Apple needs to watch whose toes they step on...

[grrr223]

So I convinced my PC loving friend to buy a new iMac for his sister. He ordered it from MacMall. And every day he comes in my room yelling at me because they're backordered. So I tell him that I've read about people on here just walking into Apple stores and walking out with new iMacs. Since there's one near us, we stopped by, and sure enough, they had them in stock SCORE! a few calls to his parents later, and he's all set to buy it now and then cancel the macmall order later. Pretty sweet deal, he may have lost some random add ons from macmall, but nothing major. He basically spent like $50 to get it like 8 weeks earlier. I think it cost like $1850 with tax.

Anyway, the funny part was when he called Macmall to cancel his order. The conversation went something like this:

Friend: I'd like to cancel my iMac order.

MacMall: Why did you find it somewhere else (arrogant laughter because he htinks he's th eonly place to get them)

Friend: Well...to be honest, yes, I did. I just walked into the apple store and picked one up.

MacMall: It was a fluke right?

Friend: No, I think they do it all the time

MacMall: (quite annoyed) could I have the address of that store please.

....

It's funny. he like pissed off MacMall by telling them that Apple had iMacs in sale. apple better watch out. They're pissing off their current sales channels by sending new shipments of iMacs to th eapple stores while there are 2 month backorders at all the other retailers. someting needs to give, although I don't kno what it is exactly.

....i've been awake for likk 36 hours and I'm dozing off as I'm writin. Goodniht everyone

 

[stoid]

Broken Promise

Didn't Apple promise they would make sure they would get Macs out to resellers and not treat the Apple Store as a higher priority??? But then again the Apple Store wouldn't be much of an "Apple" store if they didn't have any Apples. It looks like they're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Good Luck Apple, you're gonna need it.

 

[Rower_CPU]

Re: Broken Promise

Originally posted by stoid
Didn't Apple promise they would make sure they would get Macs out to resellers and not treat the Apple Store as a higher priority??? But then again the Apple Store wouldn't be much of an "Apple" store if they didn't have any Apples. It looks like they're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Good Luck Apple, you're gonna need it.

Apple's first priority has to be their own stores first, otherwise they won't be successful at all.

 

[arn]

There have been various articles around about this...

Apple seems to be supplying their own stores first....

It has been pissing off a lot of independant Mac resellers... but really - what can you do? Apple is under pressure 1) to make money (esp as a public company) 2) prove their retail stores are working.

As much as they'd like to stock the independent resellers... they'd have a hard time doing so in light of such a shortage.

Again - it's not that it's "right" or anything... I just understand the dilemma.

arn

 

[evildead]

I agree with Arn

There is only so much that Apple can do in this situation. They have lots of pressure from many directions and no iMacs in the warehouse to shipp. At least some are shipping... thats all that matters. Apple made some big promises about ship dates and now with an LCD shortage... they are trying their best.

 

[grrr223]

Don't worry guys. The moral of this tale is that there is now one more happy Mac convert who did manage to actually get an iMac in hand. Unfotunately, he immediately sent it home to his sister . That was one thing the Apple store wouldn't do, ship it. So we just took a cab ride to Mailboxes Etc. Although the guy did wheel the box several hundred yards down the aisle of the mall to the cab for us . i want to work in the Apple store this summr, I think it would be fun, and since I don't have a real job yet . grrrrr.

 

[think_different]

Does anyone knows more about the reasons of the delays?

The majority of people points the shortage of LCD's, some others radiation problems and others speak of firmware flaws.

Somebody can shed some light over this issue?

 

[krossfyter]

the high demand of these imacs has made Apple look like a small family owned bussines...because there are more people that want um then there are imacs. its a trip.

 

[theranch]

Question...

Why the hell didn't you take him to the Apple store in the first place?

 

[krossfyter]

hind sight is always 50/50!

 

[3rdpath]

further down the road...

i think apple is is just following a long range plan that will make the non-apple owned stores less significant over time. i'm not really sure how long the macmalls etc. will put up with being a lower priority but the stuff will hit the fan sooner or later.

the non-apple stores will be relegated to selling mainly aftermarket items. and when you start seeing non-apple aftermarket items in the apple stores- there ya go....( i haven't been in my local store since it's opening week pandeminium-maybe the aftermarket stuff is already there?) apple has the on-line and physical store businesses in place-its just a matter of time.

the imac shipping snafus may have merely accelerated their time line.

 

[MacAztec]

Tisk Tisk

Apple can be its own dealer, and make some money, but they should give sell computers at other dealers, so that they have a wider selling area, if that makes any sence!

 

[krossfyter]

like chong says "Im my own customer man....I sell to myself man...im good bussines"... or something like that.


i like chong.

 

[AmbitiousLemon]

some good news is that apple seems to be supplying the education market well. i see new imacs, ibooks, powerbooks, powermacs coming in daily. its been a lot of fun hooking everyone up and showing them how to do things. and all the new computer labs with powermacs and 17" lcds just look amazing. those old studio displays looked cool in their day too though. but i guess the good news is apple is getting those imacs out to the educators quickly.