Angela Ahrendts Updates Retail Employees on Apple Watch and MacBook Launch Situation

[pacalis]

This is Apple - her approach, intentional or not, may have literally missed out on one or two billion dollars in sales this quarter.

And why do they have all these fancy stores if people are just going watch a video and buy this stuff on the internet?

Put another way, whatever happened here is horrible business - an internet experience with all of the follow-on overhead cost of retail service.

Then again, who knows, maybe this batch of products just suck, are super confusing, under performing and she has to train customers to like turds in store. Unfortunately I don't know if this is a reasonable argument, because like so many of you I haven't been able to sample the products in store and will only know two months from now if I order online.

 

[jmoore5196]

Go easy on her guys. Not everybody was blessed with Steve Job's public speaking ability. She will get better.

You're a bit of an optimist! She certainly hasn't improved much since her days at Burberry. I don't hold it against her, but she is where she is principally because she's female.

 

[Glideslope]

Hopefully one can buy an Apple Watch in stores by the holiday season. Given the limited international launch, and online pre-orders already creeping into June, it may not end up being a reality.

There will be plenty of stock by then. Demand will drop sharply after 6m.

 

[AdonisSMU]

You're a bit of an optimist! She certainly hasn't improved much since her days at Burberry. I don't hold it against her, but she is where she is principally because she's female.

Yeah never mind that she made BB profitable beyond their wildest expectations. Your sexism is so transparent. For those who can't tell I'm being serious now.

 

[Scrub175]

we hardly knew ya.

 

[Lolito]

this video is so pointless, annoying, corporate, very corporate.

She could have just said; their simply no stock guys, and it will take quite a while to really have stock. see you soon.

 

[ciscored]

Yeah and if you think about it a month ago no one was here for the Apple Watch. Now every one swears they have to have an Apple Watch by friday or else heads need to roll. Let's get real. It was probably Angela's idea to have people try out the watch and that resulted in it being a HUGE selling product that now people have to wait for months to get their hands on. I honestly think having people get a taste of the watch in store was a stroke of genius.

No company in their right mind could've predicted the success of the Apple Watch based on the previous sales of Android Watches that have flopped one after another for the last several years. Let's get some perspective.

Genius? NO ONE tried out the watch. The only thing you got out of the try on was a sense of how the watch and material felt. It was just playing a dummy loop. There was no trying out the different taptic feedbacks, checking pulse and or knowing how it felt to truly interact with it on your wrist. The only interaction was with a model that was secured onto a display stand.

They did not even have the color band I wanted to try in 42mm, it was a horrible experience, a complete failure... that she was in charge of.

 

[Keirasplace]

You're a bit of an optimist! She certainly hasn't improved much since her days at Burberry. I don't hold it against her, but she is where she is principally because she's female.

Right... Not, because she turned Burberry around from going down the tube to being relevant again... Not that... (sic)

 

[Glideslope]

SJ sold 3-4 times less products and he's dead. Get over it.
YEs, Apple is "doomed" because its products sell out within seconds no matter how many they produce, completely absolutely "doomed".

Thanks. I love being reminded why I always visit Ontario.

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Yeah never mind that she made BB profitable beyond their wildest expectations. Your sexism is so transparent. For those who can't tell I'm being serious now.

The fact that you feel the need to defend the fact she is female shows the real issue.

 

[sam223]

Did people have to preorder before they tried their watch on? Were appointments only for people who pre-ordered the watch? I thought anyone could make a try-on appointment and then favorite the watches they wanted to try on do when they got to their appointment the store employee would know exactly what watches to pull out.

Did you preorder during your watch try on at the apple store? ??? Ofcourse not.

 

[pacalis]

For something that costs about 30-40 bucks to make they should have had literally 10-20+ million of them ready to go - the risks of a $400-800M initial inventory are trivial given apples cash. Im sure the margins are even better on the customizations after, so they should have dumped bazillions of these on eager customers rather than a gradual ramp.

 

[mikefla]

Is this the broad that came from Burberry? Yeah she is going to be judged harshly on this one, could be out the door soon. Now go make me a sandwich.

-Mike

 

[man3ster]

reply to idiot

So, it's easier/faster to pull out your phone to look at/up something instead of just glancing on your wrist?

You must be one of those clowns that always has his phone in one hand, and his other hand on his ****.

Sorry your mommy wouldn't buy one for you.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

The argument that it is SOO much more convenient to look at your wrist as oppose to your phone is not a good reason to go out and buy the watch. The watch does not improve peoples lives the way Apple is marketing the device. It is way over hyped, end of story.

 

[mikefla]

For something that costs about 30-40 bucks to make they should have had literally 10-20+ million of them ready to go - the risks of a $400-800M initial inventory are trivial given apples cash. Im sure the margins are even better on the customizations after, so they should have dumped bazillions of these on eager customers rather than a gradual ramp.

I hope I am not paying $400+ for something that costs 40 bucks! I'm sure it costs more to make but I do wish they spread the manufacturing to other places. Not a big fan of China. They could be making these small things in the US, Brazil, Mexico, etc.

-Mike

 

[Popeye206]

You know... really. What a great problem to have... pre-orders have gone beyond your expectations and now you're stuck with the problem of no stock to launch.

Think about it... how many companies would love this problem?

However... could be they promised a ship date and manufacturing couldn't produce enough to fulfill initial orders... that would be a real problem.

Just two perspectives.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Thanks. I love being reminded why I always visit Ontario.

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The fact that you feel the need to defend the fact she is female shows the real issue.

You may want to read the post I was responding to which stated that the only reason she had the job she had was because she is a female....when the last guy failed at the exact same position. Keep up in order to follow the conversation that is going on properly.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Waste of time. Why don't you, wise guy!

No more of a waste than your "Nobody cares" post.

 

[pacalis]

I hope I am not paying $400+ for something that costs 40 bucks! I'm sure it costs more to make but I do wish they spread the manufacturing to other places. Not a big fan of China. They could be making these small things in the US, Brazil, Mexico, etc.

-Mike

So maybe $80? But I doubt it. Six months ago everybody though the gold edition was going to be $600 -$1200. The margins on these things are likely ridiculous.

 

[AdonisSMU]

Genius? NO ONE tried out the watch. The only thing you got out of the try on was a sense of how the watch and material felt. It was just playing a dummy loop. There was no trying out the different taptic feedbacks, checking pulse and or knowing how it felt to truly interact with it on your wrist. The only interaction was with a model that was secured onto a display stand.

They did not even have the color band I wanted to try in 42mm, it was a horrible experience, a complete failure... that she was in charge of.

Yes trying out a fashion item for fit is playing a dummy loop. I got to try on a number of bands and various sizes and watch faces. Not my problem if you didn't feel you had an adequate experience. File it in Apple's complaint box with the others.

Genius, it's your fault you didn't ask to play with one of the watches that were on display for people to actually use and try out. I played with them. Sorry you didn't get to. Maybe the employees just didn't like you.

 

[Glideslope]

You may want to read the post I was responding to which stated that the only reason she had the job she had was because she is a female....when the last guy failed at the exact same position. Keep up in order to follow the conversation that is going on properly.

Ok, will do.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

It's a new category and they sold out in a matter of hours for a 1400+ device. It's hard to argue with results like that.

Actually, it's pretty easy. Apple is like no other. They ARE their own category (for better or worse). Everyone expects more from Apple because that is their history. They could market a completely useless widget and I GUARANTEE there are enough mindless Apple fanatics that it would sell out also. That's just the nature of Apple and new products.

So, if this new Macbook is in it's own category (how that is, I'm still unclear), then there should have been a million available for sale, or did Apple so poorly forecast demand?

 

[ciscored]

Yes trying out a fashion item for fit is playing a dummy loop. I got to try on a number of bands and various sizes and watch faces. Not my problem if you didn't feel you had an adequate experience. File it in Apple's complaint box with the others.

Genius, it's your fault you didn't ask to play with one of the watches that were on display for people to actually use and try out. I played with them. Sorry you didn't get to. Maybe the employees just didn't like you.

Slow down angry speed reader… If you read some more I do mention the watches that were locked down.

Interacting with a watch on display DOES NOT allow for an adequite assessment of interacting with one on your wrist. You can not experience taptic feedback, you cannot experience the health monitoring and you can not experience interacting with it on your wrist (you know the way most people interact with their watches Not Genius

 

[AdonisSMU]

Actually, it's pretty easy. Apple is like no other. They ARE their own category (for better or worse). Everyone expects more from Apple because that is their history. They could market a completely useless widget and I GUARANTEE there are enough mindless Apple fanatics that it would sell out also. That's just the nature of Apple and new products.

So, if this new Macbook is in it's own category (how that is, I'm still unclear), then there should have been a million available for sale, or did Apple so poorly forecast demand?

We are talking MacBooks not iOS products. All of the MacBooks combined only sell 4-5million a quarter. Apple sold 50k of one line of MacBook in a single weekend.

 

[balzmcfearson]

Jesus that's badly produced, it's like car crash TV.

I get that not everyone is good at speaking in situations like that so either do take after take till she nails each little bit or get someone who is good at this stuff to do it. It looks so amateur.

Agreed. Even though not intended to be customer facing that was hard to watch.

 

[Mr Staunton]

What the....

What on earth is that smell?