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Release sales figures Apple for all models! SOLD OUT can mean a whole bunch of things. Be transparent.

Unsurprising black has been popular considering fans have been without a black model since iPhone 5.

Why? They don't NEED to release sales figures, especially if they knew the supply would be a lot less than demand. They don't have anything to brag about, so they are keeping quiet. Nothing wrong with that.
 
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I called Apple twice and chatted with their online support and received a consistent reply on these. They said the rumors indicating walk-in's for the 7 Plus won't be available are false. They DID confirm the Jet Black likely would not be available. The article everyone is freaking out over stipulates PRE-ORDERS. All 4 reps said they are expecting the same issues they have every year.
 
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Wasn't meant to be an attack on you - apologize for making it personal. But seriously wondering why so many peoples' happiness is driven by whether Apple, for example, releases first week sales figures or not. Other companies don't. It's not a conspiracy. It's as if there is huge joy to be had trying to discover one, finding a gotcha moment. Intentionally constraining supply is another one. Even when there were record iPhone 6 sales and people could not get one quickly.

I could care less if Apple sells 10 units or 10 million the first weekend. What I do care about, as a customer, is that Apple makes products I like. Should they not in the future, it's easy to jump ship. I have no emotional attachment to gadgets. They're just tools.

I don't get easily offended, nor will I ever put anyone on ignore, jsut not me. To make it clear, I've read your posts over the months and respect your views on varying topics, hence why I said u was trying to establish a better relationship on MR, end of.

I'm relation to this thread, nothing to due with happiness at all, I cannot speak for others , but for me it's curiosity, I work with analytics, it interests me, data provides insights. I also work closely with our PR department, so I know how much the facts differ from the message.
 
Love all the conspiracy theories being posted. Apple vs the world haha. If anyone thinks for one second that Apple purposely held back production for marketing or other purposes, thats pretty funny if you ask me. One of the most valued and recognized companies in the world really doesn't need to resort to tactics like that. Why would you purposely hold back when throngs of people are ready to throw money at you? Everyone can believe what they want, me, I'll go with previous reports of supply constraints due to new design requirements. Obviously the jet black finish isn't going to produce the same quantities as the others and likely will be fewer with such high demand. They may have underestimated some on the demand of the new plus model. Seems people really liked the improvements and caused many who may have been on the fence previously to finally jump over. There is just no way to predict those things. I jumped to the plus this year after being good with the 4.7in model the last two years. After my wife got a plus last year I decided it was time to move up. The added improvements this year made it that much better for me. Add in the constraints previously mentioned and now the demand is way above what can be produced.
 
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I think the iPhone 6 Plus release was the only year I really had trouble finding in-store units within a few days of launch.
 
Interestingly enough, since Verizon did away with their unlimited data plan I've always been a walk-in customer. I couldn't pre-order online and pay full price; this is the first year I've been able to do that. I've always viewed those who queue up for a launch-day phone as being the most loyal and die-hard Apple customers. It's easy to be a fan for $15/month from the comfort of your own home. Seems the lack of stock for walk-in customers is due to Apple robbing Peter (walk-ins) to pay Paul (IUP customers).
 
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Why? They don't NEED to release sales figures, especially if they knew the supply would be a lot less than demand. They don't have anything to brag about, so they are keeping quiet. Nothing wrong with that.
They're keeping opaque.
 
And apparently, neither can Apple.

Understanding is one thing, fulfilling is another. They can do the former, it's the latter that's hard. There is no handbook for iPhone level of demand.

I think things will always be like this until demand dies. You can't start producing phones a year in advance to meet demand. Tech moves too fast to do that.

Look at Tesla. 4th car model (Model 3), pre-orders 1 year+ in advance. They won't come close to fulfilling them - some people on the pre-order will wait over a year for the car (order now and you may get delivery in 2019). That's not because they can't fathom the demand. It's just impossible to meet.
 
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But without the supply context, the sales numbers are meaningless. They only have relevance if we know that everyone that wanted to buy one actually could.
Exactly. Apple wants to sell as many phones as possible. It boggles the mind that some people think Apple will sell more of something if it's not available for purchase.
 
insanity. you're suggesting theyre intentionally not selling actual products for actual profit so they can instead make headlines, in order to sell more products later. sorry, son, but that's not how we do it in business.

profit is the air corporations breathe. not headlines. profit.

Apple has always given a sense of exclusivity. It's their marketing. It's not that far-fetched to think that they'd delay sales for a week to keep the world talking about how hard it is to get their products and those that do should feel privileged. Do I think there are some legitimate production/manufacturing issues? Probably. Do I also think they should be doing better than they are and are purposely playing themselves up? Absolutely.
 
I know, right? I mean, I never get scratches on my MAC PRO when I carry it around in my pocket.

And besides, who does not use a giant ventilated horse condom when taking their Mac Pro out for a spin? That's just crazy talk...

Lol I used to work at an Apple reseller. I clean it Everyday and our cloth isn't exactly clean. And you have no idea how many people touches it Everyday. And yet it's scratch free
 
They're keeping opaque.

So.... Say that supply was much lower to demand for whatever reason, and they release their sales figures which show that the iPhone 7 sold a lot less on launch day than the iPhone 6s. The "Apple is doomed" stuff would be everywhere, even though the demand was still there. Why shoot yourself in the foot for no reason. There is no legal obligation to release sales figures, so Apple can control the story however they see fit.
 
My JB is not scheduled to ship until October 4th. I am planning on waiting in line at my local Apple Store and if I get one, I get one (obviously not JB though).

I also debated on going to a carrier store (AT&T), but I wanted to use AUP instead of Next.
 
So.... Say that supply was much lower to demand for whatever reason, and they release their sales figures which show that the iPhone 7 sold a lot less on launch day than the iPhone 6s. The "Apple is doomed" stuff would be everywhere, even though the demand was still there. Why shoot yourself in the foot for no reason. There is no legal obligation to release sales figures, so Apple can control the story however they see fit.
Just keep everything transparent and clear and then there's no need for speculation, interpretation, all the facts just stand.
 
Is it possible that Best Buy stores, AT&T stores etc will have iPhone 7 Plus stock for walk ins on release day?
 
The issue with manufacturing enough stock to meet predicted launch day demand is that, at any moment, anything could happen. A competitor could release the next bigger thing. There could be an unknown manufacturing defect that could cause a recall or terrible press. The lower the number affected by such a defect before it's caught and fixed the better. There could be another calamitous terror attack that immediately sends gas prices up and plunges us into another recession, reducing the amount of discretionary spending consumers are willing to do. Too many potential and unknown risks for stockpiling phones that might never sell. I don't think Apple's intent is to create a scenario where supply can't keep pace with demand for marketing purposes. It's a byproduct of efficient supply chain logistics.
 
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No jet black models I can understand but to have no Pluses AT ALL, on launch day, is unacceptable.

I completely agree with this. Chassis is almost identical to the previous models with a few minor details. Either they underestimated demand or a component unique to the 7+ model is in limited supply.
 
So camping out overnight to try to get a Plus model matte black 128gb is out of the question now since they claim all Plus Models will be sold out and no plus models will be sold to Walk-Ins?
 
No jet black models I can understand but to have no Pluses AT ALL, on launch day, is unacceptable.
I re-read the article. It does not say that there will be no 7+, it only says LIMITED supply. The PREORDERS are sold out though. Which is what we already knew.

They recommend trying the carrier stores. Since I still have an active pre-order, I have nothing to lose but time.
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So camping out overnight to try to get a Plus model matte black 128gb is out of the question now since they claim all Plus Models will be sold out and no plus models will be sold to Walk-Ins?
Incorrect. The article says PREORDERS are sold out and the 7+'s are in LIMITED supply (with the exception of JB). So basically, nothing has changed.
 
I am not specifically defending Apple, but supply is extraordinarily tough for things like this. Especially if Apple has done (they have) any market research and saw a lower than normal demand. The Note 7 fiasco is virtually unpredictable and changed these numbers in the final hour. There is only so much ANY company can do to ramp up production, and supplying a large amount of countries on launch day with MILLIONS of iPhone is a huge logistics challenge.

I work in the supply chain industry and the headaches they must deal with for these launches has to be astronomical. It is actually pretty impressive they are able to successfully get as many into the hands of customers as they can. I know I will get flamed for this, but what Apple achieves every year at launch is pretty impressive, and no they don't artificially short the stock. It is just REALLY hard to produce the high number of phones they produce in the window of July-September.
 
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wow that shows poor planning on apple's part
They could not have known that the Note 7 would be recalled. My guess is that they expected a fairly muted upgrade cycle. However, since it is 2 years out from the iPhone 6, it is possible they are also getting an upgrade "wave" as the last of the 2-year contracts expire.
 
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