Assuredly not the case. iPads are everywhere in China's big cities these days. As someone else mentioned above, this thing is being released four months after Hong Kong and the US. The grey and secondhand market have satisfied a great bulk of the demand already. That plus the reservation system.
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Reservation System Yields Orderly Launch of New iPad in China
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Assuredly not the case. iPads are everywhere in China's big cities these days. As someone else mentioned above, this thing is being released four months after Hong Kong and the US. The grey and secondhand market have satisfied a great bulk of the demand already. That plus the reservation system.
I think it's rather to explain why this particular store had a rather calm release. To reiterate, I'm talking about the Sanlitun store in Beijing only.
As people have mentioned, Chinese people have been getting iPads from Hong Kong for ages now. In fact, just two weeks ago my cousin and cousin in law just bought an iPad 3 after I showed them mine. [I'm from the States and I'm here in Beijing right now studying]
If people really wanted iPads in Beijing, they could take the subway to Zhongguancun where I'm sure there are more than enough Hong Kong iPads up for sale. That's where my cousin and cousin in law bought it at least - and they live right by ZGC.
In Beijing, there are many ways of getting an iPad. Since Apple decided to wait a third of a year to release it here, the hype for it has long died down. I'm pretty sure many people who wanted them have them by now. The official release just made it a bit easier (and more official) to buy an iPad.
As people have mentioned, Chinese people have been getting iPads from Hong Kong for ages now. In fact, just two weeks ago my cousin and cousin in law just bought an iPad 3 after I showed them mine. [I'm from the States and I'm here in Beijing right now studying]
If people really wanted iPads in Beijing, they could take the subway to Zhongguancun where I'm sure there are more than enough Hong Kong iPads up for sale. That's where my cousin and cousin in law bought it at least - and they live right by ZGC.
In Beijing, there are many ways of getting an iPad. Since Apple decided to wait a third of a year to release it here, the hype for it has long died down. I'm pretty sure many people who wanted them have them by now. The official release just made it a bit easier (and more official) to buy an iPad.
They won't make this normal practice because the media loves to hype up the photos of the crowd in lines overnight.
Apple loves it when the media hypes it up. Free advertising and free hype build up. It will be interesting to see what effect this has over time if they continue to operate this way, ie, adequate supplies at launch, efficient reservation system, no lines, no media hype. Maybe less people jumping on the band wagon.
It seems to me that this takes away from the ability of Apple's freakish fanboys to so easily display how freakishly they are fanboys... nothing says "I belong to a cult" quite like lining up for a product launch that's still days away.
Maybe it's for the best, though, for Apple's marketshare? Maybe Apple hopes to gain more marketshare by shaking the appearance that one must be part of a cult to buy their products?
IDK, it's hard to argue with the free media that you get from those lines of devoted fans... plus it looks like a fun opportunity for meet-ups. I've never been to a product launch personally (I've always been too busy with school) but I was hoping to someday have a product launch fall at a time when I can attend...
Maybe it's for the best, though, for Apple's marketshare? Maybe Apple hopes to gain more marketshare by shaking the appearance that one must be part of a cult to buy their products?
IDK, it's hard to argue with the free media that you get from those lines of devoted fans... plus it looks like a fun opportunity for meet-ups. I've never been to a product launch personally (I've always been too busy with school) but I was hoping to someday have a product launch fall at a time when I can attend...
Interesting, most people in Beijing can apparently read "Security" in English. Can't say I can read it in Chinese!
Dead is too strong a word. But yes, people need to remember that in the US there were tons of resellers lined up to return the new ipad when they found out that they couldn't mark it up.
While I like this policy, in this case there wasn't going to be a huge rush of scalpers anyway. The huge markup market for the new iPad just never existed, hence no profit for scalpers.
I wonder if Apple will do this for iPhone 5 and thereby forgo all the great free publicity that the lines create.
I'm thinking the orderly-ness has more to do with the new ipad already having been out almost 3 months, rather than the required reservation system. The insanity is involved with those that 'need' something the first day it is released, those are the people that will travel anywhere in the world to get it (which they already have).
Scalpers made money on previous iPad models because they were first in line to buy it in the country it was first available in, and (metaphorically) some of the people in line behind the scalpers didn't get one so bought them from the scalpers. Scalpers only make money off of people who want it bad enough but can't get it on their own, or can but aren't willing to order it online and wait a month for it. For the new ipad Apple is pumping them out fast enough that everyone in line got one, and the wait for ordering online was short so people who weren't in line buy from online instead of scalpers. The last market for scalpers is for people in countries the ipad isn't available in (for the people who aren't willing to travel). The new ipad was rolled out so quickly in so many countries so that scalper market didn't even exist - anyone in a non-available country who was willing to buy from a scalper was more willing to wait till it was available in their country or travel to the closest country it was available in and buy from there.
I highly doubt it. It's good marketing for Apple for there to be a huge line in front of their doors before the release of a new product. They only changed it in China because of the scalpers, which they needed to do something about before there was a backlash from potential customers who might be turned off if they had to buy products from scalpers b/c they were buying out all of Apple's inventory.
Lines yes. Riots no. If someone gets hurt they will blame Apple and sue. Which is what almost happened with he 4s and why they have this crazy system in China.
The most they might do in the US is reservations, no walkin stock for like the first day and put in checks that there's no more than say two units per Apple ID, billing address, credit card or IP to thwart scalpers.
It's also fun when people walk past the line yelling "NERDS!" at you. Being all smug and not giving a **** when they do that is an amazing experience.
Posts like this always make me chuckle. Can you name me one organisation that doesn't like free advertising and hype?
I've heard the paid for version isn't as satisfying.
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Not sad at all really, people the world over do all kinds of things to impress others. It isn't limited to buying iPads.
NOT, the new ipad is still not available in Indonesia and I bet in dozens of poor countries it won't be available at all.
You haven't been traveling a lot, I can see, in many, many, many countries the english word is used even when their language is not English.
Here in Indonesia it is Security, I have been to many places around the world and security is as common as the dutch word apartheid.
The reason I guess is that most of the people on this world know the word security so even if they are in another country they know how to behave, know what they are up to.
Is that why I can't find one at my local retailers? (except Apple) Those returns were from people that found they couldn't sell it for 50% over retail since Apple started production earlier in relation to the launch date.