailers during my career. A 16% is not all that bad. It's not unusual for retailers to average 8% on total returns. That includes basics like toilet paper. So 16% for electronics is probably not all that bad. We all get to pay for providing this privilege to unsophisticated shoppers.
There's another issue as well. Apple, in a sense, vets their buyers. Go into a Radio Shack or a Costo and look at a GT. There's no one in that store who knows much if anything about it and the consumer is totally on their own. With Apple, you have an Apple Store or, at worse, a Best Buy, with often dedicated sales types, trained in the devices and capable of adding some knowledge to the purchase equation.
Like a few have mentioned, Apple goes to extraordinary lengths to cover the details (having said that I guess Apple does not consider the fact wifi on my iPad is a joke).
I've had the unfortunate experience in working with retailers during my career. A 16% is not all that bad. It's not unusual for retailers to average 8% on total returns. That includes basics like toilet paper. So 16% for electronics is probably not all that bad. We all get to pay for providing this privilege to unsophisticated shoppers.
The iPad, and iPods are both sold at Target and Walmart. So Best Buy isn't the worst case .
The iPad, and iPods are both sold at Target and Walmart. So Best Buy isn't the worst case .
True, but the larger point is that Apple has managed to create a kind of Apple World that most people know about and can access, either by going to one of their brick and mortar stores or online. It started with the iPod and extends through iTunes, the iPhone and now the iPad. There's a powerful psychology of being attended to, of knowing that things will work together and that you can get answers to your questions.
Android doesn't have this. You're pretty much left to the mercy of big box CE sales people or cell phone sharks. That's not to say you won't be able to find something out if you're having a problem, but when you buy a Tab you're just buying a device, for good or ill. When you buy an iPad you're buying Apple, and Apple has made a huge effort to make itself a safe harbor.
True, but the larger point is that Apple has managed to create a kind of Apple World that most people know about and can access, either by going to one of their brick and mortar stores or online. It started with the iPod and extends through iTunes, the iPhone and now the iPad. There's a powerful psychology of being attended to, of knowing that things will work together and that you can get answers to your questions.
Android doesn't have this. You're pretty much left to the mercy of big box CE sales people or cell phone sharks. That's not to say you won't be able to find something out if you're having a problem, but when you buy a Tab you're just buying a device, for good or ill. When you buy an iPad you're buying Apple, and Apple has made a huge effort to make itself a safe harbor.
Yeah I am spoiled I have two Apple Stores in my area. Its without a doubt the best situation to go to an Apple Store for anything even more so if you are having a problem.
Android still shocks me . While sales overall are doing really well I am just surprised that a company as large as Google doesn't have their shit together better with the entire Android situation.
Yeah I am spoiled I have two Apple Stores in my area. Its without a doubt the best situation to go to an Apple Store for anything even more so if you are having a problem.
Android still shocks me . While sales overall are doing really well I am just surprised that a company as large as Google doesn't have their shit together better with the entire Android situation.
I guess we'll see. At the moment they seem to be doing pretty great just putting Android out there and letting the handset manufacturers have at it. What remains to be seen is whether or not this amounts to building a house on sand, where fragmentation, lack of quality control, hardware partner customizations, carrier customization, and razor thin margins drive the overall experience into a ditch.
At the moment, most people new to smart phones (which is to say the majority of smart phone buyers) are just thrilled to have a functional brewer and email, with maybe a little app action. Soon enough, however, that's not going to be good enough. People will be looking to upgrade, and they'll be looking for actual quality, not just novelty.
Will Android be up to the task at that point, or will it have descended into lowest common denominator noise? I know Google has talented, motivated engineers working on Android, but at the end of the day they're an advertising company and a zillion mediocre handsets running Google services suits them just fine. Apple is a hardware and software company, and they will compete by making the iOS platform as good as they can possibly make it. I think over the long haul that makes a real difference.
Which is not to say that Android won't solidify its position as default smart phone OS. It's free, after all, and ready to be modified for each players needs. But "default smart phone OS" will come to mean "default OS", which can amount to "indifferent vanilla OS they throw on free phones to be sold in cash strapped markets." Ask Nokia how that's worked out.
Churchofapple believes it has traced part of the reason for this high return rate. It?s because of low-tech Friends and Family that mistake Galaxies for iPads during the holiday shopping. This may result in a lot of divorces and broken family ties. I know I?d boycott anyone offering me this hi-tech Frisbee as a gift.
Samsung and all other companies shouldn't even try. Everyone knows competition is BAD. I applaud everyone here for bashing a device they don't even own
Am I the only that thinks 16% is low for the Tab and 2% high for the iPad? My reasoning is 1) people likely know the iPad much better as a product before buying, and 2) iOS for iPad, the SDK and apps were designed with the iPad display size in mind, which is not the case with Froyo.
Soli, I was just thinking the same thing as I read the headline and story.
Am I the only that thinks 16% is low for the Tab and 2% high for the iPad? My reasoning is 1) people likely know the iPad much better as a product before buying, and 2) iOS for iPad, the SDK and apps were designed with the iPad display size in mind, which is not the case with Froyo.
Nope you're not. It was rushed, wrong sized, and has a OS not meant for tablets. 16% return is low IMO.
Ohhh and I forgot overpriced. It would have to drop down to $99 for me to even consider it.
Samsung and all other companies shouldn't even try. Everyone knows competition is BAD. I applaud everyone here for bashing a device they don't even own
If nobody builds crappy products then whose shit is Apple going to polish into their next revolutionary device?
Yeah I am spoiled I have two Apple Stores in my area. Its without a doubt the best situation to go to an Apple Store for anything even more so if you are having a problem.
Android still shocks me . While sales overall are doing really well I am just surprised that a company as large as Google doesn't have their shit together better with the entire Android situation.
Why does it shock you? Google is following a strategy that simply works. Its worked out extremely well for Microsoft and is going to work out well for Google. Apple's strategy had them at the brink of extinction, do you really think another company will try to copy that? Apple would probably be a very different company right now if it weren't for the iPod, iTunes, iPhone, and Macs that can also run windows.
But in reality, those sales were to inventory channels, and not actual consumers. In a quarterly earnings call with investors last week, Samsung executive Lee Kun-hee said that the sell-through to consumers was "quite small," though he added the company felt that its performance was "quite OK" given that it is the introduction of a new device.
It turns out that "quite small" was a mistaken transcription of what the Samsung exec actually said, which was the Tab sales were "quite smooth". Check the WSJ.
As for reporting product into inventory channels, that's how Apple pumps up its own sales figures. To Apple, the moment a product leaves China, it's a "sale".
Why does it shock you? Google is following a strategy that simply works. Its worked out extremely well for Microsoft and is going to work out well for Google. Apple's strategy had them at the brink of extinction, do you really think another company will try to copy that? Apple would probably be a very different company right now if it weren't for the iPod, iTunes, iPhone, and Macs that can also run windows.
Just in general, I guess it's worth pointing out that the cell phone market is not the early PC market. I think anyone can work out for themselves the many, many ways Android differs from Windows, that Google differs from Microsoft, that phone and tablet use differ from PC use, and that cell contract cost structures differ from corporate sales (which were responsible for the early success of the PC).
I realize it's very tempting to see Android as Windows to the iPhone's Mac, and imagine that Apple is "repeating their mistakes", but you can't casually conflate the myriad of specific technical, historical and financial reasons Windows became the dominate computing platform and then blithely map that onto the current mobile device scene and conclude that somehow it's all happening again.
Just in general, I guess it's worth pointing out that the cell phone market is not the early PC market. I think anyone can work out for themselves the many, many ways Android differs from Windows, that Google differs from Microsoft, that phone and tablet use differ from PC use, and that cell contract cost structures differ from corporate sales (which were responsible for the early success of the PC).
I realize it's very tempting to see Android as Windows to the iPhone's Mac, and imagine that Apple is "repeating their mistakes", but you can't casually conflate the myriad of specific technical, historical and financial reasons Windows became the dominate computing platform and then blithely map that onto the current mobile device scene and conclude that somehow it's all happening again.
I didn't imply Apple was "repeating their mistakes", the smartphone market is very similar to the PC market, they are after all tiny computers with the same processing power computers had 10 yrs ago. I was trying to point out that just because Apple's strategy of hardware and software implementation has worked out well for them doesn't necessarily mean it's a strategy everyone else should follow. Imagine the convoluted mess we'd have if every smartphone maker decided to make their own OS. Would developers make apps for 6-7 different mobile OSs? No they wouldn't and most companies would fail miserably. They're settling for some fragmentation rather than total segregation.
Comments
Color me unsurprised.
I've seen the Galaxy Tab in Portugal a few weeks ago, it was displayed in the smartphone category, roflmao. The iPad was on the other side of the store.
I was able to use it, took out my SIM card and experienced the Tab. Quite small, but light and apparently fun. Didn't like the iPad, the screen isn't as sharp and it's too heavy.
Don't get me wrong, because the price is a real game changer here. The tab requires you to give more money than the iPad upfront and then you have to pay 3G? Nuts. No one but rich people or companies will ever buy this thing. The 10 inch is also very important.
I'll buy an iPad if it ever goes retina and gets lighter. Probably this happens in 2012. Until then I'll witness the fireworks.
Like a few have mentioned, Apple goes to extraordinary lengths to cover the details (having said that I guess Apple does not consider the fact wifi on my iPad is a joke).
I've had the unfortunate experience in working with retailers during my career. A 16% is not all that bad. It's not unusual for retailers to average 8% on total returns. That includes basics like toilet paper. So 16% for electronics is probably not all that bad. We all get to pay for providing this privilege to unsophisticated shoppers.
There's another issue as well. Apple, in a sense, vets their buyers. Go into a Radio Shack or a Costo and look at a GT. There's no one in that store who knows much if anything about it and the consumer is totally on their own. With Apple, you have an Apple Store or, at worse, a Best Buy, with often dedicated sales types, trained in the devices and capable of adding some knowledge to the purchase equation.
Like a few have mentioned, Apple goes to extraordinary lengths to cover the details (having said that I guess Apple does not consider the fact wifi on my iPad is a joke).
I've had the unfortunate experience in working with retailers during my career. A 16% is not all that bad. It's not unusual for retailers to average 8% on total returns. That includes basics like toilet paper. So 16% for electronics is probably not all that bad. We all get to pay for providing this privilege to unsophisticated shoppers.
The iPad, and iPods are both sold at Target and Walmart. So Best Buy isn't the worst case .
The iPad, and iPods are both sold at Target and Walmart. So Best Buy isn't the worst case .
True, but the larger point is that Apple has managed to create a kind of Apple World that most people know about and can access, either by going to one of their brick and mortar stores or online. It started with the iPod and extends through iTunes, the iPhone and now the iPad. There's a powerful psychology of being attended to, of knowing that things will work together and that you can get answers to your questions.
Android doesn't have this. You're pretty much left to the mercy of big box CE sales people or cell phone sharks. That's not to say you won't be able to find something out if you're having a problem, but when you buy a Tab you're just buying a device, for good or ill. When you buy an iPad you're buying Apple, and Apple has made a huge effort to make itself a safe harbor.
True, but the larger point is that Apple has managed to create a kind of Apple World that most people know about and can access, either by going to one of their brick and mortar stores or online. It started with the iPod and extends through iTunes, the iPhone and now the iPad. There's a powerful psychology of being attended to, of knowing that things will work together and that you can get answers to your questions.
Android doesn't have this. You're pretty much left to the mercy of big box CE sales people or cell phone sharks. That's not to say you won't be able to find something out if you're having a problem, but when you buy a Tab you're just buying a device, for good or ill. When you buy an iPad you're buying Apple, and Apple has made a huge effort to make itself a safe harbor.
Yeah I am spoiled I have two Apple Stores in my area. Its without a doubt the best situation to go to an Apple Store for anything even more so if you are having a problem.
Android still shocks me . While sales overall are doing really well I am just surprised that a company as large as Google doesn't have their shit together better with the entire Android situation.
Yeah I am spoiled I have two Apple Stores in my area. Its without a doubt the best situation to go to an Apple Store for anything even more so if you are having a problem.
Android still shocks me . While sales overall are doing really well I am just surprised that a company as large as Google doesn't have their shit together better with the entire Android situation.
I guess we'll see. At the moment they seem to be doing pretty great just putting Android out there and letting the handset manufacturers have at it. What remains to be seen is whether or not this amounts to building a house on sand, where fragmentation, lack of quality control, hardware partner customizations, carrier customization, and razor thin margins drive the overall experience into a ditch.
At the moment, most people new to smart phones (which is to say the majority of smart phone buyers) are just thrilled to have a functional brewer and email, with maybe a little app action. Soon enough, however, that's not going to be good enough. People will be looking to upgrade, and they'll be looking for actual quality, not just novelty.
Will Android be up to the task at that point, or will it have descended into lowest common denominator noise? I know Google has talented, motivated engineers working on Android, but at the end of the day they're an advertising company and a zillion mediocre handsets running Google services suits them just fine. Apple is a hardware and software company, and they will compete by making the iOS platform as good as they can possibly make it. I think over the long haul that makes a real difference.
Which is not to say that Android won't solidify its position as default smart phone OS. It's free, after all, and ready to be modified for each players needs. But "default smart phone OS" will come to mean "default OS", which can amount to "indifferent vanilla OS they throw on free phones to be sold in cash strapped markets." Ask Nokia how that's worked out.
Churchofapple believes it has traced part of the reason for this high return rate. It?s because of low-tech Friends and Family that mistake Galaxies for iPads during the holiday shopping. This may result in a lot of divorces and broken family ties. I know I?d boycott anyone offering me this hi-tech Frisbee as a gift.
source: http://thechurchofapple.com/2011/02/...-with-ipads-2/
loool
Am I the only that thinks 16% is low for the Tab and 2% high for the iPad? My reasoning is 1) people likely know the iPad much better as a product before buying, and 2) iOS for iPad, the SDK and apps were designed with the iPad display size in mind, which is not the case with Froyo.
Soli, I was just thinking the same thing as I read the headline and story.
Enjoy your vacation!
Am I the only that thinks 16% is low for the Tab and 2% high for the iPad? My reasoning is 1) people likely know the iPad much better as a product before buying, and 2) iOS for iPad, the SDK and apps were designed with the iPad display size in mind, which is not the case with Froyo.
Nope you're not. It was rushed, wrong sized, and has a OS not meant for tablets. 16% return is low IMO.
Ohhh and I forgot overpriced. It would have to drop down to $99 for me to even consider it.
Samsung and all other companies shouldn't even try. Everyone knows competition is BAD. I applaud everyone here for bashing a device they don't even own
If nobody builds crappy products then whose shit is Apple going to polish into their next revolutionary device?
Yeah I am spoiled I have two Apple Stores in my area. Its without a doubt the best situation to go to an Apple Store for anything even more so if you are having a problem.
Android still shocks me . While sales overall are doing really well I am just surprised that a company as large as Google doesn't have their shit together better with the entire Android situation.
Why does it shock you? Google is following a strategy that simply works. Its worked out extremely well for Microsoft and is going to work out well for Google. Apple's strategy had them at the brink of extinction, do you really think another company will try to copy that? Apple would probably be a very different company right now if it weren't for the iPod, iTunes, iPhone, and Macs that can also run windows.
Apple would probably be a very different company right now if it weren't for the iPod, iTunes, iPhone, and Macs that can also run windows.
Good call
Dont you mean Geek Tragedy
I raise my hat respectfully to that joke!
But in reality, those sales were to inventory channels, and not actual consumers. In a quarterly earnings call with investors last week, Samsung executive Lee Kun-hee said that the sell-through to consumers was "quite small," though he added the company felt that its performance was "quite OK" given that it is the introduction of a new device.
It turns out that "quite small" was a mistaken transcription of what the Samsung exec actually said, which was the Tab sales were "quite smooth". Check the WSJ.
As for reporting product into inventory channels, that's how Apple pumps up its own sales figures. To Apple, the moment a product leaves China, it's a "sale".
Why does it shock you? Google is following a strategy that simply works. Its worked out extremely well for Microsoft and is going to work out well for Google. Apple's strategy had them at the brink of extinction, do you really think another company will try to copy that? Apple would probably be a very different company right now if it weren't for the iPod, iTunes, iPhone, and Macs that can also run windows.
Just in general, I guess it's worth pointing out that the cell phone market is not the early PC market. I think anyone can work out for themselves the many, many ways Android differs from Windows, that Google differs from Microsoft, that phone and tablet use differ from PC use, and that cell contract cost structures differ from corporate sales (which were responsible for the early success of the PC).
I realize it's very tempting to see Android as Windows to the iPhone's Mac, and imagine that Apple is "repeating their mistakes", but you can't casually conflate the myriad of specific technical, historical and financial reasons Windows became the dominate computing platform and then blithely map that onto the current mobile device scene and conclude that somehow it's all happening again.
Of the 100% of the people that lose their mind.
84% of them lose their receipt.
Ahhh .... it's getting late ... I didn't "catch on" at first .... but now I can't stop laughing. ...
Just in general, I guess it's worth pointing out that the cell phone market is not the early PC market. I think anyone can work out for themselves the many, many ways Android differs from Windows, that Google differs from Microsoft, that phone and tablet use differ from PC use, and that cell contract cost structures differ from corporate sales (which were responsible for the early success of the PC).
I realize it's very tempting to see Android as Windows to the iPhone's Mac, and imagine that Apple is "repeating their mistakes", but you can't casually conflate the myriad of specific technical, historical and financial reasons Windows became the dominate computing platform and then blithely map that onto the current mobile device scene and conclude that somehow it's all happening again.
I didn't imply Apple was "repeating their mistakes", the smartphone market is very similar to the PC market, they are after all tiny computers with the same processing power computers had 10 yrs ago. I was trying to point out that just because Apple's strategy of hardware and software implementation has worked out well for them doesn't necessarily mean it's a strategy everyone else should follow. Imagine the convoluted mess we'd have if every smartphone maker decided to make their own OS. Would developers make apps for 6-7 different mobile OSs? No they wouldn't and most companies would fail miserably. They're settling for some fragmentation rather than total segregation.