Apple's Online Store Goes Down Ahead of iPhone X Event Later Today

[mmm1345]

They're coordinating a major change to, probably, a quarter of their product line across a dozen localised websites in multiple timezones and countries. That's a bit more tricky than Amazon changing the price of an economy pack of incontinence pants in Germany (on a platform that is designed to support a vast catalog of products from multiple vendors).

Apple are actually pretty unusual in that their new products are typically available to order in multiple countries immediately after launch. That will come with its share of logistical problems.

#engagebrainbeforetweeting

Not true AT all!

This is the entire point of CMS systems. You update in one place and the changes are automatically filtered down with localized language options. This isn't so complex that it requires the store to go offline for an entire day. Not only that but most CMS systems have a timed post function so they can update their product pages whenever they want and just set the timer to automatically post at the appropriate time. Or the content exec just presses a button as soon as the presentation ends.

I would bet you a million dollars these new product pages were created weeks and approved ago and are waiting for someone to press a button at the end of the presentation - they wouldn't risk doing it the day off when something could go wrong or the copy would be wrong. This is done purely for marketing reasons.

The only acceptable reason is simply because they just don't want to sell stuff that's "outdated" so it's done to "halt" the sale until the new stuff is announced. But it isn't like they close their retail stores to prevent people from buying "old stuff."

 

[576316]

I am hopeful that the 8 plus is a big enough upgrade over the 7 plus. I want wireless charge and IP68

Wireless charging will almost certainly be X exclusive. Along with all the other features you’d want and have existed in other phones for 2 years. Apple will make you feel bad for buying an 8.

 

[Nik]

Are we on facebook or youtube here?

Make sure to hit the subscribe button down below.

Oh wait...

 

[ilian92]

...which solves the problem of not changing the product line for online orders during peak business hours across multiple time zones (without handing any country a spoiler for the announcement) how, exactly?

What are you talking about? The store comes up with the new stuff at the exact same time around the world, regardless of the local time.

They close it to create this effect of the old stuff going away and the new coming in, maybe to also build some more anticipation and awareness that new is coming today. I don't think there's a serious technical reason for doing this, especially so many hours in advance.

 

[cy88]

It takes them 6 hours to update the store. Sure. #marketingmove

Like this post if you agree.

Dang, you sound silly.

 

[justperry]

Bring on 6pm

Think mainland Europe has the best timing, 19.00 is just perfect.(For a few beers to go with it too)

 

[alwaysbeincontact]

Can't wait! I'm in Florida with no power just got through the storm, will end up trying to get updates over LTE or 3G! Finally a big update to iPhone.

 

[dlx86]

This is going to be biggest launch. I quit work to watch this keynote
View attachment 716966
iPhone X here i come!!

I basically took off work to watch. they have no power due to Irma, and luckily my power at home came back today. livestream time!

 

[justperry]

Hoping I have power when the keynote starts so I can watch it on my Apple TV.

Hope you get your power back, on the other hand, there are worse things than not having power, look what Irma brought upon many people on it's path, plenty of people lost all their belongings.

 

[Nik]

Dang, you sound silly.

Maybe it is just satire which conveys a certain criticism towards todays "like this if" culture.

 

[AE14]

Wireless charging will almost certainly be X exclusive. Along with all the other features you’d want and have existed in other phones for 2 years. Apple will make you feel bad for buying an 8.

thats disappointing. I would hope 1 if not both of those would be in the 8 plus. More the IP68 than the wireless charge.

 

[CarlJ]

Are we on facebook or youtube here?

Steven Colbert once recommended a combination of the various services, called, "YouTwitFace".

 

[macintoshmac]

Brrrr. It's happening!!

 

[thekeyring]

Psh. Super Mario Run? Big deal.

Not saying it was a big deal. Saying it was a surprise!

Cheer up!

 

[albebaubles]

Er, what's the point of that when you've already extensively spoiled the event by publishing all the reveals from the leaked firmware? Not saying you shouldn't have done that, just don't understand why you'd do both.

Because people have choices. bitch for the sake of bitching much?

 

[goshya]

New products:

• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8+
• iPhone X Edition
• Apple Watch Series 3
• Apple TV (2017)
• iPod Touch 7th Generation

 

[albebaubles]

Unless the new iPhones are available today, there's no reason to close the store.

Pre-orders

 

[pat500000]

Live ranting here we go!!!

 

[theluggage]

The store comes up with the new stuff at the exact same time around the world, regardless of the local time.

Yes, and somewhere in the world, "local time" will be slap bang in the middle of the working day when hordes of people are half-way through ordering an iPhone. Somewhere in the world, it will be just after close of business, so there will be a whole day's worth of customers who have ordered an old product and/or paid the old price on the same date as the launch. Then there are all the bricks-and-mortar Apple Stores around the world who would really, really like to get their displays sorted out before the website changes.

 

[Peace]

$1,000 phone oh yeah.

FaceId got be very smart. I have a twin brother and I dont want him unlocking my iPhone. LOL

That begs the question : Whats to keep a thief from grabbing the phone and pointing it at the owner to unlock it ?

 

[CarlJ]

Not to mention the "we'll have more news on Apple TV later in the year" at WWDC!

This. He wasn't making idle chit chat to fill time during the WWDC keynote - they have some major plans for the Apple TV. No guarantee that we'll see it today, but it's highly likely.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

We wait 2 more

hours now.

 

[ph0rk]

That begs the question : Whats to keep a thief from grabbing the phone and pointing it at the owner to unlock it ?

Well, I doubt the facial recognition software will work well enough to unlock while your face is contorted in a "hey you!" moment, but even if it were you could still have apple kill the phone remotely.

 

[CarlJ]

They close it to create this effect of the old stuff going away and the new coming in, maybe to also build some more anticipation and awareness that new is coming today. I don't think there's a serious technical reason for doing this, especially so many hours in advance.

When they started doing this, the backstory was that their web store was based on WebObjects, and, yeah, actually did need a complete shutdown/restart to bring up the changes. Don't know if any of that code remains, likely more a tradition now (plus the bit about keeping less clueful people from buying the previous model during the event). I kind of like it. I'd probably like it less if I really had to buy some accessory right now, but then, I'd just drive to the local Apple Store (it's hard to maintain a sense of urgency for "I have to order this cable right now, for delivery in 3 days").

Now, if they shuttered all the physical Apple Stores for six hours before/during these events, then, yes, that would be pretty unreasonable hype generation.
[doublepost=1505229433][/doublepost]

Frivolous and one-word posts. Such posts waste everyone's time and will be deleted.

Who do you think you are? A moderator or something?

 

[theluggage]

This is the entire point of CMS systems.

You really don't get it. This has nothing to do with technology. It has to do with minimising the number of people who order old products on the day that they change, and have to be contacted. It has to do with (physical) Apple stores getting their displays updated in sync with the website. It probably also has to do with issues that neither you or I know about because we've never co-ordinated a worldwide product launch with massive media interest.

Also, however smart your CMS is, only an idiot makes a major live change affecting possibly 25% of your product range on-the-fly - while the word's media and twitterati are poised to jump on any slip-up - if they can possibly avoid it.

For (e.g.) a site like Amazon, with products changing continually, it is unavoidable (but they rarely have to coordinate a change globally, change 25% of their catalogue in one go or have the international media breathing down their neck). For Apple, taking the website down 2-3 times a year is not a biggie (and, yes, whatever other reasons there are for it, there's probably a payback in raising awareness of the launch).