Apple Delaying Early Retina MacBook Pro Orders for Some Business Customers

[MehApple]

Walk into a Apple Store today and ask how many Retina Macbook Pros they have. They will probably tell you 0 or a few. Tell them you are a business customer and you will receive a email from a Business Sales Advisor within an hour or so who will tell you how many they really have in stock. Seriously.

I am sure the general stock situation is improving but they DO give preference to Business Customers.

Keep in mind business customers are paying the full price. No student discount, no government discount. They are the most profitable customers. Apple treats its most profitable customers best. That's what makes it the largest company in the world.

----------

In logical fallacy terms this is a "hasty generalization," or "leaping to conclusion."

Representativeness heuristic- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representativeness_heuristic

For an example of why AAPL is not a good proxy for the economy or the rest of the computer hardware industry look at its desktop and laptop growth over the past 26 quarters versus the competition.

----------

Mine shipped today, base CPU with 16GB, doesn't feel like it's been two weeks. ..

When did you order?

 

[thewap]

The point you make has little to do with my post. I'm not arguing that there isn't room for disagreement, questioning Apple's methodologies, etc. My point is that the "verbal" bludgeoning of anyone who ISN'T questioning Apple at every point or who dares to say that their MBP works nicely for them is overkill. I understand that having some people say that their machine is working nicely doesn't mean that the rMBP has no problems; however, the reverse is also true. Things have a tendency to be blown out of proportion, and the constant use of hyperbole gets old over time.

If you are going to question something, then question it. Don't attack the people who disagree with you--state your reasoning, counterpoints, etc. and be done with it.

i would advise you to do same by not attacking people who disagree with the hype.

 

[tomtom2234]

The reason they didn't have the stock (probably ) was because they didn't know the demand they would have for these things.

 

[Codyak]

When did you order?

Later in the afternoon the day after I believe. It had the "2-3 Weeks" timeline.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Yes I get it -- you don't agree. You like how computer boxes have been for the past 30 years and think that tradition should continue, and that's fine.

Refreshing my memory on how computer boxes have been the last 30 years.. (yes Im getting old and dotty) you do realize that the mass produced computers of the early eighties had soldered ram and non replaceable drives?

First Mac I bought was a Mac SE in 1987. It used a standard SCSI HDD and standard RAM SIMMs. It was the first computer I ever upgraded myself, due to System 7 requiring something more than 1MB. Forget the actual amount. OK, so that's only 25 years, not 30. Point is it's a long time ago and from everything you've written today, you want the future of computing to look like the past. Again, that's fine, but it's not "out of the box" thinking.

 

[thewap]

First Mac I bought was a Mac SE in 1987. It used a standard SCSI HDD and standard RAM SIMMs. It was the first computer I ever upgraded myself, due to System 7 requiring something more than 1MB. Forget the actual amount. OK, so that's only 25 years, not 30. Point is it's a long time ago and from everything you've written today, you want the future of computing to look like the past. Again, that's fine, but it's not "out of the box" thinking.

Well my first was the original mac and then ran film productions on the mac plus right now on a macbook pro 17" 2011, also have an iPad and iPhone. If I am in a minority thinking that sealed computers are not the right direction or wave of the future then by your definition I am *in the box*? laughs.

 

[/dev/toaster]

Good thing I didn't order it through our business channel.

 

[Thunderhawks]

I fully agree that Apple will work out the kinks in the next update, but wait until the third revision? Apple's update cycle for MBP is 1-1 1/2 years, so you're saying wait up to 4 1/2 years to buy a rMBP.

OK, you wait, I'll wait until they have them in stock at Apple stores this fall and buy one with Mountain Lion installed.

Yes, I'll wait, because I have Apple experience since 1984.

My tactic is to always buy whatever I need one generation back from the refurb store with Apple Care. Helps with pricing and Apple machines are good for a long time.

You make a good point about the release cycle. For the ipad I waited until ipad3, because the other two didn't have the features I wanted.
Would have bought ipad 2, but retina was already on the horizon.

That is in addition to wait at least 3 months after a new model is released to see user responses.

Got downvoted for predicting problems with 1st gen of Apple new products and just now a new post about ghosting/image retention issue.

That won't be the last flaw people will mention.

On average their percentage is probably same as others, but Apple being high profile usually gets the shaft because of being successful.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Regardless if it's for consumers or businesses...you DO NOT showcase a product, dance all over stage about it, say it's ready for immediate order, then have the orders delayed 6+ weeks.

I wonder how many people will reply to me stating "but they are sooooooooo popular they just can't keep them in stock". Sure....yeah....that's the reason.

Would you kindly enlighten us what the reason is then?

Do you work in supply chain management and have you been involved in production issues?

Serious questions, because I am in production, have been in sales, planning, purchasing etc.

Without having a crystal ball companies estimate what they could sell of a product to start with.

In Apple's case I would be surprised if they didn't do this by configurations.

Regardless of what they "estimate" there are availability issues, yield of components to consider, QC issues, just to mention a few.

These crop up even with thorough pre-testing and zero production runs

It is totally feasible that their estimates were too conservative (smart) even if you don't want to believe that.

Wait until the actual sales numbers get mentioned and you will see that the demand was extremely high from the get go, regardless of that ticket price.

Producing computer products and components isn't as easy as flicking a switch and everything doubles. The simplest reason may really just be that the demand outstrips production capacities at the moment.

There are always idiots claiming that Apple holds things in warehouses on purpose to drum up business.

1) They don't have to
2) Would be stupid to bind capital and frustrate buyers
3) How would they know which configurations to stock

etc.etc.

On a side note: I am always surprised how people who lived their entire lives without this product have no patience and can't wait for anything, let alone a few weeks, 6 weeks or whatever.

Did they throw their currently working machines out the window?

Should we really feel sorry for the current instant gratification generation, when things take a while to make?

 

[petsounds]

This used to happen with the iPhones, but MBPRs?? The economy must not be as bad as people make it out to be.

This is a new screen technology, so Apple (foxconn) are probably still working out the manufacturing kinks. They probably can't yet keep up with the demand; probably another reason they only rolled out the retina display for one model.

 

[petsounds]

First Mac I bought was a Mac SE in 1987. It used a standard SCSI HDD and standard RAM SIMMs. It was the first computer I ever upgraded myself, due to System 7 requiring something more than 1MB.

My Mac Plus started out with 1MB RAM as well. During the System 6 era (I don't think I ever upgraded it to 7 before the Power Supply went up in smoke...literally), I hacked the System with ResEdit, pulling out unneeded resources, in order to run MultiFinder with 1MB!

 

[NewbieCanada]

Indeed. There's no reason why Apple shouldn't be shipping as much as possible. Apple sometimes waits until they have decent stock on new products and then announces it, but sometimes they don't. iPad 3 was available in large quantities on dray 1, rMBP is not.

And people are forgetting that when all is said an done, it's just a MacBook. The world at large isn't paying attention to supply issues. People aren't lining up in the stores for a chance to buy them.

I suspect the supply issues are simply because Apple really had no way of estimating the demand in advance. They haven't had a major laptop launch in years.

 

[thewap]

My Mac Plus started out with 1MB RAM as well. During the System 6 era (I don't think I ever upgraded it to 7 before the Power Supply went up in smoke...literally), I hacked the System with ResEdit, pulling out unneeded resources, in order to run MultiFinder with 1MB!

I remember maxing out the plus to 4mb ram to run 7 and thunk I had a super computer!. Well in actuality it did pretty well with the software of it's time...

 

[freeskier989]

I find it hard to believe that they would intentionally hold back stock. I have had my retina for over a week, love it, no problems what so ever (screen ghosting, laggy, etc.) but i will say since all i could find is a base retina, Apple lost out on almost 2000K more from me (1 customer) as i would have bought the top config if it was available. I think there are a lot of others who bought what they could find vs what they wanted just to get it. So if Apple had stock and held it back, they would in the long run, just cost themselves money by forcing people into the less expensive model. My greed to get it made me decide i will just sell in two years, get the latest at that point and be done, where previously i was a 5 year holder of my Macbook. Hmm...now that i write this out maybe that is their master plan, to buy more computers quicker over the long haul?

 

[blue22]

I'm curious about your impression of the rMBP 1920 scaled display rez...

Some of my observations today:

[*]Graphics are smoother than I expected. For instance, sliding between desktop spaces is buttery smooth for me even at the top 1920 scaled mode. On my old system, the 1920 native on my external monitor is jittery/laggy as I slide the mouse between desktop spaces. Everything seems to snap into place faster.

How do you feel the 1920 scaled mode looked overall, did it feel cramped at all on the 15" sized screen?

Also, if you've used a 17" MBP in the past, do you think it's native 1920 resolution is comparable to the 1920 res on the rMBP?

----------

I was thinking the same thing, about the 2.7 GHz, 768GB SSD, and 16GB RAM would come sooner because a lot of people aren't going to spend an extra $250 for the 100 MHz boost. (2.6 GHz to 2.7 GHz) However, since the SSD and RAM aren't upgradable, might as well get it now. If you want more of a speed bump and save perhaps $250 - $600 wait 6 months.

I'm a bit confused by your last sentence; are you talking about holding out for a refurbished rMBP or IB MBP???

 

[petsounds]

I remember maxing out the plus to 4mb ram to run 7 and thunk I had a super computer!. Well in actuality it did pretty well with the software of it's time...

I eventually put 4MB of RAM in my Plus as well. And added an external 40MB hard drive. Between the HD and using some of that 4MB as a RAM disk, the Plus did get pretty zippy. As zippy as a 68000 can get. It was downright glacial compared to the SE/30 though.

 

[Fortimir]

Why is that? How can you justify that comment? Isn't it possible to need a top of the line model without working for a large corporation?

Large corporation?

I have two employees and I live and die by the little benefits we get as small business owners. So yeah, I appreciate it.

 

[thewap]

I eventually put 4MB of RAM in my Plus as well. And added an external 40MB hard drive. Between the HD and using some of that 4MB as a RAM disk, the Plus did get pretty zippy. As zippy as a 68000 can get. It was downright glacial compared to the SE/30 though.

When the SE 30 came out I was drooling... that was the creme de la creme in expandability in those days. Apparently still touted as one of mac's best ever made computer...

 

[ktzara]

Keep in mind business customers are paying the full price. No student discount, no government discount. They are the most profitable customers. Apple treats its most profitable customers best. That's what makes it the largest company in the world.

Business customers can get discounts. I understand the discounts are based on volume, though as a small business customer I don't have much volume and only get a small discount.

 

[ktzara]

Shipped rMBP - 2.7Ghz/16GB RAM/512GB SSD

My rMBP order, which was placed as a business order through the business group at my local Apple Store, shipped today. I ordered it June 12 and was quoted 2-3 weeks to ship. Config:

2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
512GB Flash Storage

This is consistent with earlier guesswork that the 768GB SSD is the cause of the delay mentioned in the OP.

It is shipping from Shanghai and is still sitting there for the moment (it didn't quite make the FedEx cutoff for the evening flight).

The discussion about upgradeability, repairability, etc. is interesting. I do wish that these models had been more upgradeable. I would have just bought an 8GB model in the store and upgraded it when I felt like it. I don't like the idea that I might have to send it in for some kind of repair that on another machine might just be a matter of popping the cover open and swapping something out, but because of the way my office tech is set up, that would be an inconvenience rather than a disaster. I'm taking the plunge and we'll see how it goes.

 

[MehApple]

[/COLOR]

Business customers can get discounts. I understand the discounts are based on volume, though as a small business customer I don't have much volume and only get a small discount.

Which is what you would expect from the largest and most profitable company in the world. Apple treats its best customers differently(better). The good customers recognize this and they keep coming back. I imagine their dealings with suppliers varies according to the quality/importance of the supplier.

----------

Good thing I didn't order it through our business channel.

Cool site

 

[revelated]

This used to happen with the iPhones, but MBPRs?? The economy must not be as bad as people make it out to be.

If I have 100,000 of a thing but have over 15 million potential customers...if just 200,000 want to buy it, guess what? I'm out. First thought: Man that must be some kinda popular widget.

The better argument: I didn't have enough widgets to start with to meet any sort of demand.

In other words, it's entirely possible and plausible that Apple didn't manufacture a significant number of Retinas. With the higher price and the iffiness of the display on non-optimized content, it's a gamble product at this stage. Now they'll have to play catch-up.

The real measure is how quickly these start showing up on refurb.

 

[faroZ06]

If I have 100,000 of a thing but have over 15 million potential customers...if just 200,000 want to buy it, guess what? I'm out. First thought: Man that must be some kinda popular widget.

The better argument: I didn't have enough widgets to start with to meet any sort of demand.

In other words, it's entirely possible and plausible that Apple didn't manufacture a significant number of Retinas. With the higher price and the iffiness of the display on non-optimized content, it's a gamble product at this stage. Now they'll have to play catch-up.

The real measure is how quickly these start showing up on refurb.

I know they could just have less MBPRs, but the excitement over this is more than I (and Apple) expected. We'll see the manufacturing numbers later, hopefully.

 

[haruhiko]

I find it hard to believe that they would intentionally hold back stock. I have had my retina for over a week, love it, no problems what so ever (screen ghosting, laggy, etc.) but i will say since all i could find is a base retina, Apple lost out on almost 2000K more from me (1 customer) as i would have bought the top config if it was available. I think there are a lot of others who bought what they could find vs what they wanted just to get it. So if Apple had stock and held it back, they would in the long run, just cost themselves money by forcing people into the less expensive model. My greed to get it made me decide i will just sell in two years, get the latest at that point and be done, where previously i was a 5 year holder of my Macbook. Hmm...now that i write this out maybe that is their master plan, to buy more computers quicker over the long haul?

Apple must have lost a lot since you were going to give them $2M (2000K).....

 

[chatin]

Apple gets CS missing hybrids.

Apple got Cray Syndrome missing an easy source of supply with great capacity. Hybrid hard drives could have solved a capacity and supply problem as well as being much cheaper. Hybrids are part solid state part traditional spinning disc. They perform nearly as well as SSD in many tests but are much cheaper and have far greater capacity.

Now for the history lesson.

S. Cray wanted to use something better than silicon in his Cray 3 and 4 models. After spending 300 million and 6 years not a single computer was ever sold.

Sometimes a company can get ahead of themselves on the bleeding edge.