Does any other company act like this?

[profmjh]

Apple is now the largest corporation--at least in terms of market capitalization. If Apple did what every other company else does, then Apple would stand where every other company stands.

If Apple keeps on doing what Apple's doing, it will soon be standing where those other companies are standing.

Fortunes rise. And fall.

 

[5105973]

I think their most puzzling "mistake", particularly if Angela Ahrendts wants to get rid of the lines and promote SMART online ordering, is the failure to set up the try on appointments at least a week in advance of the opportunity to preorder. This would prevent so many returns or Ebay and CL resales of watches that turned out to be a poor fit. It would have cut down drastically a lot the ordering of multiple watches on the part of the undecided.

I would have thought this would occur to them after the same thing happened with the consumers being torn between iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

But maybe they don't care about that and in fact like how the ordering of multiple devices by the undecided helps inflate their numbers for the announcement of preorder volumes.

If they value that above efficiently matching supply and demand...well...

 

[KPOM]

I'll be explicitly clear.

I'm criticising Tim Cook as CEO and Angela Ahrendts as head of retail.

And only them.

I think the retail launch has been fine. When was the last time you could make an appointment on the first day of a product launch, try it out for 15 minutes with a sales rep under no pressure to buy it, and not have to wait in a line of hundreds of people? The online servers didn't crash, Apple Pay worked as advertised, and most people placed orders within minutes or even seconds of starting the process. The only blemish on the retail front was the confusion over whether there was a soft limit of 2 orders per household (it appears that there was no hard limit but Apple's servers attempted to identify patterns that would identify resellers). As for in-store availability Ahrendts has to play the hand she was dealt. There isn't enough to stock the stores at launch and so they did an online-only launch.

There were definitely glitches throughout this process but the retail experience was fine.

 

[C7 POWER]

I agree with this, I am a Apple Fan Boy as the Android people would say, BUT When I wake up at 2:45am Eastern Time on a work day to pre order so I can get my watch on Launch Day and I placed my order in the first minute and my ETA is a 2 week window of 4/24-5/8, I am pretty disappointed. Ive never ordered on Pre order for anything, so I was so excited to do it and it was a blast getting up to snag mine, but knowing that most people now tend to think we wont even have a chance to get ours on launch day does suck (First world problems I know haha) but I tend to agree, they have been hyping this up for a long time, I cant see how production in the many months was not able to get inventory going.

And to only offer online, bad business choice IMO, they will loose many customers who want one but decide to spend the money elsewhere because they cant walk into the store and buy it. or just dont want to wait 2 months, that gives people a lot of time to think about that money they are spending and some will realize, its not needed.

 

[profmjh]

There were definitely glitches throughout this process but the retail experience was fine.

To be fair, I haven't visited an Apple Store. But I've read about the experiences of people who have, and many of these seem sub-optimal: untrained staff, disinterested staff, insufficient stock (e.g. "I could only try the large band because they didn't have any of the medium"), inability to genuinely try out the watch (as opposed to watching a demo loop).

 

[Rogifan]

I've long thought that Apple needs a full time COO. When Cook was in that role he managed the supply time as well as anyone could given Steve Jobs' propensity to make last minute changes. But he can't do that and be the CEO at the same time.

That said, some people view the past with rose colored glasses. The original iPhone sold 275,000 its first weekend and there were long lines. The lines for the iPad 2 stretched for blocks at the launch date. It took 3 months for supply of the iPhone 4s to match demand and Apple resorted to an in store reservation system.

It's obvious they had supply chain issues with this, and likely development difficulties since they made the decision to make it smaller than any other similar device out there. I doubt they were able to move the S1 chip to Samsung's 14nm process (which should help battery life in future generations) so they had to use other means to get the battery to last 18 hours. This is a gen 1 product and they experienced gen 1 issues at multiple stages. That said, I'd rather get it late than for Apple to release a half baked product. I'm sure it isn't perfect, but even from the most negative reviews out there this doesn't seem like a half baked product.

I thought Jeff Williams was COO (even if he doesn't have that official title)? Maybe Apple execs are stretched too thin. We kind of got that impression from the Jony Ive profile in the New Yorker (he came down with pneumonia late last year; he said it was because he had "burnt himself into not being well").

 

[JonnyIreland]

Apple/any company is never too big to fail, some people here seem to think that they can't hit the bottom again -it can happen to anyone.

Everyone's experiences are different, but all I can judge is what happened this time around for me.. I have preordered/lined up (either virtually or in person) for 8 Apple products in my lifetime, I've been through the website issues just like everyone else.... but this is the first time that I have failed to secure the product for launch day -and you can times that by two, as the same thing applies to my MacBook preorder also.

 

[technosix]

Apple has done a tremendous job with many outstanding products. A long history of excellence, and a very strong brand, known worldwide.

Now they are taking advantage of those accomplishments. Always clever and mindful of the competition even when their ardent fans living in denial argue Apple has no competition.

Feeling the pressure to catch up and enter the market to compete with Android smartwatches, Apple pushed hard and here they are.

Apple's doing what they do best. Taking advantage of their muscle, their loyal followers, their massive resources, and the compliant Pro-Apple press.

I may not like it and you may not like it, but Apple's backed us into a corner. We have only one choice, to take what Apple offers and pay handsomely for it. Or walk away. We're over a barrel and Apple laughs all the way to the bank.

 

[KPOM]

I think their most puzzling "mistake", particularly if Angela Ahrendts wants to get rid of the lines and promote SMART online ordering, is the failure to set up the try on appointments at least a week in advance of the opportunity to preorder. This would prevent so many returns or Ebay and CL resales of watches that turned out to be a poor fit. It would have cut down drastically a lot the ordering of multiple watches on the part of the undecided.

I would have thought this would occur to them after the same thing happened with the consumers being torn between iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

But maybe they don't care about that and in fact like how the ordering of multiple devices by the undecided helps inflate their numbers for the announcement of preorder volumes.

If they value that above efficiently matching supply and demand...well...

I hear you but I don't think that's realistic. If they had done that people would be complaining that it's pointless to have them in the store and not be able to even place an order for them. The try-on reservations have been mostly orderly and it seems most stores were able to accommodate walk-ins when they weren't busy as well.

Perhaps they could add some iPad "kiosks" to make it easier to order in store but I think they want to promote a no-pressure culture. That's how things work when you walk into a store like Burberry. You aren't hounded and can take the time to make a decision.

 

[monaarts]

Apple is genius! Apple now allows pre-orders online only while allowing the device to be tested in stores. This does a few things: 1) it allows people who aren't certain they want a device to try the item on to make a decision, 2) it allows for their retail store employees to sell new technology instead of the older devices, 3) it further reduces the bottle neck Apple experiences on launch day because of people who want to demo the device before swiping their credit card, and 4) it increases media coverage by changing the normal Apple pattern and by allowing the company to continue breaking records because the new device is available for demo now so people can talk about it before it comes out.

 

[KPOM]

To be fair, I haven't visited an Apple Store. But I've read about the experiences of people who have, and many of these seem sub-optimal: untrained staff, disinterested staff, insufficient stock (e.g. "I could only try the large band because they didn't have any of the medium"), inability to genuinely try out the watch (as opposed to watching a demo loop).

These are anecdotes. You always have some of that when dealing with thousands of retail employees in over 400 stores in multiple countries. For the most part things went smoothly.

 

[SixtyK]

Looks like you were right.

I'm wrong. Apple's right. I apologise without reservation. I'll go round the back and shoot myself in the head.

Wow, you seem a little sensitive... maybe internet message boards aren't the best place for you.

 

[KPOM]

Thank you for your well-reasoned thoughts.

Given Apple's incredible wealth, they could easily have afforded to wait until the product was right and they had plenty of stock in inventory. There was surely never any doubt that they'd be able to shift as much as they made. Within reason.

You can't just "throw money" at every problem. If Qanta is having production issues it takes time to get Foxconn up to speed. If software is buggy sometimes cutting the number of programmers (or at least refocusing priorities) is better than increasing the number.

For all of Apple's success Tim Cook has been under lots of pressure to do something "new" and had previously promised a major announcement by the end of 2014. They could have pulled a Samsung and released something like the Gear on short notice but to their credit did not, and carried a more polished vision through to reality.

 

[oftheheavens]

I disagree. Meeting or exceeding customer expectations is Business 101. Making vague promises doesn't build and maintain customer loyalty. It just gets people's backs up.

Apple has been lucky that it hasn't really had much competition –*in terms of style and quality. But other companies are slowly catching up.

Apple wil not always be number one. Companies rise and fall. They don't stay that the top by breaking promises or building a pattern of incompetence. I still remember Apple Maps.

the main point i got from "business 101" was without profits a company doesn't exist. Yes you must have a customer base to make profit but I think it is safe to say that they have a strong base and even more so (as the market share shows) apple is very good at having their products meet or exceed customer expectations.

I am not saying that Apple is perfect, no business/person is, but they are really good at what they do when it comes to selling products old or new. I'm sorry that you didn't have the optimal experience, but it appears at least 1 million others did.

 

[heeloliver]

I don't think Apple would have wanted the Watch to be released this late. When they said early 2015, that's what they wanted but probably ran into some bad production issues.

 

[orioncrystalice]

The no in-store buy combined with the backorder time is the thing that strikes me as bad. If a customer wants the product, they want to pay for it, put it in their car, and go home. If it's online ordering, they expect a reasonable shipping time to be part of the convenient experience that online shopping should be in 2015.

 

[ZombiePete]

From my perspective, we haven't reached the launch yet so it's hard to say that it's been a failure without trying to predict the future. I will say that I think that the pre-order was much smoother than the iPhone 6 pre-order, which left me trying to get my phone ordered for thirty minutes thanks to failures within the Store apps and the website itself. This time, though the website didn't come up for nearly ten minutes after the Watch was available in the Store apps, at least I didn't get a bunch of page time outs and failures throughout the buying process.

It's hard to say what are real issues that Apple is trying to resolve and what they're doing on purpose. Not selling Watches in the retail stores right away, for example, could easily be a calculated maneuver to try and get people to stop lining up for products they have no reservation for. I'm not saying it is; it could just as easily be due to the fact that manufacturing issues have left them with few products available for a major retail release. I don't know. I definitely think it's better that Apple is setting expectations now rather than allowing people to get hyped up for the 24th only to find out that there's not enough for even a fraction of those lining up.

I think we'll get a much clearer picture of how launch day is going to be once people start getting their confirmed shipping dates. Until then, we're really just speculating. If Apple is trying to turn their stores into more of a show room and want to push customers towards buying things online, though, then this is just the beginning. It will be really telling if the same type of strategy is used to control the next iPhone release.

 

[Cascadians]

Huge company, lots of money. Thought Apple would be more nimble.

The launch of a new product with some snafus does not concern me as much as the dumbing down of the software. Apple was always so fantastic with software and now each "upgrade" strips functionality, features and elegant intuitive ease of use.

Apple needs to pour all their energy, after the Watch stabilizes, into fixing all the software, restoring powerful elegant intuitive ease of use and full features and functionality.

 

[ditzy]

PS4 is by definition not a new product.

 

[bunnicula]

To be fair, I haven't visited an Apple Store. But I've read about the experiences of people who have, and many of these seem sub-optimal: untrained staff, disinterested staff, insufficient stock (e.g. "I could only try the large band because they didn't have any of the medium"), inability to genuinely try out the watch (as opposed to watching a demo loop).

My try on appointment went great. Super nice sales guy. Let my husband and I both try whatever watches we wanted. Showed us how the bands attached and how quickly you could swap bands. Great experience. We had fun. I'm sure we were not the only ones who did because we were at the flagship store in San Francisco and all their try on slots were full with multiple sales associates leading try on appointments.

----------

I don't think Apple would have wanted the Watch to be released this late. When they said early 2015, that's what they wanted but probably ran into some bad production issues.

I think so.

I'd rather have my watch "sometime between 4/24 and 5/8" than "in July," but either way I'd prefer one that meets quality standards than a defective unit.

 

[5105973]

I hear you but I don't think that's realistic. If they had done that people would be complaining that it's pointless to have them in the store and not be able to even place an order for them. The try-on reservations have been mostly orderly and it seems most stores were able to accommodate walk-ins when they weren't busy as well.

Perhaps they could add some iPad "kiosks" to make it easier to order in store but I think they want to promote a no-pressure culture. That's how things work when you walk into a store like Burberry. You aren't hounded and can take the time to make a decision.

Why isn't it realistic? How is it any different from the situation now where people are going in as we speak for try ons and still won't get one in their hot little hands until June for some models? The could be shown how to mark a choice as a favorite for preorder on their app.

If they are allowed appointments for previews before preordering, they will know precisely what model to order during those fast moving first few minutes of preorder. They won't waste their time and eventually's Apple's time and resources on models they only think they might want but will end up returning after seeing the watches in person. Just think of the people who got the coveted Space Black Sport watch at the early delivery date who have since seen the watch and regret their choice. Meanwhile someone later down the queue is sick with envy and frustrated that early slot went to someone who doesn't like the watch and may sell it for a mark up on EBay.

I believe Ahrendts sincerely wants to avoid such dissatisfaction and wants to cut down on scalping. Or superfluous orders. Why else is Apple now reportedly combing through orders and culling ones with even as few as 3 multiple watches going to one household? But such measures that could potentially ruin good will with longtime faithful customers could be avoided with a bit of planning. The suggestion I made about scheduling try on opportunities ahead of the preorder rush is nothing original. It's been suggested by numerous people.

Also communication of purchase limits could have been made more clear during purchase. There was actually no mention of it when my husband placed our orders.

And they need to shore up inconsistencies between the way orders are processed on the app vs their web site. These are small low to no cost details that could go a long way to making them look more thoughtful and organized.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I think their most puzzling "mistake", particularly if Angela Ahrendts wants to get rid of the lines and promote SMART online ordering, is the failure to set up the try on appointments at least a week in advance of the opportunity to preorder.

Agreed. I think that this was the big mistake. Apple should have had try-ons for at least a couple of weeks before opening up preorders.

 

[PRSGuitarist]

I agree with this, I am a Apple Fan Boy as the Android people would say, BUT When I wake up at 2:45am Eastern Time on a work day to pre order so I can get my watch on Launch Day and I placed my order in the first minute and my ETA is a 2 week window of 4/24-5/8, I am pretty disappointed.

Not sure if serious...

I think everyone who got in the first batch has that as the ETA, not an exact date. I haven't heard anyone say otherwise.

 

[pragmatous]

At this point here I was thinking maybe you have a point. However, I'm questioning why who cares. Apple started a pre-order 2 weeks early than the actual release of the product and you're complaining that it's not released for 2 weeks. It's just weird.

Then I read "fortunes rise. And fall."

That leads me to believe that you're using a logical fallacy: Appeal to emotion. The emotion being "i hate apple I hope it falls" and simply appealing with others that think the same. Hoping that those that are emotional enough will flame you for your obvious biased hate towards a company that makes products that other people like. [edit: while at the same time hoping you get support from fellow haters and centrist alike that don't realize they're being tried with a logical fallacy]

Facts are neither emotional nor appealing. Apple is not going anywhere ever. People enjoy their products. People are willing to spend money for high quality products. People believe that Apple's products are high quality products. This has been tested thoroughly in all of their products to be in fact high quality products. People enjoy apple.

It's no surprise that you'll get flame responses as that is your intent to begin with.

If Apple keeps on doing what Apple's doing, it will soon be standing where those other companies are standing.

Fortunes rise. And fall.

 

[Appl3FTW]

Truthfully, only apple can pull it off. That just shows time and time again how loyal apple fans are. Good to be the company who is loved. They always deliver so it's worth every praise.