New iPad Demand is 'Off the Charts' with Initial Pre-Order Batch Sold Out

[jomirrivera]

I couldn't agree more.

You know what I've noticed, for the most part, since Tim Cook has taken lead of Apple, there are much larger leaks.

In my OPINION, if Apple doesn't step up their game on the leakages front, we'll see a decline in general Apple hype.

Like you said, they'll miss their mystique which we've all grown to loathe and love.

For me, the New iPad leak a week before the release really killed the buzz for me, I didn't even (and still haven't) watched the media event or even read the transcript. Simply because I felt I knew what the iPad would be, before actually seeing it.

Riddle me this; if the next-new Apple TV parts were leaked a day before the announcement, the leak showing a retina/OLED 55" screen, Siri,iCloud sync, etc.

Wouldn't you think "Now, I just couldn't care less.."

I know I would. I really enjoy the media events and product announcements in general.


That being said, this still hasn't stopped me from buying a new iPad.

Don't you remember the iphone 4 leaks when steve jobs was the CEO?

 

[vartanarsen]

Pre-ordrered for instore pickp

Hi guys, i preordered last week (and card charged) for friday iPad but i chose to pick up from NH store instead of being shipped (save on tax).....anyway, am i correct to say that puts me in a special status over walkins..land even further, can i just stroll in at 7 after work and pick it up??.....or will they screw p and ive mine to a walk-in liner???

 

[AppleScruff1]

Smart business based on cash flow, distribution channel lead times, planning adjustments, ramping production and components up and down, etc.etc.

Say they make 5 million iphones/ipads and keep them in a warehouse for launch day. Just so nobody has to wait, huh?

Plus, how would they know what sells best with all the colors and configurations?

By the time they build up the warehouse stock to 5 million pcs. they bind the capital it takes to make the products and they need more warehouse space, which after the introduction is no longer needed.

A make and sell business is one of the sweetest ways to do business.

They are in that phase right now, but eventually there will be a dud nobody will wait for.

I still think it's lame and intentional to keep up the media hype. The greatest tech company on earth can't keep the supply channel full for more than two days?

 

[ortuno2k]

I've been wanting to get one for a while, but cannot justify spending that kind of money on an over-sized iPhone or iPod Touch. I know there are lots of people who swear by their iPad, but still can't push myself to buy one.
The same is true for the cheaper alternatives. I just don't see how to "need" and actually buy one.
I've spent a few minutes with them on various occasions, just can't bite the bullet and drop the cash for it.
In the meantime, enjoy it guys, those who do have it I'll keep adding my pocket change to my savings account

 

[vartanarsen]

I've been wanting to get one for a while, but cannot justify spending that kind of money on an over-sized iPhone or iPod Touch. I know there are lots of people who swear by their iPad, but still can't push myself to buy one.
The same is true for the cheaper alternatives. I just don't see how to "need" and actually buy one.
I've spent a few minutes with them on various occasions, just can't bite the bullet and drop the cash for it.
In the meantime, enjoy it guys, those who do have it I'll keep adding my pocket change to my savings account

I respect that...better to be like you than people spending and spending (like myself)

 

[amnost]

My new iPad is actually already in my city! Tracking says that it's being held for delivery until a future date (Friday). Is it bad that I already put the FedEx pre-sign paper on my front door?

 

[twoodcc]

A friend of mine called one of the Best Buy stores nearby and they told him to give his name/phone for a list. They said they will call those people in the list Monday to let them know when and IF they can pick one up. They are not even sure themselves whether they are going to get them.

thanks. so i guess they won't have them on friday for sure

 

[praktical]

Pre-Orders sold out

Ok I know I'm new to this forum but just an insight to something we all know. This was the same situation when the iPhone came out and look where it is now. It's time we dictate the pace of technology and not these fortune 500 companies. I give it 4-6 months for a new iPad with Siri. Think about it, this new iPad has more than enough juice to run Siri and they refused to give it to us...why?

 

[Bchagey]

Ok I know I'm new to this forum but just an insight to something we all know. This was the same situation when the iPhone came out and look where it is now. It's time we dictate the pace of technology and not these fortune 500 companies. I give it 4-6 months for a new iPad with Siri. Think about it, this new iPad has more than enough juice to run Siri and they refused to give it to us...why?

Siri was made/designed for the iPhone, not the iPad. watch this video, and mentally picture a person jogging, or driving a car with their iPad next to them..just doesn't make sense..not to me atleast.

http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/siri.html

 

[KPOM]

I still think it's lame and intentional to keep up the media hype. The greatest tech company on earth can't keep the supply channel full for more than two days?

They already have enough complaints about exploiting cheap labor.There are only so many hours in a day, and so many iPads Foxconn can produce at a time. They want some for the retail stores (for the obvious publicity, to be sure), but I'm actually surprised the pre-orders lasted as long as they did. People were ordering as late as early Friday and still being quoted March 16th delivery.

Sure, if they had delayed the iPad 3 another few weeks perhaps they could have met early demand, but why do that when there obviously are people ready to buy now.

 

[children]

At first glance there is, but then, try using one

true.
I 'upgraded' to a galaxy tab 7.7 (one of the best androids i believe) from an iPad one, about a month and a half ago.

Now its being shipped to a new home, and I'm getting another iPad

 

[MacinDoc]

I still think it's lame and intentional to keep up the media hype. The greatest tech company on earth can't keep the supply channel full for more than two days?

From what I understand, the Retina displays are the main bottleneck in the manufacturing process. Because this is bleeding edge tech, the yield is still relatively poor. Given that it takes Apple up to six months to catch up with demand when a new iDevice is introduced, Apple would have to stockpile new products for up to six months before releasing them in order to avoid this problem. So then you have to delay the announcement of the product for up to half a year, you have reduced sales over that time frame, and in the meantime, you lose market share to other newer products that have been introduced by other companies. What a great business strategy! Perhaps you should apply for the position of VP of Sales at Apple, I'm sure the company would benefit greatly from such sage advice.

When it comes down to it, if you are selling millions of a product that incorporates bleeding edge tech, you sometimes have to accept that there will be a ramp-up of production, and peak production will take months to achieve. For this same reason, when Intel releases new chips, it sometimes has an initial limited release, such as when it gives Apple exclusivity for several months. Intel does this because it knows that initially it will not be able to produce the chips in the amount required by the broader market.

 

[thegoodsir]

I haven't read all 10 pages (so far) of this comment board -

So I'm not sure if anyone has posted anything like this, but I just wanted to comment that I think it's really interesting that my new iPad (and all of those that I've read about here that are being delivered in the US) are being shipped from within the US. Mine says it's currently in California (I live in Utah), with the whole Standard Overnight "Hold for future delivery" status. In the past when I've pre-ordered iPhones, etc. they usually have come straight from China. I'm just wondering if this was a strategy move by Apple to ensure smooth shipping and delivery from lessons learned past? Or is there anyone here that has tracking info that originated in China and I just don't know what I'm talking about? Lol. Anyway... just found that interesting... Friday will be a good day.

 

[AppleScruff1]

They already have enough complaints about exploiting cheap labor.There are only so many hours in a day, and so many iPads Foxconn can produce at a time. They want some for the retail stores (for the obvious publicity, to be sure), but I'm actually surprised the pre-orders lasted as long as they did. People were ordering as late as early Friday and still being quoted March 16th delivery.

Sure, if they had delayed the iPad 3 another few weeks perhaps they could have met early demand, but why do that when there obviously are people ready to buy now.

And the retail stores will run out the first day too.

From what I understand, the Retina displays are the main bottleneck in the manufacturing process. Because this is bleeding edge tech, the yield is still relatively poor. Given that it takes Apple up to six months to catch up with demand when a new iDevice is introduced, Apple would have to stockpile new products for up to six months before releasing them in order to avoid this problem. So then you have to delay the announcement of the product for up to half a year, you have reduced sales over that time frame, and in the meantime, you lose market share to other newer products that have been introduced by other companies. What a great business strategy! Perhaps you should apply for the position of VP of Sales at Apple, I'm sure the company would benefit greatly from such sage advice.

When it comes down to it, if you are selling millions of a product that incorporates bleeding edge tech, you sometimes have to accept that there will be a ramp-up of production, and peak production will take months to achieve. For this same reason, when Intel releases new chips, it sometimes has an initial limited release, such as when it gives Apple exclusivity for several months. Intel does this because it knows that initially it will not be able to produce the chips in the amount required by the broader market.

I'll ignore your personal insult. If it always takes them 6 months to catch up with demand, they need to beef up their manufacturing capacity quite a bit, don't they? They are planning to sell upwards of 100,00,000 iPads this year. Of course if you could just walk in and buy one all the hype and frenzy would disappear. And that might hurt sales a bit.

 

[Chlloret]

They already have enough complaints about exploiting cheap labor.There are only so many hours in a day, and so many iPads Foxconn can produce at a time. They want some for the retail stores (for the obvious publicity, to be sure), but I'm actually surprised the pre-orders lasted as long as they did. People were ordering as late as early Friday and still being quoted March 16th delivery.

Sure, if they had delayed the iPad 3 another few weeks perhaps they could have met early demand, but why do that when there obviously are people ready to buy now.

According to "sources" at Foxconn they started pre production of the new iPad (everything but the screen) by mid December. Plan was to ramp up production by mid January to capacity and a delivered stockpile by first week of February of 5Million new ipads for launch mid February.
Problem was the screen. Estimates (guesses really) say, that the yield is so poor, that two of the three manufacturers STARTED production in the end of January, leaving Apple with at the most 3Million new iPads for launch day. Take 2 Million of that for pre orders and one million for the stores and you will see that the new iPad will be sold out Friday before 10, Apple guys will count the line and tell them at the end that they can come back another day.
Monday Apple will announce that the new iPad is the fastest selling product EVER over one weekend (incl. preorders online) and AAPL is going to jump over $550 stable.
Production is geared to 120000 a day, a new fab is being build for march, bringing the theoretical total to 150000 units a day, maybe a bit more, IF the screens are coming. Also, nobody knows how much the new facilities in Brasil can bring to the table.
IPad2 production is being continued and selling very well as it looks, so a target of 60+ million iPads this year should be a given, only question is, by how much they can beat that figure.

 

[TheBronx]

I still think it's lame and intentional to keep up the media hype. The greatest tech company on earth can't keep the supply channel full for more than two days?

Why is it lame? They're accomplishing what they want, not what other people want them to do.

 

[perealb]

thanks. so i guess they won't have them on friday for sure

Well, later he told me he gets different answers from different stores. It just adds to the fact they are a bunch of misinformed employees. If I were in your situation, I would give my name to the Best Buy stores that are making a reservations list and get in line at an actual Apple store. If they call you while you're there and you're not in a good position in the line, you can pick it up at the Best Buy store.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Why is it lame? They're accomplishing what they want, not what other people want them to do.

They disrespect their customers, but I guess it makes no difference since people will wait in line for days or wait for months to get a new iPad or iPhone.

 

[perealb]

They disrespect their customers, but I guess it makes no difference since people will wait in line for days or wait for months to get a new iPad or iPhone.

I disagree. Imagine if they did what everybody wanted. They would end up with an unfriendly monster - just like an Android.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I disagree. Imagine if they did what everybody wanted. They would end up with an unfriendly monster - just like an Android.

If this was any other company but Apple you'd still feel the same way? What if Microsoft, Samsung or Google, etc did it? Would it be poor planning then?

 

[MacinDoc]

And the retail stores will run out the first day too.



I'll ignore your personal insult. If it always takes them 6 months to catch up with demand, they need to beef up their manufacturing capacity quite a bit, don't they? They are planning to sell upwards of 100,00,000 iPads this year. Of course if you could just walk in and buy one all the hype and frenzy would disappear. And that might hurt sales a bit.

You're just not getting it. Apple doesn't make the iPad. Retina displays are being made by Apple's manufacturing partners as fast as they can possibly be made, given that it is a new technology and a large percentage produced do not meet Apple's standards. There is nothing Apple can do to increase the rate at which Retina displays are being made; the technology has to mature over time, resulting in improved yields and efficiencies and therefore increased production capacity.

Believe me, if Apple could double the initial manufacturing capacity of its partners, it would do so. Any sale not made due to being out of stock is a sale potentially lost forever, and a sale today is better than a sale tomorrow.

FWIW, I called you out because you seem to be implying that initial shortages of Apple products are a result of a conspiracy between Apple and its partners to constrain supply. The fact of the matter is that no other company produces a single tech product that requires such a large quantity of bleeding edge components. It's simply not possible to avoid initial supply constraints when such a combination of supply and demand is in place, at least not if you are using a sensible business model, selling as many products as you can as soon as they are available, rather than stockpiling them for months until you have enough that no shortage is anticipated.

 

[perealb]

If this was any other company but Apple you'd still feel the same way? What if Microsoft, Samsung or Google, etc did it? Would it be poor planning then?

All of those companies are guilty of doing what they want regardless of what's good for the consumer. They will do whatever it takes to make money - including Apple.

 

[BrettJDeriso]

I use GoodPlayer to directly access my movies on my networked hard drives when I'm home, and AirVideo when I'm away so it optimizes the speed and quality.

1080p?

I had something like that running for a while -I keep all my media on a Synology box and even hooked it up with some dynamic DNS so I could hit it from the WAN on my own URL. Then I moved into an apartment with a really restrictive, obnoxious ISP that firewalls the sh-- out of everything.

 

[moderately]

If this was any other company but Apple you'd still feel the same way? What if Microsoft, Samsung or Google, etc did it? Would it be poor planning then?

If Microsoft, Samsung or Google introduced a product that was so hot they couldn't keep it supplied I would be amazed and dumb-struck. No, I would not think it was poor planning.

I am sure that Apple is pleased to sell as many iPads as quickly as possible. I am sure they would rather have people waiting than have oversupply. What is your problem with that? You would rather they make everybody wait for the new version until everybody can get it the day it is released. Why?

I keep reading about what a lame upgrade this, or an iPhone upgrade, is and how nobody should care about or buy this. You yourself don't consider this an earthshaking update. So Apple erred on the side of caution. And a win-win for them. Hard to fault them in my mind.

 

[TheBronx]

They disrespect their customers, but I guess it makes no difference since people will wait in line for days or wait for months to get a new iPad or iPhone.

Yeah that's what I meant. It doesn't seem to matter to their customers. Whether that makes the customers idiots or not or whether it makes them lame, really doesn't matter to apple and why should it? They just want the money.