Apple Watch could debut with 4-6 week lead times for some models

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  • Reply 41 of 48
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NolaMacGuy View Post

     

     

    its not intentional. they simply cant make enough of them. each phone has one year to be designed, developed, sourced, instructed, built, shipped...they take time.




    Where are you getting this from?

  • Reply 42 of 48
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aderutter View Post





    I totally agree. I can't see Apple releasing a hardware update (gen2) for at least 2 years.

    I imagine there'll be a software update somewhere along the line though.



    Except, both the iPad and iPhone were completely redesigned for the first year following introduction. So history tells us Apple gets the product to market in the most expeditious form possible, saving the more mature design for a quick round two follow-up. Considering the lead time to get one of these devices into production, they most likely start designing the second gen model a year before the 1st gen is released, having learned from all the mistakes they originally made and are then locked into, which guides them toward the product they really hoped to make. Now granted both of those launches were under Steve Jobs, and things could be different now. But I fully expect to see a 2nd Gen watch next Spring which is a slightly thinner design.

     

    That said, the elephant in the room is Apple's new focus on fashion. If they cater to the fashion industry, then they will most likely have annual updates, and seasonal offerings of watchbands. At a minimum, even if they stick to a two year refresh cycle on the watch, I would expect there will be new bands every year, if not every season, and new case materials every year as well.

     

    And even if they don't cater to fashion, I suspect technology will develop so quickly year to year that Apple will want to update the watch. For instance, considering a person can take calls on the ?Watch, I fully expect a FaceTime camera is coming too, why pull out your phone when you can do it on your watch?

  • Reply 43 of 48
    kpomkpom Posts: 660member
    Most likely Apple doesn't quite know what versions will sell better than others and does not want to be stuck with a bunch of unsold inventory. Maybe someone was going to get a stainless steel but read Joanna Stern's review and decided to get a Sport or wait for the next generation. Or maybe someone is interested in a Modern Buckle but tries it on in store and decides to go for a Classic buckle or Milanese loop. It's all new territory for Apple.
  • Reply 44 of 48
    I think this is a really cool product. I'm curious to see how it plays out. In hindsight at least, you can see a compelling need for the original Mac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad,,, While I think the watch is super cool, I am not seeing how it really fills a current need outside of niche uses.

    For example we hald the sony walkman, which sold a lot of units, but then the iPod came and dominated portable music players for several years and by a landslide. People were already keen on portable music and something that made it that much more convenient and easy to get and your music was a no brainer to become a success.

    iPhone - everyone had a cell phone and everyone had an internet browser... at home. And everyone had a portable music player. OBVIOUSLY putting those three together in an elegant iPhone would be an amazing success.

    Timepieces - ok... until cell phones, probably most people wore a wristwatch. Is looking at a digital screen that much of a leap from a beautiful hand crafted swiss watch? Maybe. I view it as different and beautiful in its own way, but not necessarily replacing a classy wristwatch.

    Look at it this way - the variety of expensive analog watches is way beyond the variety you get from swapping out bands on the same rectangular screen.

    You could see Apple being as big as Rolex, but why should the apple watch replace everything else?

    On the other hand many of us following Apple from the old days, thought the iPhone would be a worthy competitor... I never imagined that it would completely demolish all other platforms and move Apple into the most profitable company in the history of the world... We may have fantasized about it but I didn't hear too many people predicting it.

    So aside from being a pretty cool watch and as good or better as many other luxury brands, what makes this a displacing technology like the iPhone... or will it end up more of a hobby business like the AppleTV was for years?
  • Reply 45 of 48
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post



    So when will it be illegal to drive while wearing an Apple Watch?



    Only if it is illegal to have your iPhone in your pocket when driving.

  • Reply 46 of 48
    I haven't seen too many comments about the number of SKUs. I recall when Jobs came back he slashed a bunch of skus, even ones that were well-liked such as the Newton. I seem to recall there were 3 lines of PowerPC macs, eatch with multiple configurations under each 3, plus peripherals like Apple LaserWriter ... all sorts of good products that Steve Jobs killed because they weren't profitable (enough) and were taking focus away from their truly great products.

    Maybe inventory management is such now that this won't be an issue. If Apple does pull it off, Tim Cook will go down as one of the operational genuises of all time.
  • Reply 47 of 48
    bobjohnson wrote: »
    I think you are really overestimating the number of people who make purchasing decisions this way, especially in Apple's case. The company is cool, its products are cool, and that's what drives sales, not the idea that "I better get it now or else." Remember, the vast majority of the marketplace != people who read this kind of news.

    It's subconsious. Check out Cialdini's book "Influence". A person doesn't consciously say, "oh there's a lot of people lining up so I should go freeze my ass off and line up". It's much more subtle than that. It's more like:

    "Apple hit a sales record"
    "Unprecedented demand"
    "They obviously can't make them fast enough"
    "How bad do I really want this?"

    For a lot of people it's wanting a great product and being a little envious when your neighbour or coworker gets it first.

    For some it's just a desire to get your hands on something great and not have to wait for it.

    Logically, it''s a decision: you can wait in line for a few hours now, or you can order online in the comfor of your home but wait 3-4 weeks to get it. Apple has plenty of people in both categories and they know what they're doing.
  • Reply 48 of 48
    lukeilukei Posts: 379member

    It will be interesting, within Apple as I doubt data will come out, to see how the profile of watches 'favourited' within the online store matches those which make it to checkout.

     

    If it is a successful way of forecasting actual demand then it will be a very useful tool for many subsequent product launches not just Apple Watch.

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