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Analyst Says Perhaps Millions of iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Still in Transit, Not Included in Announced Sales
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Never. This would significantly hurt previous iPhone sales. The reason why Apple announces a product then start shipping it 10 days later is to maximize on previous generation.
It depends how Apple wants to report numbers. Because their tracking system does track when your order has been received. So it is possible for them to report based on this. It just depends on what status they want to use for their reporting.
You assume manufacturing a week or two earlier is a guaranteed possibility. It's entirely possible, if not likely, that it's not.
I am not an accountant, but I believe Apple is just being strict with their accounting practices. Not counting sales until they are shipped is GAAP, I believe, but counting sales when they are delivered is a further conservative step, which is not necessary but good practice.
The analysts are 99% idiot, they had lowball predictions until they heard the pre-order numbers and then tried to cover their ass by modeling for the pre-order numbers, and they did not account for Apple's accounting methods.
The financial analysts are ridiculous with their speculative comments, which are nothing more than educated guesses, followed by revisions in order to make them seem "honest" regarding their missed initial prediction. And what's worse is every time they speak, the effect Apple stock value. So Apple isn't doing well because they didn't hit the 6-10 million qty that some analyst suggested they would hit? Who the heck are they to say what number Apple should hit give so many of these analysts have a track record of being wrong time and again? And why does anybody listen to them given their track record?
It's funny how Apple only counts devices as sold if they are in customers' hands, while its competitors count "shipped" devices, as in those rotting on the shelves.
Yes, it is possible but not economically sound at all. You do not sit on inventory for 3-4 weeks (especially in the smartphone market). Why do you think they have staggered launches? If they want a big opening weekend number, they could sit on 2-3 months production and have global release. But the ONLY gain would be that huge opening number. The tech in your phone would be '2 months' behind.
Analysts and meteorologists: the two career choices where one does not have to be at all right to be employed.
Yeah. If Apple sits on inventory for 3-4 weeks, they'll be up against a paralyzing cash flow problem, right?
No, I think Apple's perfectly happy with "selling out" and having people have to wait an extra week or two.
Plus, it's amazing how many iPhones Foxconn can produce per day. A staggering number. I don't even think they would have to start producing 1-2 weeks earlier. Maybe just a week tops.
As for the staggered launches, that's purely a production problem and logistical issue. Apple can't possibly accept preorders from all countries in the world at once, nor could they ever produce that many. Even if they started production in June. But to produce an extra 1-2 million units for an initial launch, I don't see the problem.
Not Yet Shipped - First 1.5 hours of sale
My preOrder was complete at Fri, Sep 14, 2012 1:32 am.
The first 1 1/2 hours of sales.
I have not received an email that my Iphone 5 has shipped.
The status is still Preparing for shipment.
They must have sold a lot of phones in that first hour!
My preOrder was complete at Fri, Sep 14, 2012 1:32 am.
The first 1 1/2 hours of sales.
I have not received an email that my Iphone 5 has shipped.
The status is still Preparing for shipment.
They must have sold a lot of phones in that first hour!
Do you even know if they make iPhones at that factory? I'm guessing not.
The silly thing about these stories is that Apple always sells through launch inventory, so if analysts get the number wrong, it's because they didn't properly estimate launch stock in the first place.
I don't know, I was charged for my phone, even though according to UPS it hasn't left China yet. Wouldn't receiving payment and shipping the product qualify as a sale?
So...
"We believe that if supply were not a constraint and Apple included all pre-orders, the launch weekend number would have been closer to 7-8 million, assuming"
So IF things were different from how I originally worked it out and IF Apple worked differently to how I'd wrongly guessed then I'd be closer.
Well D'UH!
"We believe that if supply were not a constraint and Apple included all pre-orders, the launch weekend number would have been closer to 7-8 million, assuming"
So IF things were different from how I originally worked it out and IF Apple worked differently to how I'd wrongly guessed then I'd be closer.
Well D'UH!
Agreed, this sounds like some really pathetic logic on the Munster's part, in my opinion he hasn't done anything worth while since that TV show in the sixties, but I digress.
Look, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Did Apple want to announce 8 million iPhones sold this weekend, or were they content with 5 million? All they want to do is exceed last year's number, and leave room for the 5S to exceed that next year. A million more sales than the 4S was the plan, just as 6 million sales of next year's 5S is the plan.
Simple enough, but I guess these dumbass analysts don't really understand business.
Something must be wrong with your order. Most people who ordered well past the first hour and who originally had Oct 5th ship dates have already shipped.
This is the whole "sold vs. shipped" argument. Over time it works out the same (as retailers eventually will refuse to accept shipments that it can never sell), but it definitely can skew individual time periods.
They don't refuse shipments because they reduce quantities ordered first. I don't think that's much of an issue with Apple products.
It depends on whether the terms of the sale transfer ownership at the shipping point or the delivery point. Apparently under Apple's terms, a customer can refuse delivery and cancel the sale that way, meaning that transfer of title and thus the sale doesn't occur until acceptance of the delivery.
