I believe I have figured out why Apple has tweaked their sales model (no in-store inventory on launch).
The problem is the Watch. Apple has NO IDEA if they will sell 5 million or 50 million units in the next year. Therefore, they cannot ramp up production as if it was 50 million. They need to be realistic about production so they do not write off 25 million units if it doesnt sell well.
This means they are probably making 100k watches a week (or 200k) with the ability to ramp up to a million a week if needed. So they gauge demand by online sales and most importantly they do not alienate customers because everybody gets to wait months for their watch. If they backlog increases, the tell china to make more. If it increases more, make more. If it decreases, make less. It is easy to go from 100-125k units a week. It is not possible to go from 100k to 1 million or back. no way.
This then applies to the macbook. Although Apple probably didnt really care so much about the macbook having this new policy. They could have easily sent each store 500 notebooks.
If it goes well, then to next iphone. But if it disrupts their sales channel then they can go back to the old way of doing business because they really run themselves out of business with the iphone if this backfires. A good way to test -- on the macbook and most importantly on the product where they need this new policy -- the watch. Remember the first iphone and how difficult it was to get one? This could happen with the watch. But that is a better problem than overproduction.
it really makes sense from a business standpoint. Apple cannot wait 15 weeks to build a stockpile of 1.5-3 million watches .. and then, if it is a success, what? the stores are bare bone empty for months? It will just delay the inevitable if it becomes a smashing success and it protects them from destroying their goodwill and having to write off millions of old watches they cannot sell if it doesnt take off.
The problem is the Watch. Apple has NO IDEA if they will sell 5 million or 50 million units in the next year. Therefore, they cannot ramp up production as if it was 50 million. They need to be realistic about production so they do not write off 25 million units if it doesnt sell well.
This means they are probably making 100k watches a week (or 200k) with the ability to ramp up to a million a week if needed. So they gauge demand by online sales and most importantly they do not alienate customers because everybody gets to wait months for their watch. If they backlog increases, the tell china to make more. If it increases more, make more. If it decreases, make less. It is easy to go from 100-125k units a week. It is not possible to go from 100k to 1 million or back. no way.
This then applies to the macbook. Although Apple probably didnt really care so much about the macbook having this new policy. They could have easily sent each store 500 notebooks.
If it goes well, then to next iphone. But if it disrupts their sales channel then they can go back to the old way of doing business because they really run themselves out of business with the iphone if this backfires. A good way to test -- on the macbook and most importantly on the product where they need this new policy -- the watch. Remember the first iphone and how difficult it was to get one? This could happen with the watch. But that is a better problem than overproduction.
it really makes sense from a business standpoint. Apple cannot wait 15 weeks to build a stockpile of 1.5-3 million watches .. and then, if it is a success, what? the stores are bare bone empty for months? It will just delay the inevitable if it becomes a smashing success and it protects them from destroying their goodwill and having to write off millions of old watches they cannot sell if it doesnt take off.