Apple's retail point-of-sale system suffers nationwide outage

Posted:
in General Discussion edited December 2014
Customers at Apple retail stores across the country have been unable to make purchases or pick up items ordered online through Apple's Personal Pickup program thanks to an apparent glitch in the company's point-of-sale systems that occurred on Thursday.

Apple New York SoHo store
Apple's SoHo store in New York City


AppleInsider received several reports from readers on Thursday who revealed that the internal systems which run Apple's retail stores throughout the U.S. were down for at least two hours, with at least one report that the outage may extend internationally. Both in-store purchases and pickups for online purchases are affected.

The outage could put a not-insignificant dent in Apple's revenues. The company reported an average of $50 million in revenues per store for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2013, or just under $50,000 per hour, assuming an average operating time of 12 hours per day. With 253 stores in the United States, that means the glitch may have already cost Apple as much as $25 million.

This is a particularly busy time for Apple's retail stores, with the iPhone 5s and 5c, iPad Air, and new Retina display-equipped iPad mini all having been released within the last two months and the busy holiday season ramping up.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 32
    I'm sure it'll be back up and running faster than you can say "Obamacare!"
  • Reply 1 of 32
    jm6032jm6032 Posts: 147member

    Well, I always like these gross estimates. Do we really believe that a customer won't eventually buy what he/she came to buy? Sure, some are spur of the moment, but if you want a new iMac, will you really just go across the street and buy a Windows PC because the cash register was broken? Geez.

  • Reply 3 of 32
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    "The outage could put a not-insignificant dent in Apple's revenues"

    Why not just write, "the outage could put a significant dent in Apple's revenues?"

    To which the answer is, no, no it couldn't. People will come back later to pick up their stuff.
  • Reply 4 of 32
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    gustav wrote: »
    "The outage could put a not-insignificant dent in Apple's revenues"

    Why not just write, "the outage could put a significant dent in Apple's revenues?"

    To which the answer is, no, no it couldn't. People will come back later to pick up their stuff.

    That is a way of emphasizing a point. It is quite often said that way ... 'That is a significant amount of money' doesn't quite carry the oomph of ... 'That is not an insignificant amount of money'. There is an underlying feeling of astonishment, if you will, in the former usage that is lacking in the latter.

    You might say ... 'Wow, that is not inconsequential at all!" It has way more impact phrased that way than ... "Wow that is consequential!"

    How about ... "That's not Ilegal!" As opposed to "That's legal".

    Double negatives at their best! ;)
  • Reply 5 of 32
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    This is a non issue, and no, I don't agree that it will put any dent in revenues.

     

    People who come to buy Apple products won't settle for anything less. Most purchases are not spur of the moment. 

     

    I'm sure that this will be fixed shortly.

  • Reply 6 of 32
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Apparently it's back up now.
  • Reply 7 of 32
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    This is a non issue, and no, I don't agree that it will put any dent in revenues.

     

    People who come to buy Apple products won't settle for anything less. Most purchases are not spur of the moment. 

     

    I'm sure that this will be fixed shortly, it's not like the dunces and other incompetent baboons who are behind the govt healthcare site work for Apple.


    Yeah. I can't believe that the government spent 600 million on a website. Ridiculous. Why didn't they ask Oracle to set it up, Microsoft or Google. To hire a bunch of independent private subcontractors is just pure idiocy. How did that ever get approved? Was there no qualified oversight from real ecommerce experts? And now why don't they just buy a copy of California's insurance website which works great. They could have it running in a couple days.

  • Reply 8 of 32
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    This is a non issue, and no, I don't agree that it will put any dent in revenues.

     

    People who come to buy Apple products won't settle for anything less. Most purchases are not spur of the moment. 


    Gloom and doom sells in the news business. A positive attitude is for losers.

  • Reply 9 of 32
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member

    If Steve were here this wouldn't have happened...

  • Reply 10 of 32
    ktappektappe Posts: 823member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post





    That is a way of emphasizing a point. It is quite often said that way ... Double negatives at their best! image

     

    It's called "litotes". Intentional use of a double negative to add emphasis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litotes

  • Reply 11 of 32
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macxpress View Post

     

    If Steve were here this wouldn't have happened...


     

    And now Apple is doomed...

  • Reply 12 of 32
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    I'm sure that this will be fixed shortly


     

    What an amazingly accurate prediction! <img class=" src="http://forums-files.appleinsider.com/images/smilies//lol.gif" /> 

     

    And yes, I am replying to myself.:err:

  • Reply 13 of 32
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tribalogical View Post

     

     

    And now Apple is doomed...


     

    Yup...might as well shut the company down now according to some people. Just like with any other hiccup Apple has. I'm sure the Tim Cook needs to be fired people are going off right now. 

  • Reply 14 of 32
    Any store should be able to take money for products from customers when their POS system goes down or the internet does not work or whatever. I run into this more and more and it seems insane to me.
  • Reply 15 of 32

    That is a way of emphasizing a point.

    No biggie
  • Reply 16 of 32
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    This is also unlikely to put a dent in Apple's universe denting.

    apple ][ wrote: »
    What an amazingly accurate prediction! :lol:  

    And yes, I am replying to myself.:err:

    What's even more impressive is that you're talking to yourself in the past.

    How cool is that?

    Quick, send a warning about something bad that happens to you in the future!
  • Reply 17 of 32
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    And now Apple is doomed...

    Headline: Apple fails to sell anything within a two hour window. Witnesses say customers left empty handed.
  • Reply 18 of 32
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member

    This is why a good old fashion cash Register just works, I remember when Mastercard system went off line and stores could not process CC think about that. When you are loosing money because of technology you need to rethink things.

  • Reply 19 of 32
    Somewhere at Samsung a VP said, "Let the game's begin!!!" And pressed the FU button which of course is a virus sent to Apple. :)
  • Reply 20 of 32
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member
    Writng this on my ipad mini with retina i just bought with the reserved system from right inside the store. Filled up the reservation from an imac in the store and got in line to get it.
    My first mini. Got a 32g wifi
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