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rMB: So why would Best Buy have them and Apple Stores don't?
- Thread starter vistokid
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This whole launch has been a GD mess. How could they not know they weren't gonna have them 5+ weeks out when they announced the April 10th date. Or do it in waves like they did with iPad 1. That's basically what they're doing anyway. Wave 1 is US/BestBuy. Wave 2 will be in 2-3 more weeks when the UK/Canada/etc actually get some shipped. They just didn't announce it as waves and instead told us they'd all ship April 10th - pissing people off for no reason.
Yeah they really should have been more clear with their announcements. People can't be pissed off if they had said they'd be arriving at different times in different countries but they didn't make it sound like that at all.
Canadians have been having their orders ship though. Idk how many have been getting that and the 1.3 models might still be waiting like other countries.
It`s obviously a controlled launch, absolutely agree it`s the lack of information upfront that people find annoying. Even now for many when speaking with Apple retail staff there is no definitive date for physical stock.
Why after the Keynote Apple simply did not post availability dates by country is beyond me. This simple act would have completely avoided the present situation with many customers being left disappointed and confused, let alone their own retail staff who are on the firing line everyday.
Q-6
What torques me off more is now the retail stores are trying to spin the lack of product as an advantage. I was told today that now you can come into a store and try the product out and then go home and order online to delivered right to your home.
I stared at them and said that waiting for 4-6 weeks now is a benefit? I told them they were out of their minds.
I broke down and ordered from Best Buy. I really did not want to do this, but this is out of control. I've been buying Apple products since 1986 and I've never seen it this bad.
I stared at them and said that waiting for 4-6 weeks now is a benefit? I told them they were out of their minds.
I broke down and ordered from Best Buy. I really did not want to do this, but this is out of control. I've been buying Apple products since 1986 and I've never seen it this bad.
My guess, and I should emphasize that this is purely a guess, is that BB was able to get a guarantee of some level of stock for product launches when they set up the internal mini-Store.
Ergo, Apple ships them a bunch of product at launch.
It's pretty much the only explanation that I can come up with for why they have (had) stock and no one else does.
Ergo, Apple ships them a bunch of product at launch.
It's pretty much the only explanation that I can come up with for why they have (had) stock and no one else does.
And maybe they are a less popular location to purchase Apple products. Otherwise, agreed 100%.
I gotta be honest, this all seems like a big deal to US - I had the take the kids for phones last night and "Unwilling" wait in a massive crowd for almost two hours. Not ONE person looked at the tables with the rMB. Apple is in the watch business now. Even the usually stoic "genius's" were talking about (mocking maybe) the massive profits Apple will be making on watches. Glad I have no use for those things - This from a guy who just dropped $1,700 on what amounts to an ipad running OSX with a keyboard. Guess theyre getting all of us! LOL
Not as much traffic to Best Buy as an Apple Store (online or brick and mortar) for Apple products. Stands to reason there's stock there -- I ordered a rMB on Monday from BB, and it's on the truck for delivery today. No 4-6 week wait required.
Why does that happen?
Well before release (and usually before announcement, even), Apple negotiates distribution deals with resellers, such as Best Buy -- not every town has an Apple Store, after all. They do a similar type of thing with phone carriers for iPhones and iPads, although there are obviously additional considerations there.
Leading up to release, they ship the agreed upon quantity to those resellers to distribute to their stores. So let's say Best Buy wanted 20,000 units -- they ship those to Best Buy's distribution channel just before general release. That's 20k less units that they have to sell to individuals, but you can bet those resellers will move the units they acquired from Apple to people that shop at their stores.
Apple is selling the rMBs either way -- either to Best Buy to resell in their channel, or to individuals directly. Obviously they'd like to make more of them, and I'm sure they have a plant in China churning them out.
Why does that happen?
Well before release (and usually before announcement, even), Apple negotiates distribution deals with resellers, such as Best Buy -- not every town has an Apple Store, after all. They do a similar type of thing with phone carriers for iPhones and iPads, although there are obviously additional considerations there.
Leading up to release, they ship the agreed upon quantity to those resellers to distribute to their stores. So let's say Best Buy wanted 20,000 units -- they ship those to Best Buy's distribution channel just before general release. That's 20k less units that they have to sell to individuals, but you can bet those resellers will move the units they acquired from Apple to people that shop at their stores.
Apple is selling the rMBs either way -- either to Best Buy to resell in their channel, or to individuals directly. Obviously they'd like to make more of them, and I'm sure they have a plant in China churning them out.
I ordered mine late yesterday and paid $30 to receive it tomorrow via next day shipping. Just got a tracking number and it shows it has shipped ground and will arrive on 4/27/15.
Best Buy said they are "looking into it" and will call me back.
Best Buy said they are "looking into it" and will call me back.
Dang, backordered almost two weeks !
only the base silver is still available it seems
Haha, that is funny. But I've spoken to Apple Store Employees who say they've had more people ASK about the MacBook versus the Watch. So who knows. It's all anecdotal.
The crazy thing is that if people go into an Apple Store today and like the Watch and/or the MacBook and want to plunk down their hard earned cash for one... they can't even get them till June/July. :S
Now that my MacBook arrives today and my watches tomorrow, I can chuckle a bit about this whole launch. Apple's always loved a little planned scarcity, but only enough to generate buzz.
I listen in on the quarterly results call every three months, and after product launches, availability of product to meet demand is always a hot topic. Cynics may think that Apple can ignore their fan base hanging out on MacRumors, and that may be true though I think it isn't, but they can't ignore the Wall Street analysts that grill them and criticize them for insufficient inventory levels.
Take a step back and think of the scope of the challenge here. Apple designs and builds a product they want to keep secret until launch. Then they want to get it out into the hands of customers as soon as possible. Up until the reveal you are trying to limit the number of people who have access to the product. Then as soon as the keynote is made, you want to ramp production up to a number of units per day that exceeds the entire global auto industry.
So you try to ramp up production to anticipated demand prior to the keynote, but not so much that the cat gets entirely out of the bag. You've estimated what demand will be and will make just a little less than that. Then, if demand comes in far higher than expected you're screwed. And here we are today.
Retail partners like Best Buy get large initial shipments promised to them. The MacBook was guaranteed to ship large to BB since Apple held out on them when the iPhone 6/6+ rolled last fall. It's good for Apple's revenue because it counts as a sale even before the release date. It also broadens the places people can access the product. The same thing is happening with the Apple Watch. A handful of top-end boutique retailers are going to get stock to sell in store when the Apple Stores will have none. All the same benefits of registering sales, some scarcity to drum up interest, establishing good relations with retail partners, and by choosing these particular stores, continues to position the product as a luxury fashion item.
It's no easy thing to crank out millions of something you've never made before...
I listen in on the quarterly results call every three months, and after product launches, availability of product to meet demand is always a hot topic. Cynics may think that Apple can ignore their fan base hanging out on MacRumors, and that may be true though I think it isn't, but they can't ignore the Wall Street analysts that grill them and criticize them for insufficient inventory levels.
Take a step back and think of the scope of the challenge here. Apple designs and builds a product they want to keep secret until launch. Then they want to get it out into the hands of customers as soon as possible. Up until the reveal you are trying to limit the number of people who have access to the product. Then as soon as the keynote is made, you want to ramp production up to a number of units per day that exceeds the entire global auto industry.
So you try to ramp up production to anticipated demand prior to the keynote, but not so much that the cat gets entirely out of the bag. You've estimated what demand will be and will make just a little less than that. Then, if demand comes in far higher than expected you're screwed. And here we are today.
Retail partners like Best Buy get large initial shipments promised to them. The MacBook was guaranteed to ship large to BB since Apple held out on them when the iPhone 6/6+ rolled last fall. It's good for Apple's revenue because it counts as a sale even before the release date. It also broadens the places people can access the product. The same thing is happening with the Apple Watch. A handful of top-end boutique retailers are going to get stock to sell in store when the Apple Stores will have none. All the same benefits of registering sales, some scarcity to drum up interest, establishing good relations with retail partners, and by choosing these particular stores, continues to position the product as a luxury fashion item.
It's no easy thing to crank out millions of something you've never made before...
That might explain the watch side of things, but they have made plenty of notebooks before and have conjured up less "scarcity" as you say.
Loved your post, JK - but Apple HAS cranked out millions of something - like the iPhone 6. They never made something with those screen sizes etc before. They sold 5+ million in a weekend and had them in stores and for pre-order for people.
The Watch I can kind understand - tho the PR messaging on those was all over the place as well...
But the Macbook - now with BestBuy Canada also having the jump on Apple Canada store stock - it's just mind boggling. Apple totally, 100% bungled this MacBook launch. There's no if and or buts (butts?
) about it. The key to me is - there has NEVER been another time when there weren't stock of a new computer in Apple Retail stores 4-5 weeks after launch. (Except the Cylinder Mac Pro maybe? But that's a niche PRO machine. And yeah, people have said iMac 2002 or something, but that was Pre-Ubiquity of Apple Stores worldwide.)
Loved your post, JK - but Apple HAS cranked out millions of something - like the iPhone 6. They never made something with those screen sizes etc before. They sold 5+ million in a weekend and had them in stores and for pre-order for people.
The Watch I can kind understand - tho the PR messaging on those was all over the place as well...
But the Macbook - now with BestBuy Canada also having the jump on Apple Canada store stock - it's just mind boggling. Apple totally, 100% bungled this MacBook launch. There's no if and or buts (butts?
I agree- worst product launch ever- fire Angela or whoever is responsible for this.
It starts with communication. Then availability. Then the poor Apple store employees who know less than me because they are not briefed and don't have time to spend or experience on fora like us. Does any European apple store have them now on DISPLAY???
At the same time BB is having inventory- way to destry your brand!!!
It's entirely possible that the orders were like that. Apple ran out of stock first, but they probably had significantly higher order volume than Best Buy. Best Buy probably started ramping up when people realized Apple was out, but BB wasn't.