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Why Apple always have stock available after release but not other big name companies?
- Thread starter hajime
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Assuming the premise is correct. To put it simply. Apple can afford it.
Apple's net income (profit) for fiscal year 2018 was $59.53B. Their profit is higher than the GDP of 113 countries. Only 81 countries have a GDP higher than Apple's profit. Lenovo for example had a net income (loss) for fiscal year 2018 of ($1.48B).
Apple dominates the premium market. They can put in an order for a million units of a computer model. With a high level of confidence they'll sell them all. They also know that they can stockpile units in preparation for launch day. As a launch will be heralded with fanfare, articles in the press and reports in the news. They also try to stockpile enough so that the items don't end up getting scalped for twice the price. Even if sales are softer than expected. They know they will still eventually sell their initial order and reduce their future orders. They can afford to wait it out.
Other makers have to start selling as soon as the products come off the assembly line as margins are so slim for them. They'll be lucky if the model isn't a flop and have to be sold at a steep discount. The Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 7 and X1 Extreme Gen 2 are currently selling at a discount of over 40% off MSRP. These are premier models, much heralded by the tech community for their exceptional quality.
Apple's net income (profit) for fiscal year 2018 was $59.53B. Their profit is higher than the GDP of 113 countries. Only 81 countries have a GDP higher than Apple's profit. Lenovo for example had a net income (loss) for fiscal year 2018 of ($1.48B).
Apple dominates the premium market. They can put in an order for a million units of a computer model. With a high level of confidence they'll sell them all. They also know that they can stockpile units in preparation for launch day. As a launch will be heralded with fanfare, articles in the press and reports in the news. They also try to stockpile enough so that the items don't end up getting scalped for twice the price. Even if sales are softer than expected. They know they will still eventually sell their initial order and reduce their future orders. They can afford to wait it out.
Other makers have to start selling as soon as the products come off the assembly line as margins are so slim for them. They'll be lucky if the model isn't a flop and have to be sold at a steep discount. The Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 7 and X1 Extreme Gen 2 are currently selling at a discount of over 40% off MSRP. These are premier models, much heralded by the tech community for their exceptional quality.
Lenovo and other PC OEMs don't really have the discipline to stick with one model with minor changes. They're always chasing the bottom line to compete with one another. Even aesthetically identical laptops released within a few months of the other will have slightly different changes; different trackpad manufacturer, different webcam, slightly different screw placement, different charging port...
This means issues with stock as you've got so many different designs and different components. It's an absolute cluster and a reason why a lot of OEM products become EOL or have parts out of stock, even within a year of release in some cases.
Designing a decent chassis out of more expensive rigid materials will, in the long run over 3+ years, pay for itself if you can stick with it. It means the design for motherboard placement and cooling will be standardised. The consumer can still pick the spec of the machine but won't have to wrestle between 6 different models each with their unique pros, cons, and compromises.
Simply put, Apple has a few lines where they stick with the core design for longer, think about some of the products, MBP for example, I mean any other manufacturer would have made changes to that keyboard in a more significant way, not Apple. So several generations are good for the casing and minimal internal changes.
Easier to keep a small number of designs flowing than constantly changing the tooling and so on.
Easier to keep a small number of designs flowing than constantly changing the tooling and so on.
I've had Apple BTO computers pushed out a month for delivery before.. Yes others can be longer than that but I agree with @velocityg4 post..
That is more about Lenovo's marketing than anything else. I doubt they believe in the MSRP any more than the rest of us. It is all about the "40% off" deals that look great when in reality the 40% brings it down to the price they actually want to sell it but hey look at the amazing 'discount' compared to this other much higher price.