Apple greed on watch orders = most likely situation

[macguy360]

This same thing happened with the iPhone releases.

Apple sets X number of Apple watches that will be shipped on the 24th via online orders and X number of watches will be available in store.

That way they can maximize number of sales. They know that X number of people will pre-order regardless of how late the ship date is and there are also X number of people that will not pre-order and will want to purchase in store or people that didn't plan ahead of time and will want to purchase a few days before release and decide they have to get in store.

The past several releases of iPhones have had the shipments pushed back only to have TONS of iPhones in stock at stores.

It is frustrating but it is a fact of life. You could say its greed or marketing gimmick to be able to announce "Apple sold X number of watches the first day" but whatever it is, that is what is happening.

 

[avalys]

Except this time they announced that the Watches are only available online, not in-stores. So, they've fixed the very frustration you're complaining about - all their initial stock is allocated for online orders.

 

[macguy360]

Except this time they announced that the Watches are only available online, not in-stores. So, they've fixed the very frustration you're complaining about - all their initial stock is allocated for online orders.

Where is that announcement?

 

[gwynne]

Where is that announcement?

https://www.macrumors.com/2015/04/09/apple-watch-supply-demand-launch/

 

[macguy360]

Except this time they announced that the Watches are only available online, not in-stores. So, they've fixed the very frustration you're complaining about - all their initial stock is allocated for online orders.

According to

Only the watch edition will be exclusively sold online. The rest of the watches appear to indicate you can purchase in store.

 

[JSRockit]

The past several releases of iPhones have had the shipments pushed back only to have TONS of iPhones in stock at stores.

Tons huh?

 

[gwynne]

From the link above:

Apple issued a reminder on Thursday that Apple Watch pre-orders and try-on appointments begin April 10, with retail chief Angela Ahrendts stating that Apple Watch orders will be taken exclusively online at launch to ensure that customers have the best selection and experience possible.

I mean, your math didn't make much sense anyway. Regardless of whether they sell out online, sell out in-store, or half of each, the same number of units get moved and Apple has the same amount of 'greed'.

 

[macguy360]

Additionally, that announcement you quoted only says that online ordering is the only way to order during the initial launch period.

We are currently in the initial launch period with the sales period being the 24th. You will be able to purchase it in store on the 24th. mark my words.

 

[ditzy]

As they are only selling online at first your hypothesis is incorrect. Plus Apple want to sell as many watches as possible, that's not greed, that's what they're supposed to be doing. They also want to sell a load of macs, iPhones, iPads, and if they possibly can iPods. It's how they stay in business.

 

[NT1440]

From the link above:



I mean, your math didn't make much sense anyway. Regardless of whether they sell out online, sell out in-store, or half of each, the same number of units get moved and Apple has the same amount of 'greed'.

EVERY product launch is met on this forum with "limited supply = Apple is evilz!!!" threads. It'd be funny if it didn't get old at this point.

PS. Nice avatar

 

[pocketdoc]

I doubt that Apple is limiting supply intentionally. Why would they want a bunch of pissed off customers? That is how you lose buyers.

I think they must be having issues with production and wanted to get the watch out. I think it is going to come back to bite them. Customers who have made an appointment to try on a watch today are going to be in for a rude awakening when they find out they won't be able to get it until June or July.

I don't understand why they did it this way...

 

[ivandr]

Additionally, that announcement you quoted only says that online ordering is the only way to order during the initial launch period.

We are currently in the initial launch period with the sales period being the 24th. You will be able to purchase it in store on the 24th. mark my words.

Except no you won't be able to. Apple has said that you can't walk in and purchase a watch on the 24th. There is no in store purchases during the initial sales of the watch. I'll mark your words and then remind you come 4/24 when you can't get a watch in store.

 

[gwynne]

EVERY product launch is met on this forum with "limited supply = Apple is evilz!!!" threads. It'd be funny if it didn't get old at this point.

PS. Nice avatar

=D Yours is obvs. more creative. How many tattoos though?

 

[NT1440]

=D Yours is obvs. more creative. How many tattoos though?

One smack dab on the middle of my back. It's a modified keywork I call the "digital" keywork...shamelessly stolen from DeviantArt


Back on the thread, OP....moving product is what apple tries to do. In no alternative reality could having insufficient supply allow them to sell more. Thats just absurd.

 

[macguy360]

From the link above:



I mean, your math didn't make much sense anyway. Regardless of whether they sell out online, sell out in-store, or half of each, the same number of units get moved and Apple has the same amount of 'greed'.

No, it makes perfect sense. I will put it into numbers for you but on a basic scale.

Imagine Apple only produces 100 actual watches that will be available on the 24th. Assuming that no pre-orders are cancelled here is the breakdown. Believe me, they have mathematicians that have crunched these numbers and figured this stuff out on the large scale.

They could either allocate all 100 watches to online pre-orders for people that went online at midnight and said "i want one and I am asking first". Their may even be 200 pre-orders, but only 100 of the pre-orders are getting them on the 24th while the other 100 will get them as soon as possible and no watches will go to stores. This would be the most fair way to do sales because it gives them to the first in line.

Total guaranteed sales (200)

They could allocate 50 watches to online pre-orders and 50 to stores. Then there are 150 people still waiting for their preorder online while 50 people in store purchase on the 24th.

Total guaranteed sales (250)

They could allocate 10 watches to online pre-orders and 90 to stores. Then there would be 190 people still waiting for preorder online and 90 who purchase on the 24th in store.

Total guaranteed sales (280)

If you don't believe that a company as rich and powerful as Apple doesn't crunch numbers to determine how many pre-orders they can get away with while maximizing in store sales at the same time then you are truly clueless.

 

[gwynne]

One smack dab on the middle of my back. It's a modified keywork I call the "digital" keywork...shamelessly stolen from DeviantArt


Back on the thread, OP....moving product is what apple tries to do. In no alternative reality could having insufficient supply allow them to sell more. Thats just absurd.

Okay, that's just weird, I also stole mine from DeviantArt (with some reworking in photoshop), back of right shoulder. Dragonfly/Keywork combo.

Sorry OT.

 

[macguy360]

One smack dab on the middle of my back. It's a modified keywork I call the "digital" keywork...shamelessly stolen from DeviantArt


Back on the thread, OP....moving product is what apple tries to do. In no alternative reality could having insufficient supply allow them to sell more. Thats just absurd.

read my reply below. It isn't about selling more when there isn't enough supply. It is about maximizing number of preorders AND number of in store sales. They know that there is a certain period people are willing to wait for a pre-order that they can get away with. It would appear on a graph as a curve getting gradually greater as the date gets further away.

 

[NT1440]

No, it makes perfect sense. I will put it into numbers for you but on a basic scale.

Imagine Apple only produces 100 actual watches that will be available on the 24th. Assuming that no pre-orders are cancelled here is the breakdown. Believe me, they have mathematicians that have crunched these numbers and figured this stuff out on the large scale.

They could either allocate all 100 watches to online pre-orders for people that went online at midnight and said "i want one and I am asking first". Their may even be 200 pre-orders, but only 100 of the pre-orders are getting them on the 24th while the other 100 will get them as soon as possible and no watches will go to stores. This would be the most fair way to do sales because it gives them to the first in line.

Total guaranteed sales (200)

They could allocate 50 watches to online pre-orders and 50 to stores. Then there are 150 people still waiting for their preorder online while 50 people in store purchase on the 24th.

Total guaranteed sales (250)

They could allocate 10 watches to online pre-orders and 90 to stores. Then there would be 190 people still waiting for preorder online and 90 who purchase on the 24th in store.

Total guaranteed sales (280)

If you don't believe that a company as rich and powerful as Apple doesn't crunch numbers to determine how many pre-orders they can get away with while maximizing in store sales at the same time then you are truly clueless.

Your notion that capitalistic enterprise has anything to do with "fairness" just demonstrates the absurdity of your argument.

If apple could produce 2 million for launch day knowing they'd be able to move them, they would.

 

[KauaiBruce]

Online only for the first few weeks solves a major distribution problem for Apple. My iPhone 6+ had a long wait at first but AT&T bumped me up by a month and I had it before a trip back east. I was watching the store availability for the regular 6 for my husband while we were back there and got lucky that the mall near us in New Jersey had a little stock and we were able to snag one.

At that time it was weird seeing so many stores seemed to never get any while others seemed to have a few more each day.

This order process will avoid all of that craziness. Anyone with access to an Apple store can try one on and get it delivered to their home in the order they ordered it. Everyone gets into the same line for once and the privileged few who live near their stores do not get better availability.

IF you truly need in store pickup then I am sure they will add that in a few weeks.

 

[macguy360]

Your notion that capitalistic enterprise has anything to do with "fairness" just demonstrates the absurdity of your argument.

If apple could produce 2 million for launch day knowing they'd be able to move them, they would.

I could care less about fairness. What i am saying makes sense and your attack on me personally doesn't take away from that fact.

 

[rritterson]

I suspect all orders are online only because managing limited store inventory of 38 different items would be a waste. Store X would have a pink 38mm sport no one wanted, while store Y would have a SS classic buckle and a customer who wanted a 33mm pink sport. Stores wouldn't sell inventory effectively and customers wouldn't find what they wanted. A lose/lose. Online orders get produced "just-in-time", so they can dynamically balence the production lines to meet demand.

Once they have the capacity to produce more than they can sell, they will start stocking stores with all possible model combos.

 

[cmichaelb]

This same thing happened with the iPhone releases.

Apple sets X number of Apple watches that will be shipped on the 24th via online orders and X number of watches will be available in store.

That way they can maximize number of sales. They know that X number of people will pre-order regardless of how late the ship date is and there are also X number of people that will not pre-order and will want to purchase in store or people that didn't plan ahead of time and will want to purchase a few days before release and decide they have to get in store.

The past several releases of iPhones have had the shipments pushed back only to have TONS of iPhones in stock at stores.

It is frustrating but it is a fact of life. You could say its greed or marketing gimmick to be able to announce "Apple sold X number of watches the first day" but whatever it is, that is what is happening.

Well said. Apple wants as many products in peoples hands as fast as possible. Every product they get into customers hands is more advertising for them.

 

[jbromer]

I suspect all orders are online only because managing limited store inventory of 38 different items would be a waste. Store X would have a pink 38mm sport no one wanted, while store Y would have a SS classic buckle and a customer who wanted a 33mm pink sport. Stores wouldn't sell inventory effectively and customers wouldn't find what they wanted. A lose/lose. Online orders get produced "just-in-time", so they can dynamically balence the production lines to meet demand.



Once they have the capacity to produce more than they can sell, they will start stocking stores with all possible model combos.

Makes sense

 

[Mr.C]

I suspect all orders are online only because managing limited store inventory of 38 different items would be a waste. Store X would have a pink 38mm sport no one wanted, while store Y would have a SS classic buckle and a customer who wanted a 33mm pink sport. Stores wouldn't sell inventory effectively and customers wouldn't find what they wanted. A lose/lose. Online orders get produced "just-in-time", so they can dynamically balence the production lines to meet demand.

Once they have the capacity to produce more than they can sell, they will start stocking stores with all possible model combos.

I agree. That sounds about right in my opinion.

 

[k3ith]

This same thing happened with the iPhone releases.

Apple sets X number of Apple watches that will be shipped on the 24th via online orders and X number of watches will be available in store.

That way they can maximize number of sales. They know that X number of people will pre-order regardless of how late the ship date is and there are also X number of people that will not pre-order and will want to purchase in store or people that didn't plan ahead of time and will want to purchase a few days before release and decide they have to get in store.

The past several releases of iPhones have had the shipments pushed back only to have TONS of iPhones in stock at stores.

It is frustrating but it is a fact of life. You could say its greed or marketing gimmick to be able to announce "Apple sold X number of watches the first day" but whatever it is, that is what is happening.

this could be the case, but it seems weird to me that they wouldn't ever advertise that they're released that day in stores. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯