Can someone explain to me why preorders are still between 12am-3am? Isn’t the rationale for this that the most interested buyers will stay up late and get the phone earlier? How is that relevant now with phones being prordered globally all at once?
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Why are preorders still at midnight PST?
- Thread starter bearkat2173
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I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you saying that it would be preferable if all preorders were at midnight in their respective time zones?
I believe the author is pointing out that it would be much nicer if the preorder time was something like noon PST.
Like you said, it goes on sale globally, so it’s going to be a weird time somewhere.
Why not midnight?
Why not midnight?
No one can give you a definitive answer, however, it could be:
- This timing helps to reduce the load, as only the real die-hard people will be ordering at that time
- Since ordering is worldwide, it would be unfair (and very difficult to do) if each time zone had an order window open at a specified time. And many people would cheat it by getting servers in other time zones so they could beat the rush. Also Apple would have no good way to allocate stock per time zone, or the first time zone would use up all the stock. So they need to pick some time zone to be the "reference", and since they are in CA, it's natural to use PT.
I asked myself the same question, the only thing I could come up with was at midnight there might be less overall internet traffic?
Once you go global, the whole concept of less traffic at that time goes out the window. Personally, I don’t think it’s “unfair” for an American company to put American’s first and set preordering to a more convenient time here. I would expect the same if tables were turned and it was a European or Australian company.
I do agree though, 3am for eastern time people its a bit nuts, especially on a weekday for normal working folks. Didnt they used to do it Friday into Saturday?
I get Apple is a global brand, but they should really roll back the times and let the US where it is based have at least decent times.
Even if they did it at 10pm PST/1am EST it would be a TON better. As you can see below, the only people that really get hosed as the east half of the North America/virgin islands and Greenland.
I dont see where moving it up 2 hours would drastically make anyone get up middle of the night; Iceland would be 5am and then 6am the earliest. Still reasonable times to get up early vs 3am.
I get Apple is a global brand, but they should really roll back the times and let the US where it is based have at least decent times.
Even if they did it at 10pm PST/1am EST it would be a TON better. As you can see below, the only people that really get hosed as the east half of the North America/virgin islands and Greenland.
I dont see where moving it up 2 hours would drastically make anyone get up middle of the night; Iceland would be 5am and then 6am the earliest. Still reasonable times to get up early vs 3am.
- Andorra - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Australia West - 3:01 p.m. AWST
- Australia East - 6:01 p.m. AEDT
- Austria - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Bahrain - 10:01 a.m. AST
- Belgium - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Bulgaria - 10:01 a.m. EEST
- Canada West - 12:01 a.m. PDT
- Canada East - 3:01 a.m. EDT
- China - 3:01 p.m. CST
- Croatia - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Cyprus - 10:01 a.m. EEST
- Czech Republic - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Denmark - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Estonia - 10:01 a.m. EEST
- Finland - 10:01 a.m. EEST
- France - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Germany - 9:01 a.m. CES
- Greece - 10:01 a.m. EEST
- Greenland - 5:01 a.m. WGST
- Guernsey - 8:01 a.m. BST
- Hong Kong - 3:01 p.m. HKT
- Hungary - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Iceland - 7:01 a.m. GMT
- India - 12:31 p.m. IST
- Ireland - 8:01 a.m. IST
- Isle of Man - 8:01 a.m. BST
- Italy - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Japan - 4:01 p.m. JST
- Jersey - 8:01 a.m. BST
- Kuwait - 10:01 a.m. AST
- Latvia - 10:01 a.m. EEST
- Liechtenstein - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Lithuania - 10:01 a.m. EEST
- Luxembourg - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Malta - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Mexico - 2:01 a.m. CDT
- Monaco - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Netherlands - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- New Zealand - 8:01 p.m. NZDT
- Norway - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Portugal - 8:01 a.m. WEST
- Poland - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Puerto Rico - 3:01 a.m. AST
- Qatar - 10:01 a.m. AST
- Romania - 10:01 a.m. EEST
- Russia - 10:01 a.m. MSK
- Saudi Arabia - 10:01 a.m. AST
- Singapore - 3:01 p.m. SGT
- Slovakia - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Slovenia - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Spain - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Sweden - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Switzerland - 9:01 a.m. CEST
- Taiwan - 3:01 p.m. CST
- UAE - 11:01 a.m GST
- United Kingdom - 8:01 a.m. BST
- United States West - 12:01 a.m. PDT
- United States Mountain - 1:01 a.m. MDT
- United States Central - 2:01 a.m. CDT
- United States East - 3:01 a.m. EDT
- US Virgin Islands - 3:01 a.m. AST
Long ago, the original iPhone, 3G, and 3GS (don't remember for sure), they were released like 6pm EST on the Apple site. After, they switched to 12AM PST/3AM EST.
We can't know for sure but I bet they simply changed it to when they have the lowest site traffic.
We can't know for sure but I bet they simply changed it to when they have the lowest site traffic.
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You're thinking it's 'midnight' because that's how they advertise it. They could just as easily said "October 27, 2017" which by the way starts at 12:01 a.m. PST in Cupertino. Maybe Jony Ive picked it because it's the most beautiful time with the most beautiful finish or because it's there way of saying the mobile handset world revolves around them and you'll be here when they say to or you'll miss out. California has the sixth largest economy in the world. And Craig Federighi lives there with his hair and wonderful family.
It could be anything but it's really just they're telling you when the switch will be flipped so you can have a go if you want.
It could be anything but it's really just they're telling you when the switch will be flipped so you can have a go if you want.
I guess I am just a little disgruntled after having to get up at 2am to order a phone that I won’t get until December because of technical issues between Apple, AT&T and trying to apply for the iPhone upgrade program. If Apple can’t engineer systems to handle the load and/or can’t produce enough phones to meet 3 minutes of preorder demand, they should just start with their home country and then expand.
Maybe because they the amount of "Launch Day" sales is an important number. Since their headquarters is based in California the way to utilize the full 24 hours in the day is to go live at 12:01am California time.
If they launched at noon then they would only have 12 hours for first day sales.
Record companies used to do this too. They used to always start selling new albums on Tuesdays to take advantage of the full window for first week sales.
If they launched at noon then they would only have 12 hours for first day sales.
Record companies used to do this too. They used to always start selling new albums on Tuesdays to take advantage of the full window for first week sales.
It’s most likely for hype around the whole staying up late or getting up early thing. But maybe it’s just a time when not as many people in the home country of the iPhone (USA) are at work so they can order without having to take a day off work like someone we all know.
Let's get over this time issue. It's gotta start at some time. And, for the volume they did, I think it went very well.
As John Lydgate said--
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.”
As John Lydgate said--
“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.”
I think the rational is
If Apple only worried about you guys in the US they would not be the company they are today. You need to face that the US is not the only important market for Apple.
If Apple only worried about you guys in the US they would not be the company they are today. You need to face that the US is not the only important market for Apple.
Did I say treat apple should only worry about Americans? Don’t put words in my mouth.
you guys like to way overthink stuff.
It's because Apple is headquartered in an area that falls under Pacific Time.
If they were based somewhere on the East Coast, I bet the preorders would start at midnight Eastern Time.
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No, it's not the only important market. They're trying to make inroads into India and China and have even explicitly stated that China and India are important to them.
However the US is THE most important market.
It's because Apple is headquartered in an area that falls under Pacific Time.
If they were based somewhere on the East Coast, I bet the preorders would start at midnight Eastern Time.
[doublepost=1509216710][/doublepost]
No, it's not the only important market. They're trying to make inroads into India and China and have even explicitly stated that China and India are important to them.
However the US is THE most important market.
Apple is in California. It releases at midnight their time. They like to make a deal about being in California.
The preorder date is 10/27, and Apple is based on the west coast. 12:01 PDT is the start of 10/27.
Video game releases are the same way. In store releases are always time zone specific.
Video game releases are the same way. In store releases are always time zone specific.
Maybe I’ll just move to California. Then, at least, I will only have to stay up until midnight. Totally worth it.
Incredible how you’ve forgotten the rest of the world doesn’t follow US time.
Maybe I’ll just move to California. Then, at least, I will only have to stay up until midnight. Totally worth it.
Or you just set an alarm. I live on the east coast and set an alarm for 2:55am. I was asleep by 3:05
