Not a troll I have one myself and I could easily live with out, so could most people who buy one. Sure, some companys and business people have found value in using it as a tool but that is a very, very small percentage. So ok, the iPad is mostly, hows that, is mostly a toy for those who buy one, especially for those on this board.
There are a lot of people who could benefit from iPad use outside the typical PC user. A lot. This was all hashed out when the first iPad first launched.
It's not just for people who work in offices using Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It's not just for people sitting on the sofa web-surfing.
There are all kinds of places laptops are employed awkwardly. Like in vehicles. And doctors offices. With people who stock shelves in your grocery store. Kiosks. Ordering systems. Check-in systems. Etc.
If you can't see past the typical use cases of the previous decade you're not going to see the potential, and you're not going to see it's not just a toy. When you say it's just a toy it's like you're saying the working world would be better off if they didn't have a choice of this or a laptop, and that just doesn't make any sense.
Calling it a toy is dismissing it, and that truly makes you sound like someone against progress, choice, and innovation.
I think it's silly to upgrade from a iPad 2 to a new iPad 3 uh iPad. But at the end of the day it's just a toy. So if a new toy will bring happines in your life then so be it, buy one. However do not pretend one bit that you need a new one of course not the previous model is a more then capable tablet. You want one because of the hype.
Perhaps some of the doctors and medical professionals who use these "toys" to treat and interact with patients, and the patients themselves might disagree.
I found the Swiss to be very advanced in using technology... If your experience is different, is it possible that opium or post op pain is clouding your judgement?
The press release lists two contacts, if people are really worried about AI accuracy the PR people should be able to clear things up. No matter what I can still see ten million sold by the end of the month. Use it once and you won't want to let go.
A number of sites are starting to report that the 3 million ONLY includes iPads sold at Apple retail. So the real number sold is presumably much higher.
Especially since they ran out of the first batch before the week was over
I am very happy with the new iPad numbers as a user and a shareholder.
As far as the dividend/buyback announcement -- I was hoping for at least a 10:1 split, too.
I wanted the split to set up some investment accounts for the grandkids -- $60 per share provides a lot more room to maneuver/experiment/fail/learn than $600 per share.
The grandkids all have savings accounts -- but that's not investing... It's just setting money aside for a later purchase...
My 16-year-old granddaughter is saving for a car and taking online driving lessons...
Speaking of young girls taking driving lessons, I found this YT clip from a show that was on HUB late last night:
Enjoy -- they just don't make TV shows like this anymore
I'm quite pleased they didn't get into the messy business of a split. IMO, a 10 for 1 split would open the stock up to more speculation by the public and would just increase volatility. I don't like the dividend, but I'd dislike a split even more.
Perhaps some of the doctors and medical professionals who use these "toys" to treat and interact with patients, and the patients themselves might disagree.
Speaking of... this "toy" now with its excellent color accuracy now has a resolution high enough to make portable medical imaging a reality at a very low cost.
I totally agree. The dictation is amazing. As is the screen is simply stunning (the 2 has already passed on my 13-yr old). And the speed.... wow.
Really? I haven't tried the new iPad yet but the 4s is just as woeful at dictation as is every other device I have attempted it on since oh, 1991. Okay, it has improved a bit but it is still far from where it needs to be.
The other thing I fail to get about dictation (in its current form) regardless of device or accuracy is speed and all that bizarre stuff, like punctuation you have to speak out. Then having to re-read the whole thing to check for errors, then tip tapping and fixing them all.
Maybe in another 10 years.
All that said, I am very curious to see how the new iPad could deal with taking minutes, as long as people did not speak over the top of each other. You know, sitting in the middle of the table. Obviously it would be verbatim as opposed to key points, but still an interesting test.
You know it doesn't matter that there are mountains of evidence that Apple is doing phenomenally, the "sour grapes" and "wishful thinking" crowd will just deny it.
IPad is a big iPod
iPad will go away by 2012
No memory expansion
Blah blah blah.... The list of silly predictions and grievances is just too long.
Now it is... Oh they could not have sold 3 million iPads, it includes preorders, their luck will run out soon....... So funny
The other thing I fail to get about dictation (in its current form) regardless of device or accuracy is speed and all that bizarre stuff, like punctuation you have to speak out.
That, I agree with - it is a bit primitive on that front.
Really? I haven't tried the new iPad yet but the 4s is just as woeful at dictation as is every other device I have attempted it on since oh, 1991. Okay, it has improved a bit but it is still far from where it needs to be.
The other thing I fail to get about dictation (in its current form) regardless of device or accuracy is speed and all that bizarre stuff, like punctuation you have to speak out. Then having to re-read the whole thing to check for errors, then tip tapping and fixing them all.
Maybe in another 10 years.
All that said, I am very curious to see how the new iPad could deal with taking minutes, as long as people did not speak over the top of each other. You know, sitting in the middle of the table. Obviously it would be verbatim as opposed to key points, but still an interesting test.
It's not continuous... You need to tap to enable speech recognition... Then after about a paragraph, tap to interpret and display the text. It times out after about 20 seconds... Rinse and repeat.
the weekend number 3 million is indeed impressive. but a significant factor has to be the much expanded day 1 global sales launch in a dozen major markets. with two dozen more to come next week. comparing just US sales only to the the last two years' launches of iPad 1 and 2 would be very informative about its absolute growth in popularity in just a single market (but Apple won't release those figures anyway). but then Apple's global sales expansion is a big reason for the its huge growth of the last few years overall - maybe THE biggest reason. so i'm not saying that don't count ...
and one also has to wonder how many "pre-sales" aren't even included in that total. does that mean only the ordered iPads that haven't shipped/been delivered yet? is it 1 million more? more? less? Apple is so damn closed mouth.
if Foxconn was assembling 5 million a month (last quarter's iPad 2 sales rate) starting in February they should have made 5-10 million by now. they must all be committed to overseas markets, hence the two week delay in shipping orders from the Apple Store. i just walked in and bought one on the spot yesterday, so there is plenty of inventory in the retail stores, for the moment at least.
There are lots of things I could live without. I don't really need those cloths, don't really need that pickup, I might be able to get buy without my shop tools, for that matter I don't really need my Microwave and stove. However this is the modern world and roasting a rabbit over a wood fire can be a bit time consuming. Cloths come in handy fighting the winter cold and that pickup has great utility. Similarly the iPad has great utility and can be used for many purposes including as a toy.
As to business somethings just evolve in unplanned ways, I never thought of my iPhone as a business tool yet it has become incredibly useful for the work I do. I'm certain iPad is rapidly evolving into a valuable business tool also. Like all things computer it takes time for the software to get there, but even today app store is chocked full of useful apps for business.
Honestly you are starting to sound like a relic from the past. The mainframe gods and Mini computer gurus of the day didn't think much of the desktop computer either. Mini computers hardly exist anymore and the mainframe business has been transformed. We sit today with front row seats to be able to watch the transformation of the PC world. It is pretty neat to watch if you open your mind.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
Not a troll I have one myself and I could easily live with out, so could most people who buy one. Sure, some companys and business people have found value in using it as a tool but that is a very, very small percentage. So ok, the iPad is mostly, hows that, is mostly a toy for those who buy one, especially for those on this board.
One thing that often gets overlooked is Apple's operational excellence compared to other areas of the company's discipline like design, engineering, software development and marketing, etc. I work in the supply chain side of things in a completely different kind of industry and go to Asia (mainly China and Korea) 4~5 times per year, so I can appreciate what's involved in working with the suppliers there and coordinating the development, manufacturing and delivery of products to the customers all around the world.
When I observe what Apple is doing purely from the supply chain side of things, I'm in absolute awe of their execution from front to end - especially considering how older products are phased out and new products are inserted into a rather huge pipeline. To me, Apple's supply chain management is more interesting than their marketing or engineering operations. And I don't think there is any doubt that Apple manages supply chain better than any other company in the world and that it is the underlying factor in why Apple has been so financially successful.
To coordinate the production and delivery (in virtual secrecy) of millions of these sophisticated products into the hands of consumers over a weekend is pretty mind-boggling to ponder from a logistics perspective. What Apple is doing makes what I'm doing in the industry that I'm in seem like caveman-primitive in comparison. I wonder how many Apple operations employees are based in Asia overseeing the supply chain side of things. It must be in the many hundreds or perhaps well over a thousand. I can't even imagine.
A great example of Apple's innovation in the supply chain side of things is how the products get delivered to the consumers' doors straight from the factory in Shenzen, China. As Tim Cook famously said, "Inventory is fundamentally evil." Why have expensive warehouse space and overhead in the US when Apple can ship in volume from the factories and warehouses in China with special shipping deals with the likes of FedEx and UPS to have the products delivered straight to the customers' doors? Even an HP operations manager said that it was an "Oh, s$*t!" moment when he ordered an iPod and saw it being shipped to his door from China.
Apple is leveraging its humungous size and scale along with breathtaking speed and proficiency to get the products made in time with the quality that it demands and then delivered in the most cost-effective ways possible to its customers. Apple needs to operate like a little start-up in this industry to stay ahead and Tim Cook and his operations team has somehow figured out how to do so despite its $100+ billion size in a super-fast moving industry. I mean, is anyone really interested in Exxon or Walmart's operations? They're like blue whales or elephants while Apple is like a killer whale, a cheetah and a falcon moving at their top speeds.
Apple's remarkable logistics and operational excellence often gets overlooked by virtually everyone out there and perhaps that's a good thing. To most people, it's just not that interesting and not worth delving into. But this is Apple's secret (or under-appreciated) weapon and no one in Apple wants to share how they do it. And not enough people would care enough anyway. This weekend's sales of 3 million iPads in 4 days is a good example of what is possible when a company has its operations act together.
Having too much of a backlog is akin to leaving money on the table. Having too much inventory is pretty bad too. Tech products are like milk; no one wants to buy sour milk. It seems Apple is getting better and better at forecasting demand and that's even more bad news for the competition.
One thing that often gets overlooked is Apple's operational excellence compared to other area's of the company's discipline like design, engineering, software development and marketing, etc. I work in the supply chain side of things in a completely different kind of industry and go to Asia (mainly China and Korea) 4~5 times per year, so I can appreciate what's involved in working with the suppliers there and coordinating the development, manufacturing and delivery of products to the customers all around the world.
When I observe what Apple is doing purely from the supply chain side of things, I'm in absolute awe of their execution from front to end - especially considering how older products are phased out and new products are inserted into a rather huge pipeline. To me, Apple's supply chain management is more interesting than their marketing or engineering operations. And I don't think there is any doubt that Apple manages supply chain better than any other company in the world and that it is the underlying factor in why Apple has been so financially successful.
To coordinate the production and delivery (in virtual secrecy) of millions of these sophisticated products into the hands of consumers over a weekend is pretty mind-boggling to ponder from a logistics perspective. What Apple is doing makes what I'm doing in the industry that I'm in seem like caveman-primitive in comparison. I wonder how many Apple supply chain employees are based in Asia overseeing the supply chain side of things. It must be in the many hundreds or perhaps well over a thousand. I can't even imagine.
A great example of Apple's innovation in the supply chain side of things is how the products get delivered to the consumers' doors straight from the factory in Shenzen, China. As Tim Cook famously said, "Inventory is fundamentally evil." Why have expensive warehouse space and overhead in the US when Apple can ship in volume from the factories and warehouses in China with special shipping deals with the likes of FedEx and UPS to have the products delivered straight to the customers' doors? Even an HP operations manager said that it was an "Oh, s$*t!" moment when he ordered an iPod and saw it being shipped to his door from China.
Apple is leveraging its humungous size and scale along with breathtaking speed and proficiency to get the products made in time with the quality that it demands and then delivered in the most cost-effective ways possible to its customers. Apple needs to operate like a little start-up in this industry to stay ahead and Tim Cook and his operations team has somehow figured out how to do so despite its $100+ billion size in a super-fast moving industry. I mean, is anyone really interested in Exxon or Walmart's operations? They're like blue whales or elephants while Apple is like a killer whale, a cheetah and a falcon moving at their top speeds.
Apple's remarkable logistics and operational excellence often gets overlooked by virtually everyone out there and perhaps that's a good thing. To most people, it's just not that interesting and not worth delving into. But this is Apple's secret (or under-appreciated) weapon and no one in Apple wants to share how they do it. And not enough people would care enough anyway. This weekend's sales of 3 million iPads in 4 days is a good example of what is possible when a company has its operations act together.
Having too much of a backlog is akin to leaving money on the table. Having too much inventory is pretty bad too. Tech products are like milk; no one wants to buy sour milk. It seems Apple is getting better and better at forecasting demand and that's even more bad news for the competition.
Best post I've read all day and explains well why Tim Cook is CEO of Apple being that he was the one responsible for Apple's supply chain excellence while SJ was CEO.
Not a troll I have one myself and I could easily live with out, so could most people who buy one. Sure, some companys and business people have found value in using it as a tool but that is a very, very small percentage. So ok, the iPad is mostly, hows that, is mostly a toy for those who buy one, especially for those on this board.
Kanye West: You see the hate, that they servin on a platter.
Drake: But Jealousy is just love and hate at the same time.
There are lots of things I could live without. I don't really need those cloths, don't really need that pickup, I might be able to get buy without my shop tools, for that matter I don't really need my Microwave and stove. However this is the modern world and roasting a rabbit over a wood fire can be a bit time consuming. Cloths come in handy fighting the winter cold and that pickup has great utility. Similarly the iPad has great utility and can be used for many purposes including as a toy.
As to business somethings just evolve in unplanned ways, I never thought of my iPhone as a business tool yet it has become incredibly useful for the work I do. I'm certain iPad is rapidly evolving into a valuable business tool also. Like all things computer it takes time for the software to get there, but even today app store is chocked full of useful apps for business.
Honestly you are starting to sound like a relic from the past. The mainframe gods and Mini computer gurus of the day didn't think much of the desktop computer either. Mini computers hardly exist anymore and the mainframe business has been transformed. We sit today with front row seats to be able to watch the transformation of the PC world. It is pretty neat to watch if you open your mind.
My God... That was incredibly on point and sensible..,
Comments
Not a troll I have one myself and I could easily live with out, so could most people who buy one. Sure, some companys and business people have found value in using it as a tool but that is a very, very small percentage. So ok, the iPad is mostly, hows that, is mostly a toy for those who buy one, especially for those on this board.
There are a lot of people who could benefit from iPad use outside the typical PC user. A lot. This was all hashed out when the first iPad first launched.
It's not just for people who work in offices using Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It's not just for people sitting on the sofa web-surfing.
There are all kinds of places laptops are employed awkwardly. Like in vehicles. And doctors offices. With people who stock shelves in your grocery store. Kiosks. Ordering systems. Check-in systems. Etc.
If you can't see past the typical use cases of the previous decade you're not going to see the potential, and you're not going to see it's not just a toy. When you say it's just a toy it's like you're saying the working world would be better off if they didn't have a choice of this or a laptop, and that just doesn't make any sense.
Calling it a toy is dismissing it, and that truly makes you sound like someone against progress, choice, and innovation.
I think it's silly to upgrade from a iPad 2 to a new iPad 3 uh iPad. But at the end of the day it's just a toy. So if a new toy will bring happines in your life then so be it, buy one. However do not pretend one bit that you need a new one of course not the previous model is a more then capable tablet. You want one because of the hype.
Perhaps some of the doctors and medical professionals who use these "toys" to treat and interact with patients, and the patients themselves might disagree.
I found the Swiss to be very advanced in using technology... If your experience is different, is it possible that opium or post op pain is clouding your judgement?
A number of sites are starting to report that the 3 million ONLY includes iPads sold at Apple retail. So the real number sold is presumably much higher.
Especially since they ran out of the first batch before the week was over
I am very happy with the new iPad numbers as a user and a shareholder.
As far as the dividend/buyback announcement -- I was hoping for at least a 10:1 split, too.
I wanted the split to set up some investment accounts for the grandkids -- $60 per share provides a lot more room to maneuver/experiment/fail/learn than $600 per share.
The grandkids all have savings accounts -- but that's not investing... It's just setting money aside for a later purchase...
My 16-year-old granddaughter is saving for a car and taking online driving lessons...
Speaking of young girls taking driving lessons, I found this YT clip from a show that was on HUB late last night:
Family Ties - Jennifer Learns to Drive
Enjoy -- they just don't make TV shows like this anymore
I'm quite pleased they didn't get into the messy business of a split. IMO, a 10 for 1 split would open the stock up to more speculation by the public and would just increase volatility. I don't like the dividend, but I'd dislike a split even more.
Perhaps some of the doctors and medical professionals who use these "toys" to treat and interact with patients, and the patients themselves might disagree.
Speaking of... this "toy" now with its excellent color accuracy now has a resolution high enough to make portable medical imaging a reality at a very low cost.
I totally agree. The dictation is amazing. As is the screen is simply stunning (the 2 has already passed on my 13-yr old). And the speed.... wow.
Really? I haven't tried the new iPad yet but the 4s is just as woeful at dictation as is every other device I have attempted it on since oh, 1991. Okay, it has improved a bit but it is still far from where it needs to be.
The other thing I fail to get about dictation (in its current form) regardless of device or accuracy is speed and all that bizarre stuff, like punctuation you have to speak out. Then having to re-read the whole thing to check for errors, then tip tapping and fixing them all.
Maybe in another 10 years.
All that said, I am very curious to see how the new iPad could deal with taking minutes, as long as people did not speak over the top of each other. You know, sitting in the middle of the table. Obviously it would be verbatim as opposed to key points, but still an interesting test.
IPad is a big iPod
iPad will go away by 2012
No memory expansion
Blah blah blah.... The list of silly predictions and grievances is just too long.
Now it is... Oh they could not have sold 3 million iPads, it includes preorders, their luck will run out soon....... So funny
The other thing I fail to get about dictation (in its current form) regardless of device or accuracy is speed and all that bizarre stuff, like punctuation you have to speak out.
That, I agree with - it is a bit primitive on that front.
Really? I haven't tried the new iPad yet but the 4s is just as woeful at dictation as is every other device I have attempted it on since oh, 1991. Okay, it has improved a bit but it is still far from where it needs to be.
The other thing I fail to get about dictation (in its current form) regardless of device or accuracy is speed and all that bizarre stuff, like punctuation you have to speak out. Then having to re-read the whole thing to check for errors, then tip tapping and fixing them all.
Maybe in another 10 years.
All that said, I am very curious to see how the new iPad could deal with taking minutes, as long as people did not speak over the top of each other. You know, sitting in the middle of the table. Obviously it would be verbatim as opposed to key points, but still an interesting test.
It's not continuous... You need to tap to enable speech recognition... Then after about a paragraph, tap to interpret and display the text. It times out after about 20 seconds... Rinse and repeat.
methinks one should eat ones hat
But, but... the previous poster was right! (Just for the wrong reason.)
Sales were nowhere near 1 million. (They were triple that.)
And demand was not what it was for the iPad 2. (It was much higher.)
Thompson
and one also has to wonder how many "pre-sales" aren't even included in that total. does that mean only the ordered iPads that haven't shipped/been delivered yet? is it 1 million more? more? less? Apple is so damn closed mouth.
if Foxconn was assembling 5 million a month (last quarter's iPad 2 sales rate) starting in February they should have made 5-10 million by now. they must all be committed to overseas markets, hence the two week delay in shipping orders from the Apple Store. i just walked in and bought one on the spot yesterday, so there is plenty of inventory in the retail stores, for the moment at least.
As to business somethings just evolve in unplanned ways, I never thought of my iPhone as a business tool yet it has become incredibly useful for the work I do. I'm certain iPad is rapidly evolving into a valuable business tool also. Like all things computer it takes time for the software to get there, but even today app store is chocked full of useful apps for business.
Honestly you are starting to sound like a relic from the past. The mainframe gods and Mini computer gurus of the day didn't think much of the desktop computer either. Mini computers hardly exist anymore and the mainframe business has been transformed. We sit today with front row seats to be able to watch the transformation of the PC world. It is pretty neat to watch if you open your mind.
Not a troll I have one myself and I could easily live with out, so could most people who buy one. Sure, some companys and business people have found value in using it as a tool but that is a very, very small percentage. So ok, the iPad is mostly, hows that, is mostly a toy for those who buy one, especially for those on this board.
When I observe what Apple is doing purely from the supply chain side of things, I'm in absolute awe of their execution from front to end - especially considering how older products are phased out and new products are inserted into a rather huge pipeline. To me, Apple's supply chain management is more interesting than their marketing or engineering operations. And I don't think there is any doubt that Apple manages supply chain better than any other company in the world and that it is the underlying factor in why Apple has been so financially successful.
To coordinate the production and delivery (in virtual secrecy) of millions of these sophisticated products into the hands of consumers over a weekend is pretty mind-boggling to ponder from a logistics perspective. What Apple is doing makes what I'm doing in the industry that I'm in seem like caveman-primitive in comparison. I wonder how many Apple operations employees are based in Asia overseeing the supply chain side of things. It must be in the many hundreds or perhaps well over a thousand. I can't even imagine.
A great example of Apple's innovation in the supply chain side of things is how the products get delivered to the consumers' doors straight from the factory in Shenzen, China. As Tim Cook famously said, "Inventory is fundamentally evil." Why have expensive warehouse space and overhead in the US when Apple can ship in volume from the factories and warehouses in China with special shipping deals with the likes of FedEx and UPS to have the products delivered straight to the customers' doors? Even an HP operations manager said that it was an "Oh, s$*t!" moment when he ordered an iPod and saw it being shipped to his door from China.
Apple is leveraging its humungous size and scale along with breathtaking speed and proficiency to get the products made in time with the quality that it demands and then delivered in the most cost-effective ways possible to its customers. Apple needs to operate like a little start-up in this industry to stay ahead and Tim Cook and his operations team has somehow figured out how to do so despite its $100+ billion size in a super-fast moving industry. I mean, is anyone really interested in Exxon or Walmart's operations? They're like blue whales or elephants while Apple is like a killer whale, a cheetah and a falcon moving at their top speeds.
Apple's remarkable logistics and operational excellence often gets overlooked by virtually everyone out there and perhaps that's a good thing. To most people, it's just not that interesting and not worth delving into. But this is Apple's secret (or under-appreciated) weapon and no one in Apple wants to share how they do it. And not enough people would care enough anyway. This weekend's sales of 3 million iPads in 4 days is a good example of what is possible when a company has its operations act together.
Having too much of a backlog is akin to leaving money on the table. Having too much inventory is pretty bad too. Tech products are like milk; no one wants to buy sour milk. It seems Apple is getting better and better at forecasting demand and that's even more bad news for the competition.
One thing that often gets overlooked is Apple's operational excellence compared to other area's of the company's discipline like design, engineering, software development and marketing, etc. I work in the supply chain side of things in a completely different kind of industry and go to Asia (mainly China and Korea) 4~5 times per year, so I can appreciate what's involved in working with the suppliers there and coordinating the development, manufacturing and delivery of products to the customers all around the world.
When I observe what Apple is doing purely from the supply chain side of things, I'm in absolute awe of their execution from front to end - especially considering how older products are phased out and new products are inserted into a rather huge pipeline. To me, Apple's supply chain management is more interesting than their marketing or engineering operations. And I don't think there is any doubt that Apple manages supply chain better than any other company in the world and that it is the underlying factor in why Apple has been so financially successful.
To coordinate the production and delivery (in virtual secrecy) of millions of these sophisticated products into the hands of consumers over a weekend is pretty mind-boggling to ponder from a logistics perspective. What Apple is doing makes what I'm doing in the industry that I'm in seem like caveman-primitive in comparison. I wonder how many Apple supply chain employees are based in Asia overseeing the supply chain side of things. It must be in the many hundreds or perhaps well over a thousand. I can't even imagine.
A great example of Apple's innovation in the supply chain side of things is how the products get delivered to the consumers' doors straight from the factory in Shenzen, China. As Tim Cook famously said, "Inventory is fundamentally evil." Why have expensive warehouse space and overhead in the US when Apple can ship in volume from the factories and warehouses in China with special shipping deals with the likes of FedEx and UPS to have the products delivered straight to the customers' doors? Even an HP operations manager said that it was an "Oh, s$*t!" moment when he ordered an iPod and saw it being shipped to his door from China.
Apple is leveraging its humungous size and scale along with breathtaking speed and proficiency to get the products made in time with the quality that it demands and then delivered in the most cost-effective ways possible to its customers. Apple needs to operate like a little start-up in this industry to stay ahead and Tim Cook and his operations team has somehow figured out how to do so despite its $100+ billion size in a super-fast moving industry. I mean, is anyone really interested in Exxon or Walmart's operations? They're like blue whales or elephants while Apple is like a killer whale, a cheetah and a falcon moving at their top speeds.
Apple's remarkable logistics and operational excellence often gets overlooked by virtually everyone out there and perhaps that's a good thing. To most people, it's just not that interesting and not worth delving into. But this is Apple's secret (or under-appreciated) weapon and no one in Apple wants to share how they do it. And not enough people would care enough anyway. This weekend's sales of 3 million iPads in 4 days is a good example of what is possible when a company has its operations act together.
Having too much of a backlog is akin to leaving money on the table. Having too much inventory is pretty bad too. Tech products are like milk; no one wants to buy sour milk. It seems Apple is getting better and better at forecasting demand and that's even more bad news for the competition.
Best post I've read all day and explains well why Tim Cook is CEO of Apple being that he was the one responsible for Apple's supply chain excellence while SJ was CEO.
Not a troll I have one myself and I could easily live with out, so could most people who buy one. Sure, some companys and business people have found value in using it as a tool but that is a very, very small percentage. So ok, the iPad is mostly, hows that, is mostly a toy for those who buy one, especially for those on this board.
Kanye West: You see the hate, that they servin on a platter.
Drake: But Jealousy is just love and hate at the same time.
There are lots of things I could live without. I don't really need those cloths, don't really need that pickup, I might be able to get buy without my shop tools, for that matter I don't really need my Microwave and stove. However this is the modern world and roasting a rabbit over a wood fire can be a bit time consuming. Cloths come in handy fighting the winter cold and that pickup has great utility. Similarly the iPad has great utility and can be used for many purposes including as a toy.
As to business somethings just evolve in unplanned ways, I never thought of my iPhone as a business tool yet it has become incredibly useful for the work I do. I'm certain iPad is rapidly evolving into a valuable business tool also. Like all things computer it takes time for the software to get there, but even today app store is chocked full of useful apps for business.
Honestly you are starting to sound like a relic from the past. The mainframe gods and Mini computer gurus of the day didn't think much of the desktop computer either. Mini computers hardly exist anymore and the mainframe business has been transformed. We sit today with front row seats to be able to watch the transformation of the PC world. It is pretty neat to watch if you open your mind.
My God... That was incredibly on point and sensible..,