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Apple Watch Orders Exclusively Online at Launch, Demand Expected to Exceed Supply
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No biggie for me. In fact, I don't want to even see the watch in person until it arrives at my door. I know what size I need, and the model I want. If there is anything I don't like about it after I get it, I will simply return it. Can't wait to be up at 3am EST ordering my 42mm SS.
Not really. The iPad solved the problem that Apple didn't have any products between a smartphone and a laptop. And tablets and netbooks were already increasing in popularity from other manufacturers.
Now that we have smartphones that are so thin and light and convenient to carry around, the problem is now convincing people that they need to buy another $350 gadget to wear on their wrist to make performing basic tasks a tiny bit more convenient than it already is.
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I don't think Apple will sadistically hoard watches in a warehouse 50 miles from the stores if people are clamoring to get them. That would be silly. The want to sell what they have.
What wouldn't surprise me, however, is if Apple senses demand is softening. Particularly after yesterday's lackluster reviews. It would then be sensible to move the Chinese factories from working three shifts (i.e., round the clock) to maybe two or even just one eight-hour shift per 24hrs. Assembly workers that were prepared to work overtime won't get it (oh well) and Apple cuts it's risk of having un-sellable stock sitting in warehouses.
Demand will still outstrip supply, of course.
Tablets and netbooks were not increasing in popularity. Tablets were floundering and netbook sales were already in decline before the iPad launch. http://liliputing.com/2009/05/netbook-shipments-fall-during-first-quarter-of-2009.html
iPad literally kicked off the modern tablet category and based on many reviews, it looks like Apple Watch may do the same for wearables.
too many options confuses the product line for people. With so many different options and choices it's no wonder they want to direct people to do it online.
In store they would have to have a huge menu to present to you to go through all the options which takes too much time: theirs and yours.
I mean seriously why not just have ONE watch case and choices of bands. But no they have silver and black aluminium and silver and black stainless steel. And the different band choices. Prices go up super fast to get anything you actually prefer.
Whatever happened to to keep it simple. Look what happens to restaurants with too many food options. Like Gordon Ramsey always says keep it simple. And that used to be Apple's motto as well until the passing of the One's Greatness.
In store they would have to have a huge menu to present to you to go through all the options which takes too much time: theirs and yours.
I mean seriously why not just have ONE watch case and choices of bands. But no they have silver and black aluminium and silver and black stainless steel. And the different band choices. Prices go up super fast to get anything you actually prefer.
Whatever happened to to keep it simple. Look what happens to restaurants with too many food options. Like Gordon Ramsey always says keep it simple. And that used to be Apple's motto as well until the passing of the One's Greatness.
It's a pity that facts and can be twisted and turned in order to meet a particular narrative. But whatever.
My point is the iPad as a product had a definite purpose. Smartwatches in general don't serve a real purpose other than to make convenience more convenient.
And that's cool and all, but the question is whether or not that extra bit of convenience going to be worth $350 to enough people to bring about the revolution that Apple is hoping for.
If demand is going to be so high, why then offered a huge discount to apple employees? Shouldn't they need to wait until most of the demand has been met to use the discount? Don't they do this with the iPhone?
Of course now we hear all the explanations and reasons behind, just like we will with Apple Watch in a couple of years along the line.
iPads turned out to be a bit of a fad though.
With larger phones and lighter laptops, tablets become less relevant every day.
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Smartwatches do serve a real purpose. Three, actually:
1) It's a fashion accessory.
2) It allows you to quickly check the time.
3) It's a fitness tracker.
There's a fourth possible purpose, and that's the unproven one: receiving notifications and interacting with apps on your wrist. This is the one that, so far, doesn't seem that compelling. But watches don't need to prove anything, and fitness wearables are already a good (if niche) product category. The Apple Watch can succeed on those merits alone. The unproven aspect of it -- the notification hub -- will determine whether this is a niche product or a blockbuster like the iPhone.
Decent points. Though one can argue if those points are worth the asking price when there are plenty of other alternatives that will do the same for less money. With number 2 specifically though, for me personally, it takes mere seconds to slide my phone out of my pocket enough for me to view the time. That is not a problem for me that begs for a solution.
I disagree, smartwatches DO need to prove something. They need to prove their relevance in society. Apple Watch as a fashion accessory or fitness wearable alone will not cause it to become a blockbuster. Smartwatches in general are already niche products. Apple wants to be more than niche.
I agree that smartwatches need to prove something if they are going to become a new blockbuster product category.
But either way, they'll still sell decently well. They just have to be good at telling time, tracking fitness, and being fashionable. True, not everyone wants those things, but enough people do -- just look at how many people still wear watches. More than you might think.
I'm pretty sure that intentionally creating scarcity is almost never done as a marketing technique by tech companies. The only one that I can think of that might have been intentional was the nintendo. Manufacturing new tech is pretty hard.
I know its not going to be anything like the iPhone 6 pre-order but I wonder if Apple's servers will be overwhelmed at 12:00PDT. I guess time will tell.
I would think as a senior vice president and member of the executive team, reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook in charge of retail and online - she'd have a huge input as to where and how to sell the watch. Thats what she was hired for.
No country wants to be treated as a second class citizen by Apple - ask Canada - but Apple can't release a product to every single country in the world at the same time. I was using China as an example because of their size. If Apple doesn't have enough product for the US - its home country - then they need to limit availability around the world until they can catch up.
This launch is highly confusing - see it two weeks in a store with a reservation but not be able to buy it in the store and then have to place an order after you see it in the store - nobody walking into an apple store tomorrow is going to understand that convoluted sales procedure.
My prediction is she's not going to make it - Apple is known for simplicity and this watch, and the way its being sold, is the complete opposite of that.
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I have zero confidence in Apple's servers. Since 2007 they have never gotten a launch right.
Im gonna pre-order tonight, but when it is pre-ordered do I have to go into an Apple store to pick it up or will it be delivery? I just won't have time on the 24th to visit my local store.
I am surprised as well. My thought is that they were going to wait until the very last minute to see how it is shaping up before laying down the law. I am still going to have my wife's Apple Store set up and ready to go for her watch if they throw up a limit. And I actually hope they do set a hard limit to stop the undecideds from tying up stock just because they can't decide on which one they want: everyone can get two under one Apple ID in my perfect world.
Actually, you can disprove it. Apple reports the sales numbers. This idea gets floated with every release. Follow up numbers (reported by law in the corporate reports) bears out the sales volume, no artificial scarcity. The whole idea is puerile. Apple has invested, I would guess, hundreds of millions in the Apple Watch and associated ecos sytem. Investors want that money back. The idea now is to sell- sell- sell to as many people as you can. You don't get 'cute' at this stage and run the risk of out smarting yourself.
