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wnxgenral

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 14, 2008
286
16
This forum has been full of 2 threads...

1. People talking about their negative or somewhat "meh" experiences with Apple Watch

2. People like myself that have June shipping dates...

Isn't Apple concerned that people will continue to read this type of stuff and eventually a good % of them cancel orders? I can honestly say that I am really thinking about canceling my order now... Part of the thrill behind "pre-ordering" Apple products is to be in the first group of people to receive them and experience that first month with our new toys, we are missing out completely on this experience and so much is being posted on the topic that I feel like I already know exactly what experience I'll have when I finally get my watch in 2 months... I can't be a part of the conversation in a majority of these threads.

$700 + $59 (additional band) + $59 stand = a significant investment for a product a lot of people are saying it's nice to check my grocery list and use a timer...

Apple better start moving shipping dates up or frustrated folks like myself that have always been an early adopter of their products isn't going to be in the boat on this product.

**EDIT** The real problem is that if Apple doesn't make this first group of early adopters happy, it'll have a real impact on the future success of this product. Think about how many of you actually sell your friends/family on the value of upgrading your phone EVERY year or being the first to buy an iPad... We as early adopters are Apples biggest sales people.
 

ob81

macrumors 65816
Jun 11, 2007
1,406
356
Virginia Beach
probably not. This is just one forum on the internet. There is another somewhere that probably depicts a completely different picture.
 

Arran

macrumors 601
Mar 7, 2008
4,848
3,781
Atlanta, USA
If you're thinking of canceling there's a good chance you didn't really know what you were buying in the first place. You may have just returned the watch within 14 days and been a net cost to Apple. They don't charge restocking fees - but are hit with the cost of returns.

So maybe the slow rollout is deliberate: Let the time wasters and tyre-kickers get tired and go elsewhere?
 

xraydoc

Contributor
Oct 9, 2005
10,791
5,248
192.168.1.1
And some of the first iPad users said it was just a big iPod touch.

I think people are focusing on the press they want to focus on. The watch does exactly what I expected it to do -- not to be an iPhone strapped to my wrist, but a phone companion and a timepiece.

I'm not cutting Apple any slack for the incredibly suboptimal launch. But I think most people will enjoy the watch. Particularly if you understand what it is going in to it.
 

avalys

macrumors 6502
Jun 4, 2004
303
40
If the product is only appealing to people who buy it for the excitement of having something new ahead of everyone else, Apple has bigger problems on their hands.

I'm sure Apple, Tim Cook, Jony Ive and the rest of them are just as pissed as everyone in this forum that they don't have enough supply for their biggest product launch this year, and I'm sure they have worried that the low availability will piss people off and dampen enthusiasm for the product. In the long term though, if it's actually a good product, it will be okay.
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
You're not missing much. The watch is great for a lot of us. No issues or problems worth fretting over. Some of us have questions or concerns that are cleared up quickly and quietly. No dramas. It's neither fun nor boring. It just is.


The rest of it is the usual "Oh my gosh there's this thing that looks like a hamster toe print on the left top quadrant of the back of my watch, will that give me a rash or cause notifications not to sync and if so, it's all Angela Ahrendt's fault, isn't it, and should I get a gift certificate from Apple to compensate me for my pain and suffering after paying $2000 for my watch on Craigslist, and honestly I am thinking of selling it anyway because I can't do calculus on it, what do you guys think???!!!!!
 

silverblack

macrumors 68030
Nov 27, 2007
2,680
840
People come to forums mostly to voice their problems or to search for a solution. Owners of Apple watches with good experience do not have strong urges to vent.
 

ziggy29

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2014
495
323
Oregon North Coast
I've been in and out of the customer service business since 1983. One view is that customers are about 20 times more likely to raise hell over a bad experience (in their perception, which is their reality) than they are to praise a good experience.

I can't speak to the exact ratio, but I do know customers are MUCH more likely to express dissatisfaction than satisfaction.

For that reason I take things with a grain of salt.
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
Apple better start moving shipping dates up or frustrated folks like myself that have always been an early adopter of their products isn't going to be in the boat on this product.

I'm soooo confused now. All the "smart" marketing folks here on MR told us Apple was keeping stock artificially low to STOKE demand. Now you are telling us the limited shipping inventory is causing you to rethink your purchase and cancel the order!

Of course you have it right, and this is why companies don't artificially create scarcity. Companies want to sell as much as possible as fast as possible -- that is what creates true "buzz." Only greenhorns think squelching inventory when there are willing buyers is a legitimate marketing strategy that works.
 

Bigdog9586

macrumors 6502
Apr 15, 2015
338
112
I've noticed on lots of posts people have a little Apple before watch. How do I make that Apple.
 

Che Castro

macrumors 603
May 21, 2009
5,878
676
This forum always has people complaining not just watch section

Check the iPhone and iPad , even Mac section
Every time they have a problem they come here & ask anybody else have this problem
Instead of calling apple

You don't see that in reddit that much , they are over there posting Lego docks & taking pictures with the watch and car together , just having fun

Also most of the ones complaining have April/may 2015 join dates
 

Armen

macrumors 604
Apr 30, 2013
7,405
2,274
Los Angeles
And some of the first iPad users said it was just a big iPod touch.

I think people are focusing on the press they want to focus on. The watch does exactly what I expected it to do -- not to be an iPhone strapped to my wrist, but a phone companion and a timepiece.

I'm not cutting Apple any slack for the incredibly suboptimal launch. But I think most people will enjoy the watch. Particularly if you understand what it is going in to it.

Exactly. my Apple watch is a welcome replacement for my Pebble.

It's pretty sad that people are trying to justify their purchase of the Apple watch by gauging how much they "use" it. Can you imagine if Jewelry was assessed in this manner? People would be returning jewelry because it didn't do anything.
 

shareef777

Suspended
Jul 26, 2005
2,445
3,276
Chicago, IL
Case study of great marketing.

I think it's more then that. Personally, I got one to tie into the OSX/iOS eco-system even further. The current continuity and handoff features work so well in my day to day tasks (both personal and for work) that I figured the watch would solidify that balance even further. I won't have mine until Friday to test, and have an extremely busy week after picking it up so I'll be able to see how well it fits in fairly quickly. Worst case, it sucks and it winds up sitting in a drawer not being used.

----------

Exactly. my Apple watch is a welcome replacement for my Pebble.

It's pretty sad that people are trying to justify their purchase of the Apple watch by gauging how much they "use" it. Can you imagine if Jewelry was assessed in this manner? People would be returning jewelry because it didn't do anything.

Haha, I tell my wife that all the time. I actually played a prank on her once. I bought her a gold bracelet and placed it inside her jewelry box among all her other jewelry without telling her. Took her a month and a half before she noticed it. From that point on, she doesn't ask about jewelry :D
 

Poochi

macrumors 6502a
Jul 30, 2010
886
262
Toronto
The wait sucks but I will be happy when it finally arrives and use it for my workouts.

----------

Oh. Just want to add. Thanks god I didn't receive a defective unit with lots of problems like the first batch (sticky crown, peeling bands, speaker with low sound etc etc)
 

flur

macrumors 68020
Nov 12, 2012
2,371
1,160
The rest of it is the usual "Oh my gosh there's this thing that looks like a hamster toe print on the left top quadrant of the back of my watch, will that give me a rash or cause notifications not to sync and if so, it's all Angela Ahrendt's fault, isn't it, and should I get a gift certificate from Apple to compensate me for my pain and suffering after paying $2000 for my watch on Craigslist, and honestly I am thinking of selling it anyway because I can't do calculus on it, what do you guys think???!!!!!

LOL, replace "watch" with "Apple Device" and you've pretty much covered all of the MacRumors forums.
 

Koobs

macrumors 6502
Sep 20, 2014
421
725
This forum has been full of 2 threads

$700 + $59 (additional band) + $59 stand = a significant investment for a product a lot of people are saying it's nice to check my grocery list and use a timer...

The $349 model is perfect for people who are on the fence.
 

Skepta

macrumors member
May 1, 2015
60
2
Just take it easy my brother. Apple is a great company and I have faith in them hence why we all buy their products and talk about it. You are just confusing lust and excitement with frustration that you can't have it yet. It'll come and you will love it even if it's a glorified grocery list.

You can cancel your order so my June order goes up a slot or you can wait till you have it and make your own opinion of the watch and value it worth. You have 14 days to return it... Lastly, if you just purchased the watch to be the first person to have it then you will still have that experience since many people won't have one when you do in June. Keep it together and stay strong brother. We are all in the same boat titled processing hell.
 

zmunkz

macrumors 6502a
Nov 4, 2007
921
229
This forum has been full of 2 threads...

1. People talking about their negative or somewhat "meh" experiences with Apple Watch

2. People like myself that have June shipping dates...

Isn't Apple concerned that people will continue to read this type of stuff and eventually a good % of them cancel orders? I can honestly say that I am really thinking about canceling my order now... Part of the thrill behind "pre-ordering" Apple products is to be in the first group of people to receive them and experience that first month with our new toys, we are missing out completely on this experience and so much is being posted on the topic that I feel like I already know exactly what experience I'll have when I finally get my watch in 2 months... I can't be a part of the conversation in a majority of these threads.

$700 + $59 (additional band) + $59 stand = a significant investment for a product a lot of people are saying it's nice to check my grocery list and use a timer...

Apple better start moving shipping dates up or frustrated folks like myself that have always been an early adopter of their products isn't going to be in the boat on this product.

**EDIT** The real problem is that if Apple doesn't make this first group of early adopters happy, it'll have a real impact on the future success of this product. Think about how many of you actually sell your friends/family on the value of upgrading your phone EVERY year or being the first to buy an iPad... We as early adopters are Apples biggest sales people.

I hear you, a portion of my energy to pay the money was to be part of that first wave, so when i missed that, the watch did lose some value. It was obviously not the only reason I bought it, so i have no plan to cancel, but i get where you are coming from.
 

wnxgenral

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 14, 2008
286
16
By doing a first come first serve basis, Apple might be missing some of it's highest lifetime value customers that if they aren't included in the conversations that occur the first few months this product is in market, have huge impact on the success of the product.

Should Apple be doing the analysis to understand which customers have:

1. a high social clout score
2. have purchased new iPhones each year
3. have been in the first wave of new products (iPads, Apple TV's, retina display iMacs)

There are many variables that would profile a purchaser that would have a negative impact on the adoption of their products by not having one for 60-90 days until after release...
 

bluecow

macrumors regular
Apr 23, 2015
140
2
Apple knows relatively few "early adopters" will cancel, and doubt they will care since they are still backlogged and they'll be one step closer to catching up.

----------

By doing a first come first serve basis, Apple might be missing some of it's highest lifetime value customers that if they aren't included in the conversations that occur the first few months this product is in market, have huge impact on the success of the product.

Should Apple be doing the analysis to understand which customers have:

1. a high social clout score
2. have purchased new iPhones each year
3. have been in the first wave of new products (iPads, Apple TV's, retina display iMacs)

There are many variables that would profile a purchaser that would have a negative impact on the adoption of their products by not having one for 60-90 days until after release...
I couldn't imagine the public outcry that would come if Apple started sending their products out in order of klout scores or who spends the most money.

It would be one thing if it was just a very small consumer test...but if they sent out 100,000 units+ based on klout and spending habits, hell would break loose both on forums and in the media.
 
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