Looking at the Apple "check stock of iphones" tool it seems like a lot of stores are out of iPhones (in particular the 16gb black). Anyway, it also seemed like it was taking them 3-4 hours to go through 100 people - so did even the Apple stores have hardly any stock? I would have thought that most Apple stores had at least 500-1000 in stock and got replenished over the weekend. Does anyone have any perspective on how many iPhones Apple stores had and how fast were they selling?
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how are the apple stores out of stock?
- Thread starter ibrainch
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As far as I know, the bigger Apple stores are selling close to 1,000 a day. The smaller ones probably more like 3-400.
They're definitely selling hundreds and hundreds at each store everyday so far.
The site is updated each night at 9pm. All it says though is that the store has at least 1 phone that will go on sale tomorrow. The tool is unavailable through the day - they don't do live updating.
If it is like last year, for it to be green the store has to have at least 10 iPhone's.
I was at our Apple Store to get something else, during the iPhone sales, and there, they were actually taking time to set up people's e-mails, and show them how to use the apps and sync with iTunes. They don't do that at AT&T. Hence, the line at Apple.
I know based on my visits to the Apple retail stores in Pentagon City and Tysons Corner, VA, they both sold by mid-afternoon with long (and very slow) lines. However, both stores assured everyone in the lines who didn't get phones (myself included) that another shipment would be in and to come back tomorrow. Guess what? The Apple Retail availability tool is showing NO phones at any of the 4 Northern Virginia locations tomorrow.
I have many problems with this service Apple is providing to check the availability of iPhones.
1. Why are almost all stores in Maryland still out??? Why wouldn't they be getting a shipment for tomorrow? Does it really mean that they won't have any tomorrow (as it claims) or just that they don't NOW?
2. When does this service go offline in the morning? What time? I suppose at that time it's the most accurate.
From my experience trying to get my hands on a 16GB black iPhone, this thing is useless.
1. Why are almost all stores in Maryland still out??? Why wouldn't they be getting a shipment for tomorrow? Does it really mean that they won't have any tomorrow (as it claims) or just that they don't NOW?
2. When does this service go offline in the morning? What time? I suppose at that time it's the most accurate.
From my experience trying to get my hands on a 16GB black iPhone, this thing is useless.
Chances are pretty good that the stores will be receiving stock tomorrow. The reason they sold out today is that normal deliveries don't occur on Sunday and the stores sold more than what was anticipated for the weekend. The online stock only indicates the stock level of the store at 9 PM. So if you go to the store first thing tomorrow morning you won't find any stock, but if you call later in the day they will probably have some phones available.
1) Agree about the small stock. Stores sold out incredibly quickly down here. To the point of just making me scratch my head as to whether they were given 100 phones
2) Also agree on the AT&T store comment. I drove 10 minutes to a store near by and nobody was there for the original iPhone when every other major store had mile long lines
Find the right place
2) Also agree on the AT&T store comment. I drove 10 minutes to a store near by and nobody was there for the original iPhone when every other major store had mile long lines
Find the right place
More shocking than the general shortage and numbers sold per day is how they screwed up the percentages of each model they produced. Apple obviously has the money to attract top talent, so it's even more baffling to me that they couldn't figure out they should have made LOTS more 16GB black vs the other two options. As soon as I heard the three choices I immediately said, "the 16GB black will be what people want most." Sure enough, there were many "settling" for white or 8GB black because the 16GB black was sold out. How can they be so stupid?
Ohh I dont know? Because everyone was bitching that Apple needs to go back to white peripherals. They listened and what did they get? Screwed for it.
I agree. Last year the 8gbs sold like hot cakes and people were setting for the 4gbs...You'd think they would have learned their lesson. Guess not. Wonder if they'll finally make more 32gbs than 16gbs when they sell iphone 3g v2 next year.
I talked to a buddy of mine who works at an Apple store. . .he said it has been crazy and it takes around 30 minutes per customer if everything goes right. If not, 1 hour or more.
This gels with what I am seeing. My local store had NO lines by the second day of the first gen IPhone release. Now, day three, there are still 2 hour waits.
The local ATT store which is huge (sq footage) said they got a 'few dozen' phones TOTAL for Friday and no more on Sat. . .I asked them when they expect a new shipment and they said they didn't know. . .
This gels with what I am seeing. My local store had NO lines by the second day of the first gen IPhone release. Now, day three, there are still 2 hour waits.
The local ATT store which is huge (sq footage) said they got a 'few dozen' phones TOTAL for Friday and no more on Sat. . .I asked them when they expect a new shipment and they said they didn't know. . .