Pissed Of Switcher - Wheres My Mac Stevo Jobs?

[Sayer]

Duh moment(s)

A) Welcome to the world of Mac. The first/original Mac was delayed for years. Get used to it. We all already have.

B) This is a brand new computer. They have to be built and shipped in foreign countries that have different perceptions of schedules and deadlines. And then they must sit in customs for 3-5 weeks while the ass-scratchers decide if they are really laptops or a shipment of toothbrushes.

C) You can get a Dull in a few days because they are actually not brand spankin' new. The motherboard is made by Intel or whomever and sold as one big piece, the case is a rehash of some other Dull model with a different plastic panel "skin" that is assembled/distributed all over the place (including down the road from where I work). The rest of the pieces are just bolted on or thrown in (sound card, graphics cards, drives). Not much engineering or skill required in making it all work. Imagine rows and rows of generic/bland speakers and monitors that sit on shelves waiting only to be sold to some shmuck who thinks "Dude, you're gettin' a Dell" is the greatest market slogan on earth.

D) It's Apple, this always happens. Get used to it. See point A.

 

[madamimadam]

Originally posted by iJon
its gonna be ok man, the wait will be worth it. apple said it will ship middle of febuary. its about that time now and like other people said apple stores have gotten them to show. we dont want you to go back to dell. just be calm and wait, this product has been out barely a month and is brand new. i have two macs, if you want to you can come to my house and play medal of honor. or if you want to play something better than that sissy MOH ill set you down at my pc so you can play a little battlefield. but dont worry, your computer will be there soon.

iJon

You don't work in sales do you iJon?

 

[humantech]

Maybe I can help clarify the situation ( However, you will still be jonesin)

I'm an Apple specialist reseller - The trend Apple is starting to follow is basically on demand ordering- Why? Because they are held responsible fiscally by their stockholders, and have to balance that responsibility with customer and market needs- Why would they charge you up front? Because they need to buy the stuff to get it built, and to do it any other way is bad business- I mean, really-how many stores can you walk into and say " Order me $5000 worth of stuff and I'll pay you when it shows up" I digress---
Heres how the process works. They announce a new rippin product- They determine the initial order from for their manufacturer based on the pre orders they take at product announcement ( At least on new, hyper cool products)-Based on the initial order than can make an educated guess on how many to initially have built and they make a bulk purchase of the items ( in this case, the powerbook 17) from their manufacturer- ( As you would guess, this keeps the cost per unit down, which is how Apple has dropped their pricing so much in the last few years, still kept margin and been able to invest 500 million a year into R&D to keep making their techo wonders) Now- The manufacturer and apple can kindve guess how many they need to ship, but because of prohibitive shipping prices to bring these things over one at a time from taiwan , they wait for a minimum shipping number to reduce shipping cost and maximize the number of people who can receive the powerbooks at the same time ( Ie- on or before promised on the date of release)- As people wait to purchase, more of the initial order is used up causing Apple to make a second order- Once they get enough quantity for a second order they place it ( that order may be when you've waited a few weeks to order - the actual shipping time on items ordered during that ordering cycle may vary from the promise date of the first ordering cycle-)
After a while Apple can gauge demand of these things and can fill initial consumer demand and get some in stock- Believe me- They are shipping as quickly as they make them ( once the initial orders are filled) - You can see the proof of this when you get a tracking number on your orders from one of the first couple of cycles and see them shipping directly from taiwan to your house Via fedex- Once the items are in stock, it is simple to merely keep the warehouses at a minimum restock level as they can see an average sell through rate-
Keep in mind this descipription has nothing to say about delays of parts to the manufacturers ( Ie screens, Chips, logic boards, custom Asics, etc...) but merely the amount of time it takes to build and send them to you. Also, it doesnt take into account Apple needing to CTO your system for you- basically, somewhere in the orient, someone has to put ram into your machine ( which by the way, could be a delay as well, as everytime Apple releases a new laptop, they generally push the envelope on exisiting Ram specs and there is usually a short term shortage and quality control issue as they get the Ram from ITS manufacturers)
So- it sucks. Cool things. We cant play with them. I too weep.
however, its not because they lie or try to torture you... Its because they care enough to try and stay in business, lower prices and make you cool new stuff-
Compare that to Dell-
1) Find whatever cheap parts are available
2) Find a way to put them together quick and fast
3) Ship them
4) Do no R&D- just sit around, score Dope with Steve and watch pretty colors on their marketing departments itunes screen saver....
As always- my 2 cents-

 

[giovanni]

madame,
hold on there: you made a general statement as to "apple never lying" and my response was not necessarily in reference to the 17" PB. rather, as I explained in another post, it was in reference to the new PMs. That is just a fact. It might have not been clear initially, so, sorry for that, but I did clarify soon after.

Also, as the CTOs, your statement there needs qualifications. Again, I have purchased Apple stuff for 20 years, I would have a clue, hopefully. So, yes, never buy RAM from Apple, it is a joke pricewise. And in general don't CTO, period, I agree. However, here is the qualification:
(a) simply cannot get the internal bluetooth module elsewhere
(b) the superdrive; issues are very well known with OEM superdrives installed in the Macs (at least the duals). I experienced it myself (following the logic "get anything you can elsewhere"). I don't want to deal with that.

Nothing else, not 1k of additional RAM, the above are the two only reasons my order had to be CTO. I would have even considered getting a 1.42 to avoid that, but hell, those are months away ! Fact remains, I was first told by 2/18 (ordered on 2/6) now it is by 3/11. But this is not the point - my wait is my wait and my f****g problem.
I was simply making general statements. Apple is very poorly managing the introduction of new products. I was not referrring in particular to the PB 17" - if it is indeed withing Apple's shipping schedule, I don't see what people are whining about.

 

[giovanni]

humantech, you are absolutely right, if that is the case for the PB 17". I was make more general observation, more precisely in reference to shipments of Power Macs, being delayed, delayed and delayed again.

 

[humantech]

I really shouldnt drink hard liquor -AND- smoke crack at the same time

It makes me run off at the mouth.....

Giovanni- I actually was just kindve giving the newbie a breakdown on the Mac world and what happens with NEW product announcements-
As a reseller, CTO's being backordered ( or in the case of the Dual 1.42's being backordered when you just KNOW its motorola laggin with chips) are a huge thorn in our side too- We opt to do MOST CTo's in office, including installing parts ( If they are available at Apple part department faster than through CTO)
We definitely do ALL ram/ hard drive, CD drive updates etc.. in house---
But you know, I really liken waiting for Macs to the old Katsup commerical " Heinz - Its making you wait" - the anticipation is half the fun--- If I had a nickel for every time a new machine came into the shop and we literally fought to rip that baby open........

 

[Heart Break Kid]

hey

im the noobie
and the wait is killing me
ive wet myself everytime the stupid fed ex guy drives by my house...and when i see a fed ex cart on the road...

its so sad
its like my prom all over again


seriously though
waiting is 1/2 the fun...but the other 1/2 is getting it so i can play!
i can only wait so much
lol
yeah..the break down makes sense..i just wish it didnt..cuz now i cant complain too much

god the anticipation is gonna make me go blind...

for all those who know the feeling

not even porn + chicken can make the wait easier on me
ahhhhhh

 

[humantech]

Better than Porn and chicken?

C'mon, I love my Macs, but Porn AND chicken? Is this extra crispy, niggets or shake and bake?
Here- this may take your mind off the wait until the Powerbook Arrives- ( If you get your before I get my floor models, May all of hades jump up and burn your bottom)
http://www.cyberglass.co.uk/assets/Flash/psychic.swf

 

[madamimadam]

Originally posted by giovanni
madame,
hold on there: you made a general statement as to "apple never lying" and my response was not necessarily in reference to the 17" PB. rather, as I explained in another post, it was in reference to the new PMs. That is just a fact. It might have not been clear initially, so, sorry for that, but I did clarify soon after.

Also, as the CTOs, your statement there needs qualifications. Again, I have purchased Apple stuff for 20 years, I would have a clue, hopefully. So, yes, never buy RAM from Apple, it is a joke pricewise. And in general don't CTO, period, I agree. However, here is the qualification:
(a) simply cannot get the internal bluetooth module elsewhere
(b) the superdrive; issues are very well known with OEM superdrives installed in the Macs (at least the duals). I experienced it myself (following the logic "get anything you can elsewhere"). I don't want to deal with that.

Nothing else, not 1k of additional RAM, the above are the two only reasons my order had to be CTO. I would have even considered getting a 1.42 to avoid that, but hell, those are months away ! Fact remains, I was first told by 2/18 (ordered on 2/6) now it is by 3/11. But this is not the point - my wait is my wait and my f****g problem.
I was simply making general statements. Apple is very poorly managing the introduction of new products. I was not referrring in particular to the PB 17" - if it is indeed withing Apple's shipping schedule, I don't see what people are whining about.

Just remember Apple do not make processors (as you know) and Motorolla is terrible for supply. If processors are held back it is not Apple's fault.

 

[Heart Break Kid]

ok
humantech

my chicken is always shake and bake....some of us cant afford your fancy chicken from wendy's...damn rich ppl



that is the craziest flash site ive ever seen
..freakin me out though


words of advice - the early bird gets the worm..but the second mouse gets the cheese

 

[janey]

three months eh? mine still says eta 2-4 weeks. but then again i got it the day steve introduced it

 

[Heart Break Kid]

ok thats it Jane

if you were out to make me cry...you win
im crying
...i cry every day the fed ex guy drives by my house
im crying again

i hoep your happy

 

[iwantanewmac]

GEEEEEEESUS!!!! it's only a damn computer.
Just wait for 3 months. DUH! get over it!
Some people don't even have 1....
Who cares.

 

[Heart Break Kid]

its my computer!
i care!

and hey..why do u care bout ppl who dont have computers?
you got one right?
i mean..how else r u here?

 

[reflex]

Re: Maybe I can help clarify the situation ( However, you will still be jonesin)

Originally posted by humantech
I'm an Apple specialist reseller - The trend Apple is starting to follow is basically on demand ordering- Why? Because they are held responsible fiscally by their stockholders, and have to balance that responsibility with customer and market needs- Why would they charge you up front? Because they need to buy the stuff to get it built, and to do it any other way is bad business- I mean, really-how many stores can you walk into and say " Order me $5000 worth of stuff and I'll pay you when it shows up"

The funny part about this is that it's illegal in Belgium (and probably in other countries) to sell stuff online ("at a distance" is the legal term) and demand payment up front. Not that this stops anyone from doing it, though.

 

[iwantanewmac]

Originally posted by Heart Break Kid
its my computer!
i care!

and hey..why do u care bout ppl who dont have computers?
you got one right?
i mean..how else r u here?

erm.......I mean there are internet cafes around the world..........or I can post at some1 elses place..........

 

[Ifeelbloated]

Dude! Don't go back to Hell...er, Dell! Have you considered dressing up as a ninja and sneaking into Apple distribution centers?

 

[ftaok]

Originally posted by madamimadam
Just remember Apple do not make processors (as you know) and Motorolla is terrible for supply. If processors are held back it is not Apple's fault.

The 1ghz G4s are NOT the reason that the 17" PB is being delayed. I just went onto Apple and they are giving 1-2 day shipping times for the 17" 1ghz iMac, the 15" 1ghz TiBook (w. SuperDrive), and the 1ghz PowerMac. The 12" 867mhz PBook (w. SuperDrive) is on a 3-5 day shipping time.

It's painfully obvious that the 5-7 week time frame for the 17" PBook is NOT due to Motorola's G4 production capabilities.

It's NOT due to the supply of 17" LCD screens as the 17" iMac is available.

It's NOT due to the supply of SuperDrives as both the 12" and 15" PowerBooks are available.

What does that leave? Perhaps the delay is due to a shortage of DDR2700 RAM. Maybe there's a shortage of backlit keyboards. Maybe they can't seem to fit FW800 into a 1" thin enclosure.

Whatever the reason, it's Apple's fault.

 

[filipp]

Originally posted by ftaok

It's NOT due to the supply of SuperDrives as both the 12" and 15" PowerBooks are available.

I actually thought it was the superdrives fault couse here in sweden we still have not got any 12''PB w/ Superdrive, only the combo ones.

Has anyone already gotten a superdrive 12-incher?

 

[madamimadam]

Deleted

 

[ftaok]

Originally posted by madamimadam
I checked Apple's own product availability list - not open to public - here in Oz and iMac 17" 1GHz is Out of Stock with no ETA; PowerMac 1GHz is Out of Stock and not in full supply until next week at least; PowerBook 15" 1GHz is Out of Stock with no ETA; PowerBook 17" 1GHz is Out of Stock with initial shipment early March.

Need I say more... don't trust AppleStore, while US USUALLY has stock ahead of us in the Apple Stores, there is not USUALLY that big a time difference.

Need you say more? YEAH!

I'm going to trust the Apple Store's info before I take your word on the matter. No offense.

How could it be processor supplies if the 1ghz PowerMac will be available in a week (according to you)? Why would Apple put the 1ghz chips that they receive from Moto into the low-end (and therefore low margin) PowerMac before getting them into the high-end (and REALLY high margin) PowerBooks?

 

[Heart Break Kid]

hmmm
sneak into apple and get one you say?

where can i get this ninja suit you speak of?

 

[giovanni]

delays on PMs

Just FYI, the delays on the PM shipments seem to be the result of delays in the supply of the Bluetooth module. Right now a PM with superdrive is back to 3-5 days, while the addition of the bluetooth module pushes shipment to 2-3 weeks.

I am beginning to wonder whether this module is worth the wait.

Does anyone have a clue as to what difference it makes compared to the the USB adaptor (apart from esthetics) ?

 

[filipp]

You cannot connect cell phones as easy as via BT.
But you can use a standalone USB>BT thing to get same functionality, the biggest impact is though on the Powerbooks as you dont want any extra things in your ports.

A bluetooth mouse is perfect for a PB, but for a PM it does not really matter if you have built-in or external bluetooth adaptor since it would sit in the back of the case anyway.

/ filipp

 

[Dunepilot]

Originally posted by Heart Break Kid

this ones for me
ive already named her (appy)

now. dont tell me i wasted the last 3 hours thinking of a name for no reason

See image. Just kidding