Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The reason for the short delay is Apple wanted to provide consumers with the absolute best product imaginable. As others have said, they have re-engineered the packaging to alter the contents to improve the overall out-of-box experience. This will have cost Apple both time and money. No other company would do this for customers.

I am confident Apple will be getting pencils into the hands of the majority of customers who want them by the end of the week.

Are you trying to say the delay was to add the charging adapter? Because if that's the case it doesn't really paint a better picture (suggesting that they only knew it needed that adapter after the complaints online).
 
Are you trying to say the delay was to add the charging adapter? Because if that's the case it doesn't really paint a better picture (suggesting that they only knew it needed that adapter after the complaints online).
Review units went out 3 weeks ago and charging heads were breaking off on review units so they needed to send all the units back to the factory to add the adaptor. Simple as that!
 
Called into my local store yesterday evening and there was one guy with a demo unit plus keyboard and pencil running around showing how they all worked to various people who were signed up to get a demo. Really wierd

When I tried to buy one plus the accessories I was told they didn't have any keyboards or pencils but I could buy the iPP. They only got six pencils delivered that morning! Walked out with nothing.

Launch day is Friday when they say they will have more units out on display but have no idea about deliveries of the accessories.
 
The reason for the short delay is Apple wanted to provide consumers with the absolute best product imaginable. As others have said, they have re-engineered the packaging to alter the contents to improve the overall out-of-box experience. This will have cost Apple both time and money. No other company would do this for customers.

I am confident Apple will be getting pencils into the hands of the majority of customers who want them by the end of the week.

The Apple online store quotes a 4-5 week delay.

Review units went out 3 weeks ago and charging heads were breaking off on review units so they needed to send all the units back to the factory to add the adaptor. Simple as that!

Are you saying a lightening adapter was not something Apple planned to ship with the Pencil and they only created one within the last 3 weeks because reviewers pencils were breaking? If that's the case why didn't this show up in any of the reviews? I didn't read one review where anyone complained about a broken pencil.
 
I tend to agree. Things at the stores and most of these launches have just not been up to Apples standard since she stepped it.
I went to my closest Apple Store and walked around the whole place twice looking for display units. None to be found yet I saw two picking buying them. Finally found one a employee was carrying around to briefly let people see and touch it. It was ridiculous.
 
The big thing with the iPad Pro is the Keyboard and Pencil - and yet they don't have any in stock anywhere ! Doesn't make sense ! Something must have gone seriously wrong for them not to have the stock available...
 
It's not just the pencil that has a 4-5 week delay. Same for the keyboard too. Why?
 
I think it's a brilliant strategy.
It will Guarantee to get all your wallets back in the store or on line.
Maybe you will pick up a case or stand or some other accessory you don't need.
 
I tend to agree. Things at the stores and most of these launches have just not been up to Apples standard since she stepped it.
I went to my closest Apple Store and walked around the whole place twice looking for display units. None to be found yet I saw two picking buying them. Finally found one a employee was carrying around to briefly let people see and touch it. It was ridiculous.
Angela has nothing to do with supply issues. I think Apple should go back to slower rollout across countries but then it creates arbitrage opportunities for scalpers. I'm not sure what the right answer is here.
 
This might not be Angela's fault, truth be told that nobody here is privvy to who exactly is at fault at Apple... however, the change in product launch "style" coincides heavily with her move to the company, tied to her heavy media presence during the Apple Watch = all makes her look bad to be honest.

The bottom line is that the iPad Pro should have been launching in stores with at least a semi-adequate volume of the Pencil and Keyboard available, and this simply isn't the case -they are two of the three main factors that differentiate this iPad from previous models (size being the third), but you don't have to take my word for it just watch the keynote.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AppleWes
So would people have preferred Apple to have held back delivery of the pro until they could match the supply of accessories, and have a similar launch to the watch? The device is completely usable without the accessories.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Apple2007
Angela has nothing to do with supply issues. I think Apple should go back to slower rollout across countries but then it creates arbitrage opportunities for scalpers. I'm not sure what the right answer is here.

agree, shall we get your country in that list of slow rollouts?
 
Clever strategy by Apple, there's no way in hell this is accidental. Supply chain is probably Apple's most defining characteristic.

The idea is to get the big iPad into consumers hands first, let them get used to it and find out things they do like about it. This is called the endowment effect. After a few weeks the pencils arrive, wow this is amazing, it's like a completely new and different device. This is the 2nd point of consideration. Apple are playing the statistical odds here.

The delay is to prevent immediate returns because it doesn't fit in your workflow and prolong the initial testing period. After about a month you probably will have justified it to keep for some inconsequential reason, laziness, cognitive dissonance, just being an Apple fan.

That's why you see all those businesses offering 30 days or your money back guarantees. Except Apple being a sophisticated Fortune 500 company, hit you with another dose of happiness near the end of the return grace period. It's an emotional rollercoaster designed to keep the product in your hands for as long as possible.
 
Not sure why one can say she screwed up again, since I don't know what big mistake she made in the past. And the lack of pencils at launch may have been a supply chain issue, which is not her responsibility.

But there is no doubt the lack of pencils and keyboards at launch was a major screwup. Apple has been promoting these accessories since the announcement, so to not have them available is sloppy and unacceptable.
 
Okay so the late addition of a the adapter may explain the missing pencil but what's the excuse for no keyboards?
That's assuming the adapter was a late addition.

Clever strategy by Apple, there's no way in hell this is accidental. Supply chain is probably Apple's most defining characteristic.

The idea is to get the big iPad into consumers hands first, let them get used to it and find out things they do like about it. This is called the endowment effect. After a few weeks the pencils arrive, wow this is amazing, it's like a completely new and different device. This is the 2nd point of consideration. Apple are playing the statistical odds here.

The delay is to prevent immediate returns because it doesn't fit in your workflow and prolong the initial testing period. After about a month you probably will have justified it to keep for some inconsequential reason, laziness, cognitive dissonance, just being an Apple fan.

That's why you see all those businesses offering 30 days or your money back guarantees. Except Apple being a sophisticated Fortune 500 company, hit you with another dose of happiness near the end of the return grace period. It's an emotional rollercoaster designed to keep the product in your hands for as long as possible.

This reminds me of those theories that Apple intentionally limits supply to create demand. Isn't it possible that more people would buy this device if the accessories were available on day 1? How many people held off because they couldn't get a pencil right away? And if the pencil really is delayed by a month can Apple be so sure current owners will keep the device until the pencil ships? This theory seems a bit too clever, and too risky.
 
Last edited:
Clever strategy by Apple, there's no way in hell this is accidental. Supply chain is probably Apple's most defining characteristic.

The idea is to get the big iPad into consumers hands first, let them get used to it and find out things they do like about it. This is called the endowment effect. After a few weeks the pencils arrive, wow this is amazing, it's like a completely new and different device. This is the 2nd point of consideration. Apple are playing the statistical odds here.

The delay is to prevent immediate returns because it doesn't fit in your workflow and prolong the initial testing period. After about a month you probably will have justified it to keep for some inconsequential reason, laziness, cognitive dissonance, just being an Apple fan.

That's why you see all those businesses offering 30 days or your money back guarantees. Except Apple being a sophisticated Fortune 500 company, hit you with another dose of happiness near the end of the return grace period. It's an emotional rollercoaster designed to keep the product in your hands for as long as possible.

You make an excellent point. I was just thinking the other day that Apple does not make many mistakes. If something isn't available it's probably by design.

But still, lack of display units, I mean the iPads themselves is stupid and I do blame Angela for that. She can't stand up and say we are not releasing these things without two per store to display?!?
 
She has a very long history of not being that good at her job but being good enough to fool people into thinking she is good. She is like the football coach that can always go 8-8 or 9-7. You aren't a great team, may not even make the post season, but you are good enough that people are fearful to make a change over something.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ulenspiegel
This reminds me of those theories that Apple intentionally limits supply to create demand. Isn't it possible that more people would buy this device if the accessories were available on day 1? How many people held off because they couldn't get a pencil right away? And if the pencil really is delayed by a month can Apple be so sure current owners will keep the device until the pencil ships? This theory seems a bit too clever, and too risky.
Scarcity creates it's own type of demand. I think Apple doesn't think of the individual users when selling a product, more a demographic or a customer with these preferences or characteristics. The people who held off because they couldn't get a pencil right away are probably a smaller set of the people that bought it right away and will wait for the pen. So Apple creates their strategy accordingly.

I think they've done the math, taken all factors into consideration and figured out this is the best way to get people on board with the new iPad Pro.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.