It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Is it impressive or a marketing stunt. They sell out year after year. Why don't they just make millions more before launch - what doesn't sell will sell pre-christmas.
Okay, how many? How many more million? Store them where? How much more time devoted to production and security of storage, should they start building iPhone 8s right now so they have enough for next year's model? How much money do you expect to pay for this, because the cost has to be embedded in the phone for storage, extra security to protect these filled warehouses which store *unsold* product worth potentially billions of dollars. What is the exact formula, other than simply, "more." The costs, the supply chain constraints, the security, the money spent in the stock that just sits there, the lead time to manufacture millions of phones, perhaps the problem is all the impatient people who day one "MUST HAVE TODAY!" attitudes that should be managed, eh?!
You think the stock would just sit there? Really? It's darn obvious that if Apple had a few million more available they wouldn't be sitting around gathering dust. Your post doesn't make much sense since it's based on the flawed premise they'd have to be stuffed in a warehouse until someone wanted them.
To be honest I don't really understand why every iPhone launch, every single one, starts out with "constrained supply" unless that's the way Apple prefers it. 9 years in now if Apple wanted plenty of iPhones available for launch day, and considering Tim Cook's reputation as a master of the supply chain, they would have them. They can't reasonably be surprised by the demand after all these years. So the simplest explanation, which more often than not is the correct one, is that it all happens because that's the way Apple wants it. They would appear to be totally unconcerned, perhaps even pleased, if initial product stock can't meet demand, and why not? They're not going to lose any sale if someone has to wait an extra week or two to get an iPhone, and on the plus side it builds anticipation, evidence for a great product that everyone must want, and a sense of rarity "so get it now" leading to perhaps more demand for a few more of 'em. It works so there's zero reason to change anything. Next year they same thing will play out just as it has for the past nine.
Another, "I know better than they do," expert on supply chain management. YES, the fucking stock would sit there. Do you know how many months in advance they start to build these things? Do you realise how many components go into the making of these phones, and those of course would need to be fabricated FIRST, such as the chips. You demonstrate zero knowledge of business in your "they aren't going to lose any sale" and utter ignorance of corporate risk and management/business decisions, it's laughable. But, any opportunity to slam Apple from the armchair critics association of people who have never held positions such as those.
Who the hell is slamming Apple?? Certainly not me. As I pretty plainly said this is the way Apple wants it to be IMHO. If they wanted a few million more available to sell at each year's launch they very obviously could since they already know the initial demand is ALWAYS high and everything they have will sell in very short order. So no I "don't know better than they do" since I agree with the way they're doing it now. It works. I just think I know better than you do.
Yes and no.
Every year is a whole new ball game. They no they will sell a sh*tload, but what many don't seem to grasp here is that a sh*tload isn't actually a real number. If they went to their suppliers and said, 'iPhone 7 is on its way; we're going to need a sh*tload of memory modules' then their suppliers would probably ask them if they could be more specific. Until the phones have been on sale for a few weeks then Apple has no idea which colour will sell better (compounded by the fact that there are now two versions of black), which memory configuration will prove most popular and what size folk are going to go for, and all this can apply differently for every region they sell in. Once they have the figures in then the supply chain will be adjusted accordingly and things improve. This happens every year so you can understand why I get a little tired with the concern-trolling and conspiracy theories it seems to invoke.
You'd have to be a desperate sort of outfit to think that there is any advantage to denying your products to customers, and Apple isn't exactly desperate.
The world's best supply chain folk work for Apple, and they are working no differently to anyone else. I have worked in large scale manufacturing operations and I tell can you that the best ones are run so tightly that they penalise suppliers who deliver early.
And then there is prudence. Apple doesn't flood the market, even if they can sell everyone, because they're a cautious bunch. Remember AntennaeGate? BendGate? Storms in teacups, sure … but what if there was a problem? What if they had to recall? This is why the models featuring new manufacturing, design and state-of-the-art components are always in short supply. Apple would rather risk the ire of the impatient because the chances are that once they've decided on an iPhone then they're not going to change to an Android phone just because the phone they really want is in short supply, especially now since changing to an Android phone could result in serious burns or damage to property.
No company in its right mind would saturate the market with a brand new high tech product, without testing the waters first. This is not to say that Samsung is not in its right mind of course. They thought they were delivering a pretty standard unit assembled from pretty standard components; it is unlikely they could have seen this coming.
This.
No company in their right mind would produce a hundred million expensive gadgets 1 year earlier before launch. Never. No matter how popular the gadget is, it is still a super big risk, not to mention stupid.
So if you want to get your gadget early, preorder and be patient. If you're upset because they are all already sold out, certainly not Apple's fault.
To be honest I don't really understand why every iPhone launch, every single one, starts out with "constrained supply" unless that's the way Apple prefers it.
You too?
Here's a scenario: Your CE company makes a complex smartphone that uses high-end components and beats all others in performance and finished new features. Because of this you aren't using off the shelf components from suppliers and you're QC takes longer per device. You sold 300 M units the year before and about 20% want the new device the very first day it comes out.
Describe to me the circumstances that will lead to when stop design and testing a new device, to lock it into place, securing components, and having at least 60 million devices on hand to meet your launch day demand. How much overflow do you need for each color, size, and size, as well as consideration for carrier and country, since you have a large number of SKUs and unknowns about look and feel? Perhaps you can assume that silver will be pretty accurate, but what about Matte Black v Piano Black (remember, this isn't an iPhone we're talking about) considering each have pros and cons, and how you can't plan for how reviewers are going to affect the device of the device, thus shifting public appeal.
Describe to me the timeframe it would take and the ramp up procedure for making 60 million devices manufactured, boxed, and shipped to every country before launch just so the launch day customers can hopefully have the exact one they want.
Do you really not see the silliness of how demand affects supply and how companies that make HW aren't building them in a vacuum? Did you consider that if your product is in that high of demand and if have the ability to serve 20% on launch that it would then drive even more to want it on launch which you'd have also had to consider otherwise you'd have a "constrained supply." Tell me, as the CEO of this fictional company, what is your reasoning for "preferring" that the customer can't buy your device when logic says that you only make money when you can sell your product. If anything, it means your product is priced too low if your demand far exceeds your supply, especially when you see scalpers easily selling them to customers at 2x their retail price.
It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Sorry but throwing the f-bomb every other word doesn't make your point more valid. New iPhones on sale September 16*
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
Is it impressive or a marketing stunt. They sell out year after year. Why don't they just make millions more before launch - what doesn't sell will sell pre-christmas.
Okay, how many? How many more million? Store them where? How much more time devoted to production and security of storage, should they start building iPhone 8s right now so they have enough for next year's model? How much money do you expect to pay for this, because the cost has to be embedded in the phone for storage, extra security to protect these filled warehouses which store *unsold* product worth potentially billions of dollars. What is the exact formula, other than simply, "more." The costs, the supply chain constraints, the security, the money spent in the stock that just sits there, the lead time to manufacture millions of phones, perhaps the problem is all the impatient people who day one "MUST HAVE TODAY!" attitudes that should be managed, eh?!
You think the stock would just sit there? Really? It's darn obvious that if Apple had a few million more available they wouldn't be sitting around gathering dust. Your post doesn't make much sense since it's based on the flawed premise they'd have to be stuffed in a warehouse until someone wanted them.
To be honest I don't really understand why every iPhone launch, every single one, starts out with "constrained supply" unless that's the way Apple prefers it. 9 years in now if Apple wanted plenty of iPhones available for launch day, and considering Tim Cook's reputation as a master of the supply chain, they would have them. They can't reasonably be surprised by the demand after all these years. So the simplest explanation, which more often than not is the correct one, is that it all happens because that's the way Apple wants it. They would appear to be totally unconcerned, perhaps even pleased, if initial product stock can't meet demand, and why not? They're not going to lose any sale if someone has to wait an extra week or two to get an iPhone, and on the plus side it builds anticipation, evidence for a great product that everyone must want, and a sense of rarity "so get it now" leading to perhaps more demand for a few more of 'em. It works so there's zero reason to change anything. Next year they same thing will play out just as it has for the past nine.
Another, "I know better than they do," expert on supply chain management. YES, the fucking stock would sit there. Do you know how many months in advance they start to build these things? Do you realise how many components go into the making of these phones, and those of course would need to be fabricated FIRST, such as the chips. You demonstrate zero knowledge of business in your "they aren't going to lose any sale" and utter ignorance of corporate risk and management/business decisions, it's laughable. But, any opportunity to slam Apple from the armchair critics association of people who have never held positions such as those.
Who the hell is slamming Apple?? Certainly not me. As I pretty plainly said this is the way Apple wants it to be IMHO. If they wanted a few million more available to sell at each year's launch they very obviously could since they already know the initial demand is ALWAYS high and everything they have will sell in very short order. So no I "don't know better than they do" since I agree with the way they're doing it now. It works. I just think I know better than you do.
It could also be that Apple physically cannot ramp higher that readily each time- too much for infrastructure, suppliers, etc even with given lead times. I recall reading how Samsung was recently experiencing delays supplying components for ramping up Galaxy 7 and Note 7, and yet those are still roughly only about a quarter of iPhones sales. Apple IMO is pretty unappreciated for their strengths in the unsexy sides of SCM.
It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Sorry but throwing the f-bomb every other word doesn't make your point more valid. New iPhones on sale September 16*
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
1) Did you or did you not want the iPhone Upgrade Program members to get choices before people that walk in off the street.
2) Again, what part of supply v demand do you not fucking understand?
3) If they were even a day over 12 months from the last iPhone you would have thrown a hissy fit over your "right" as an iUP member being entitled to the new iPhone every year, not ever year and a day. That would have been fun¡
It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Sorry but throwing the f-bomb every other word doesn't make your point more valid. New iPhones on sale September 16*
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
Did you or did you not want the iPhone Upgrade Program members to get choices before people that walk in off the street.
2) Again, what part of supply v demand do you not fucking understand?
I'm not sure what you're talking about. This isn't a demand issue it's a supply issue. Jet Black was out of stock the minute it went on sale. Apple is supposed to be the experts at this. Like I said, last year there were two weeks between announcement and launch. This year there's only one and we see that supplies are really limited. Why not have the phones on sale 9/23 and give an extra week to ramp up supply?
To be honest I don't really understand why every iPhone launch, every single one, starts out with "constrained supply" unless that's the way Apple prefers it.
You two?
Describe to me the timeframe it would take and the ramp up procedure for making 60 million devices manufactured, boxed, and shipped to every country before launch just so the launch day customers can hopefully have the exact one they want.
Do you really not see the silliness of how demand affects supply and how companies that make HW aren't building them in a vacuum? Did you consider that if your product is in that high of demand and if have the ability to serve 20% on launch that it would then drive even more to want it on launch which you'd have also had to consider otherwise you'd have a "constrained supply." Tell me, as the CEO of this fictional company, what is your reasoning for "preferring" that the customer can't buy your device when logic says that you only make money when you can sell your product. If anything, it means your product is priced too low if your demand far exceeds your supply, especially when you see scalpers easily selling them to customers at 2x their retail price.
You presume it would require 60M iPhones on hand? In which launch has Apple ever sold 60m of any new iPhone model in the first month? Heck all iPhone models combined haven't exceeded 75m or so in an entire quarter have they? I'd suspect if they had a third of that, maybe 20M units, they'd cover most if not all initial needs. I'll continue to believe if Apple and Mr. Cook wanted that it's achievable.
As for your question about not having product for a customer to buy Apple fans will not go buy some other brand of phone simply because they have to wait an extra week or two. Ain't happenin' with iPhones. Maybe if you were selling tomatoes. You know as well as I do if you're even remotely familiar with marketing that scarcity can lead to demand. It creates excitement and anticipation, and tends to make things seem more valuable when that thing is scarce and in high demand. There's a sense of urgency in acquiring it. It's not a bad thing for some of Apple's new products to be in short supply when they first hit the market. Buyers won't bolt to another product instead.
Bajarin on Twitter has said a couple times that his supply chain contacts pointed to shortages in the dual camera system. That could easily explain the Plus sell out.
As for Jet Black, that sucker seems like a lot of extra work per unit, especially for an OMG fingerprint/scratch magnet that might scare off customers. I am not surprised Apple hung back to assess demand.
It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Sorry but throwing the f-bomb every other word doesn't make your point more valid. New iPhones on sale September 16*
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
Did you or did you not want the iPhone Upgrade Program members to get choices before people that walk in off the street.
2) Again, what part of supply v demand do you not fucking understand?
To be honest I don't really understand why every iPhone launch, every single one, starts out with "constrained supply" unless that's the way Apple prefers it.
You two?
Describe to me the timeframe it would take and the ramp up procedure for making 60 million devices manufactured, boxed, and shipped to every country before launch just so the launch day customers can hopefully have the exact one they want.
Do you really not see the silliness of how demand affects supply and how companies that make HW aren't building them in a vacuum? Did you consider that if your product is in that high of demand and if have the ability to serve 20% on launch that it would then drive even more to want it on launch which you'd have also had to consider otherwise you'd have a "constrained supply." Tell me, as the CEO of this fictional company, what is your reasoning for "preferring" that the customer can't buy your device when logic says that you only make money when you can sell your product. If anything, it means your product is priced too low if your demand far exceeds your supply, especially when you see scalpers easily selling them to customers at 2x their retail price.
You presume it would require 60M iPhones on hand? In which launch has Apple ever sold 60m of any new iPhone model in the first month? Heck all iPhone models combined haven't exceeded 75m or so in an entire quarter have they? I'd suspect if they had a third of that, maybe 20M units, they'd cover most if not all initial needs. I'll continue to believe if Apple and Mr. Cook wanted that it's achievable.
As for your question about not having product for a customer to buy Apple fans will not go buy some other brand of phone simply because they have to wait an extra week or two. Ain't happenin' with iPhones. Maybe if you were selling tomatoes. You know as well as I do if you're even remotely familiar with marketing that scarcity can lead to demand. It creates excitement and anticipation, and tends to make things seem more valuable when that thing is scarce and in high demand. There's a sense of urgency in acquiring it. It's not a bad thing for some of Apple's new products to be in short supply when they first hit the market. Buyers won't bolt to another product instead.
I think I made it very, very clear that I wasn't talking about the iPhone. I have no idea how many total units Apple would need, much less how much of each SKU for each country, carrier and store. I brought to you a scenario in which you were suppose to describe how you would do it without any issues. I gave you all the basic components that make it tough for even Apple and Tim Cook to meet the most excessive demand on the most popular CE in history, and since you feel that demand isn't an issue, I gave you a specific demand to meet the needs of their customer base on launch day. If this is so pedestrian then you should have no problem giving me a detailed analysis of how you'd obtain suppliers, test components, test devices, finalize design and suppliers, make sure suppliers can supply, have back ups in play, get machines tooled and assembly lines setup and tested for mass production, finalize these processes, get production underway, make sure QA teams are satisfied with the progress, speed up progress, get all items boxed and shipped to every store or home for launch day to meet the needs of every single person who wants one on launch day. Get rogifan's help since he also thinks that you should be able to get all customers the exact size, color, capacity, carrier (or lack thereof), and location worked out before you even sell a single item to a single end-user.
It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Sorry but throwing the f-bomb every other word doesn't make your point more valid. New iPhones on sale September 16*
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
Did you or did you not want the iPhone Upgrade Program members to get choices before people that walk in off the street.
2) Again, what part of supply v demand do you not fucking understand?
Apple is supposed to be the experts at this.
Experts at making near impossible things possible? Absolutely, but nothing in there says they are able to control time and space in the way you imagine. Do you fucking not remember Steve Jobs saying they'll be a white iPhone and it taking some 10(?) months before it was finally available. Are you saying that Apple detailing how Jet Black requires a completely new, difficult, and time consuming shouldn't exist because it's not as fast or simple as the other finishes or are you saying that Apple shouldn't have included it at all because it's so popular that even at a hypothetical 4x unit production rate for a 2x production output it's still more supply constrained than any other finish because of demand?
It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Sorry but throwing the f-bomb every other word doesn't make your point more valid. New iPhones on sale September 16*
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
Did you or did you not want the iPhone Upgrade Program members to get choices before people that walk in off the street.
2) Again, what part of supply v demand do you not fucking understand?
This isn't a demand issue it's a supply issue.
:face-fucking-palm:
When a phone is sold out the minute it goes on sale there clearly weren't many for sale to begin with. Keep cursing all you want doesn't make your argument superior.
Is it impressive or a marketing stunt. They sell out year after year. Why don't they just make millions more before launch - what doesn't sell will sell pre-christmas.
jesus not this nonsense again. look -- corporations breathe profit. they get it by selling things. they don't get it by intentionally not selling things for "sold out!" headlines. that's insanity. real profit comes from selling real products. not selling something now so they can sell it later doesn't make any sense.
also, these things don't grow on trees, you can only build so many in advance.
It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Sorry but throwing the f-bomb every other word doesn't make your point more valid. New iPhones on sale September 16*
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
Did you or did you not want the iPhone Upgrade Program members to get choices before people that walk in off the street.
2) Again, what part of supply v demand do you not fucking understand?
This isn't a demand issue it's a supply issue.
:face-fucking-palm:
When a phone is sold out the minute it goes on sale there clearly weren't many for sale to begin with. Keep cursing all you want doesn't make your argument superior.
Even if there were zero units up for sale, then even 1 person trying to buy it would be demand outstripping supply. You fucking can't have one without the other.
When a phone is sold out the minute it goes on sale there clearly weren't many for sale to begin with. Keep cursing all you want doesn't make your argument superior.
I think if you would for once in your life just accept that you were wrong about something this would go away on its own. Unfortunately you don't appear to have the capacity to do that.
To be honest I don't really understand why every iPhone launch, every single one, starts out with "constrained supply" unless that's the way Apple prefers it.
You two?
Describe to me the timeframe it would take and the ramp up procedure for making 60 million devices manufactured, boxed, and shipped to every country before launch just so the launch day customers can hopefully have the exact one they want.
Do you really not see the silliness of how demand affects supply and how companies that make HW aren't building them in a vacuum? Did you consider that if your product is in that high of demand and if have the ability to serve 20% on launch that it would then drive even more to want it on launch which you'd have also had to consider otherwise you'd have a "constrained supply." Tell me, as the CEO of this fictional company, what is your reasoning for "preferring" that the customer can't buy your device when logic says that you only make money when you can sell your product. If anything, it means your product is priced too low if your demand far exceeds your supply, especially when you see scalpers easily selling them to customers at 2x their retail price.
You presume it would require 60M iPhones on hand? In which launch has Apple ever sold 60m of any new iPhone model in the first month? Heck all iPhone models combined haven't exceeded 75m or so in an entire quarter have they? I'd suspect if they had a third of that, maybe 20M units, they'd cover most if not all initial needs. I'll continue to believe if Apple and Mr. Cook wanted that it's achievable.
As for your question about not having product for a customer to buy Apple fans will not go buy some other brand of phone simply because they have to wait an extra week or two. Ain't happenin' with iPhones. Maybe if you were selling tomatoes. You know as well as I do if you're even remotely familiar with marketing that scarcity can lead to demand. It creates excitement and anticipation, and tends to make things seem more valuable when that thing is scarce and in high demand. There's a sense of urgency in acquiring it. It's not a bad thing for some of Apple's new products to be in short supply when they first hit the market. Buyers won't bolt to another product instead.
I think I made it very, very clear that I wasn't talking about the iPhone. I have no idea how many total units Apple would need, much less how much of each SKU for each country, carrier and store. I brought to you a scenario in which you were suppose to describe how you would do it without any issues. I gave you all the basic components that make it tough for even Apple and Tim Cook to meet the most excessive demand on the most popular CE in history, and since you feel that demand isn't an issue, I gave you a specific demand to meet the needs of their customer base on launch day. If this is so pedestrian then you should have no problem giving me a detailed analysis of how you'd obtain suppliers, test components, test devices, finalize design and suppliers, make sure suppliers can supply, have back ups in play, get machines tooled and assembly lines setup and tested for mass production, finalize these processes, get production underway, make sure QA teams are satisfied with the progress, speed up progress, get all items boxed and shipped to every store or home for launch day to meet the needs of every single person who wants one on launch day. Get rogifan's help since he also thinks that you should be able to get all customers the exact size, color, capacity, carrier (or lack thereof), and location worked out before you even sell a single item to a single end-user.
I think it's fairly pedestrian for Mr. Cook, who I would think neither one us pretends to be. He has a little experience in that field...
It seriously amazes me that Apple always seems to be supply constrained these days considering a supply chain guru is CEO and his right hand operations man is COO.
1) These days? WTF are you smoking?
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
Sorry but throwing the f-bomb every other word doesn't make your point more valid. New iPhones on sale September 16*
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
Did you or did you not want the iPhone Upgrade Program members to get choices before people that walk in off the street.
2) Again, what part of supply v demand do you not fucking understand?
This isn't a demand issue it's a supply issue.
:face-fucking-palm:
When a phone is sold out the minute it goes on sale there clearly weren't many for sale to begin with. Keep cursing all you want doesn't make your argument superior.
Apple could have easily sold 3 million Jet Black iPhones in 2 minutes. I've heard dozens of reports of people getting the Jet black phone day one.
The only reason I've heard for people actively not getting this brand new finish is because of Apple's disclaimer that micro-scratches show up on a shiny surface more easily than a brushed one. Other than that, it's just like when Apple introduced Gold and Rose Gold for the first time, which made them the most popular color, which meant those were by far the hardest to get and the first to sell out. I could have gotten a 128GB Rose Gold iPhone Plus 7 for tomorrow had I not decided to wait for Jet Black.
Is it impressive or a marketing stunt. They sell out year after year. Why don't they just make millions more before launch - what doesn't sell will sell pre-christmas.
jesus not this nonsense again. look -- corporations breathe profit. they get it by selling things. they don't get it by intentionally not selling things for "sold out!" headlines. that's insanity. real profit comes from selling real products. not selling something now so they can sell it later doesn't make any sense.
also, these things don't grow on trees, you can only build so many in advance.
Of course you can make more money using scarcity principles than meeting everyone's immediate demand if you play your cards right. It's done every day in business. I've not any idea why anyone would be up in arms if Apple would happen to be using all the marketing advantages they have at hand. Intentional or not, "not enough to meet demand" happens every year, even back when they weren't selling 10M+ at launch which wasn't all that many years ago. From all outward appearances scarcity plays to Apple's benefit, just as it does with other in-demand products. Some here act like it's cheating or something.
Comments
2) Every fucking year you act surprised by normal supply and demand issues with a new product. Every fucking year the basics of given to you, and every fucking year you choose not to understand that Apple's supply is affect by both customer demand and that demand pressure is affected by the number of items it can build. Every fucking year.
No company in their right mind would produce a hundred million expensive gadgets 1 year earlier before launch. Never. No matter how popular the gadget is, it is still a super big risk, not to mention stupid.
So if you want to get your gadget early, preorder and be patient. If you're upset because they are all already sold out, certainly not Apple's fault.
Here's a scenario: Your CE company makes a complex smartphone that uses high-end components and beats all others in performance and finished new features. Because of this you aren't using off the shelf components from suppliers and you're QC takes longer per device. You sold 300 M units the year before and about 20% want the new device the very first day it comes out.
Describe to me the circumstances that will lead to when stop design and testing a new device, to lock it into place, securing components, and having at least 60 million devices on hand to meet your launch day demand. How much overflow do you need for each color, size, and size, as well as consideration for carrier and country, since you have a large number of SKUs and unknowns about look and feel? Perhaps you can assume that silver will be pretty accurate, but what about Matte Black v Piano Black (remember, this isn't an iPhone we're talking about) considering each have pros and cons, and how you can't plan for how reviewers are going to affect the device of the device, thus shifting public appeal.
Describe to me the timeframe it would take and the ramp up procedure for making 60 million devices manufactured, boxed, and shipped to every country before launch just so the launch day customers can hopefully have the exact one they want.
Do you really not see the silliness of how demand affects supply and how companies that make HW aren't building them in a vacuum? Did you consider that if your product is in that high of demand and if have the ability to serve 20% on launch that it would then drive even more to want it on launch which you'd have also had to consider otherwise you'd have a "constrained supply." Tell me, as the CEO of this fictional company, what is your reasoning for "preferring" that the customer can't buy your device when logic says that you only make money when you can sell your product. If anything, it means your product is priced too low if your demand far exceeds your supply, especially when you see scalpers easily selling them to customers at 2x their retail price.
*except most black models which won't be available; oh and we recommend against walk-ins as most stores won't have an stock.
The jet black phone was essentially sold out before anyone could even order it which means next to no supply. Last year Apple announced the phone on 9/9 but they didn't go on sale until 9/25. Perhaps they should have done that this year to give them an extra week to ramp up supply.
2) Again, what part of supply v demand do you not fucking understand?
3) If they were even a day over 12 months from the last iPhone you would have thrown a hissy fit over your "right" as an iUP member being entitled to the new iPhone every year, not ever year and a day. That would have been fun¡
Expected delivery for 2 Jet Black 7+ (me 128gb, wife 256gb) - November
As for your question about not having product for a customer to buy Apple fans will not go buy some other brand of phone simply because they have to wait an extra week or two. Ain't happenin' with iPhones. Maybe if you were selling tomatoes. You know as well as I do if you're even remotely familiar with marketing that scarcity can lead to demand. It creates excitement and anticipation, and tends to make things seem more valuable when that thing is scarce and in high demand. There's a sense of urgency in acquiring it. It's not a bad thing for some of Apple's new products to be in short supply when they first hit the market. Buyers won't bolt to another product instead.
As for Jet Black, that sucker seems like a lot of extra work per unit, especially for an OMG fingerprint/scratch magnet that might scare off customers. I am not surprised Apple hung back to assess demand.
I think I made it very, very clear that I wasn't talking about the iPhone. I have no idea how many total units Apple would need, much less how much of each SKU for each country, carrier and store. I brought to you a scenario in which you were suppose to describe how you would do it without any issues. I gave you all the basic components that make it tough for even Apple and Tim Cook to meet the most excessive demand on the most popular CE in history, and since you feel that demand isn't an issue, I gave you a specific demand to meet the needs of their customer base on launch day. If this is so pedestrian then you should have no problem giving me a detailed analysis of how you'd obtain suppliers, test components, test devices, finalize design and suppliers, make sure suppliers can supply, have back ups in play, get machines tooled and assembly lines setup and tested for mass production, finalize these processes, get production underway, make sure QA teams are satisfied with the progress, speed up progress, get all items boxed and shipped to every store or home for launch day to meet the needs of every single person who wants one on launch day. Get rogifan's help since he also thinks that you should be able to get all customers the exact size, color, capacity, carrier (or lack thereof), and location worked out before you even sell a single item to a single end-user.
Experts at making near impossible things possible? Absolutely, but nothing in there says they are able to control time and space in the way you imagine. Do you fucking not remember Steve Jobs saying they'll be a white iPhone and it taking some 10(?) months before it was finally available. Are you saying that Apple detailing how Jet Black requires a completely new, difficult, and time consuming shouldn't exist because it's not as fast or simple as the other finishes or are you saying that Apple shouldn't have included it at all because it's so popular that even at a hypothetical 4x unit production rate for a 2x production output it's still more supply constrained than any other finish because of demand?
also, these things don't grow on trees, you can only build so many in advance.
I think if you would for once in your life just accept that you were wrong about something this would go away on its own. Unfortunately you don't appear to have the capacity to do that.