Worst product rollout in Mac history?

[Spimunk]

It was pretty easy

I wandered in to my local Apple store last Saturday, waited 5 mins for a member of staff to come and see me and in 15 mins I walked out with my iMac and the iPad I wanted as well, stored safely in the back of the store for me to collect a couple of hours later after a nice lunch with my Mrs.

Granted, I just wanted the "no extras, I'll take it as it comes" model but it wasn't hard and I wasn't the only one wandering out with one when I came to collect it.

Yes, it can be hard to get your hands on the items you want at launch but that is the same with a lot of products if you want them on day one. Personally, I didn't even think I couldn't walk in and buy one as I am new to this forum and was utterly unaware of the delays that have been going on. iPhone & iPad yes, I'd expect trouble getting one on release as the launch date is so built up and well they are are far more affordable than an iMac.

At the end of the day is demand and supply and as Apple products are some of the most desirable in the world, you have to be on the ball or be prepared to wait. It's the same as a car, you can get one from the showroom but if you want to make changes, you wait for it to be built to your specifications.

Patience is a virtue

 

[SvK]

the one button mouse

 

[Poketmouse]

this is one of the reasons why i chose to build a Hackintosh. Beforehand i was using a '09 iMac, which don't get me wrong is still a brilliant machine, but my needs were for something more powerful and up to date. I thought i'd wait on the new iMacs mainly out of curiosity of what they would have in them, but also to verify my thoughts and fears.
My main gripe with the new iMacs is that they've taken away the 2 things i need most (an optical drive and a firewire port), i do a lot of audio production, of which the interfaces i use have FW ports, as well as buy a lot of CDs still. Add to that i wasn't that impressed with the new iMac's specs either, plus the fact that they added £100 onto the price of the low-end model.
So yeah, id agree with the initial statement. Ive seen plenty of reports and posts about the new iMacs having problems and very long waiting times, all this coupled together pushed me over the edge of Apple loyalty-ism and into the CustoMac world. Dont get me wrong, i still love the Mac and would never change, but their current product line and IMO, the way Apple conducts itself these days screams of greed and misplaced priorities. Add to that all this creazy news ive seen about an 'iWatch'....Apple, you used to be a computer company, whats going on here?

Anyway, thats my tuppence worth in...back to you

 

[Lancer]

I don't know if this is the worst but it's pretty bad (the delays) I waited 8 weeks to get my top line 27" with the works and I think it was well worth the wait. I'm sorry some people have had problems beyond the wait with there expensive new 'toy' but I'm sure the majority have had no problems.

I agree 3 months in there should NOT be a 3-4 week delay.

 

[Gregintosh]

And this is exactly the reason why everything is shait in this world. People with this attitude are the cancer!

Shareholders blah blah blah.... Yes I know it´s all about profit and pleasing the shareholders blah blah blah... And that is plain greed! So at least let´s be honest about it.

So what would motivate you to dedicate your life to doing something special if you got nothing for it? Or why would you put up money to own a company if you got nothing or very little for it? If taking a risk and doing work pays the same reward as doing nothing everyone would do nothing every time.

See you got it wrong, it's profit that makes all the good things in the world possible. It's your flawed viewpoint that's the true cancer on this world which leads to entitlement mentalities, mediocrity, and ultimately poverty and lower quality of life for all.

 

[Overg]

It is the worst iMac or any apple product release ever. I agree.
I ordered mine in January...
And nothing on the horizon.
Not every one is living in the states you know...

 

[one1]

I love it when people call a business that is in business to make money and be a BUSINESS, greedy. Like someone is twisting your arm to buy the product. YOU are the one with the problem, not them. They just produce it and put it out there for people who want to buy it. It's not mandatory and if you can't afford it or can't get it...... they are greedy. Ironic since the definition of greed seems to fit what you are doing instead of them, eh?

 

[Lobwedgephil]

http://9to5mac.com/2013/03/02/apple...c-demand-now-shipping-both-sizes-in-1-3-days/

 

[Robster3]

I don't know if this is the worst but it's pretty bad (the delays) I waited 8 weeks to get my top line 27" with the works and I think it was well worth the wait. I'm sorry some people have had problems beyond the wait with there expensive new 'toy' but I'm sure the majority have had no problems.

I agree 3 months in there should NOT be a 3-4 week delay.

Walked into a Aussie reseller yesterday and they had a 3.4 i7 3Gb fusion, even put in another 8gb ram. Waited about 15mins.

 

[Lancer]

Walked into a Aussie reseller yesterday and they had a 3.4 i7 3Gb fusion, even put in another 8gb ram. Waited about 15mins.

Was that with the 680mx?

Either way it's good to hear some resellers have more than the base models in stock. But weirdly I went past NextByte the other day and they still only have a new 21.5" and an old model 27" on display.

 

[Robster3]

Was that with the 680mx?

Either way it's good to hear some resellers have more than the base models in stock. But weirdly I went past NextByte the other day and they still only have a new 21.5" and an old model 27" on display.

Yep

 

[Lancer]

Yep

Now I'm pissed, waiting 2 months for my 27", same spec ordered Dec 1st!

 

[ApplesAOranges]

Planned scarcity is good. Which problem would you prefer to have:
1) We can't build them as fast as people are buying them.
2) We have thousands sitting in a warehouse that nobody wants.

Wow, that´s not a very bright argument. So there is no middle way? So there´s only two options for Apple and both are incompetence? So building them fast and matching the demand and being competent is just out of option for Apple?

 

[Nuke61]

Wow, that´s not a very bright argument. So there is no middle way? So there´s only two options for Apple and both are incompetence? So building them fast and matching the demand and being competent is just out of option for Apple?

Apple buys parts and has them assembled. How is Apple supposed to increase the production rate if, for example, LG simply cannot supply enough 27" IPS panels to meet demand?

 

[ApplesAOranges]

Apple buys parts and has them assembled. How is Apple supposed to increase the production rate if, for example, LG simply cannot supply enough 27" IPS panels to meet demand?

Your question has been answered already over and over again. Apple has the money, the resources and means. The question is whether they are willing to put the cash into it. Also announcing products too early and then not being able to freaking sell their products when people want to buy them is just:

1. Plain incompetence = annoys the hell out of customers

2. Planned artificial scarcity strategy = annoys the hell out of customers

 

[IGregory]

Your question has been answered already over and over again. Apple has the money, the resources and means. The question is whether they are willing to put the cash into it. Also announcing products too early and then not being able to freaking sell their products when people want to buy them is just:

1. Plain incompetence = annoys the hell out of customers

2. Planned artificial scarcity strategy = annoys the hell out of customers

Sir, if you feel that way about it why don't you go and buy a Windows machine. I hear Windows 8 comes with fancy tiles and such. You probably can get a BTO within the span of 7 to 10 days, maybe longer depending on the maker and the components you want.

 

[Nuke61]

Your question has been answered already over and over again. Apple has the money, the resources and means.

Actually, you haven't ever answered it. Apple BUYS the 27" displays from LG. If LG doesn't have the capacity to meet the demand, are you REALLY suggesting that Apple should shell our their money to build an *LG* factory? Do you have any idea how long it takes to get a factory up to speed?

No matter how much money you have to throw at a problem, you can't speed up the time it takes to get a working factory in place. Even IF Apple could really fix the shortage of displays, a position I think is ludicrous, it would be STUPID for Apple to fork money over to LG to increase the capacity of the *LG* factory just so people like you have a little bit less to whine about.

The root cause of the 27-inch iMac delay reportedly lies in LG Display's mass production issues. As it turns out, the company is facing some problems with the full lamination process when producing the panels. Due to such issues, Apple can only ship 100,000 27-inch iMac units a month, compared to planned 300,000 21.5-inch iMac units.
The news of LG Display's production issues comes from a DigiTimes report citing unnamed "industry sources." The report further states that LG Display is expected to achieve better yields for the 27-inch units by February 2013. http://www.mobilenapps.com/articles...d-lg-display-production-issues-lamination.htm

Please explain how *APPLE* is suppose to fix a production issue with *LG* being unable to supply enough 27" IPS displays...

 

[tri-x]

Please explain how *APPLE* is suppose to fix a production issue with *LG* being unable to supply enough 27" IPS displays...

Precisely. The supply chain is an incredibly complex beast. As has been evidenced with the iPhone, Apple is moving to control much more of the supply chain for its mobile devices...which it can relatively easily and successfully. Personal computers, however, are different beasts. I'm waiting on my 27" BTO and even though I wish it was here yesterday, I understand that high demand and low yields do not go well together. As has been said here previously, the other way of doing things is to be like the Surface. We have over 100 of those in stock. We have moved less than a dozen since release.

I find it incredibly odd to suggest that because some here are miffed Apple users who haven't got their product yet that there is some overarching corporate conspiracy to annoy you. I severely doubt that and Apple shareholders would likely not take kindly to such a scheme to defraud or frustrate its source of revenue by purposefully withholding stock.

 

[Raima]

My main gripe with the new iMacs is that they've taken away the 2 things i need most (an optical drive and a firewire port

Not sure if you want to consider this as an option. You can get thunderbolt to firewire adapters and USB optical drives.

Yes, it's going to add to the cost and space, but you'll have a much faster computer to do your work.

 

[Mike in Kansas]

Your question has been answered already over and over again. Apple has the money, the resources and means. The question is whether they are willing to put the cash into it. Also announcing products too early and then not being able to freaking sell their products when people want to buy them is just:

1. Plain incompetence = annoys the hell out of customers

2. Planned artificial scarcity strategy = annoys the hell out of customers

I'll be glad when your iMac finally arrives...

 

[ApplesAOranges]

...are you REALLY suggesting that Apple should shell our their money to build an *LG* factory?

Sigh... No I am not.

I severely doubt that and Apple shareholders would likely not take kindly to such a scheme to defraud or frustrate its source of revenue by purposefully withholding stock.

You can doubt all you want, but fine ok, you believe that Apple is just incompetent then.

There is no 3. choise. Either they are doing the old scarcity strategy or they are just plain incompetent. They could easily buy LG or just build everything themselves. Or announce the product when everything is ready to go. That would competence.

 

[tri-x]

You can doubt all you want, but fine ok, you believe that Apple is just incompetent then.

As has been amply demonstrated in this thread, you clearly have little idea about manufacturing and/or commerce.

They could easily buy LG or just build everything themselves.

No they couldn't. Apple buying LG is about as likely an airline buying Boeing.

Or announce the product when everything is ready to go.

Announcing a product when the product was in ready supply would (and has in the past) led to product leaks which Apple is usually none too pleased about. Additionally, it is common in business to announce a product long before release. The camera industry does it all the time with product roadmaps and "development" announcements. Now when Apple announce a product and a release date, like with the current iMac, and supply is constrained, I am disappointed as I am sure you are, but don't think for a minute that I believe Apple is "incompetent". I believe your absolutist claims are quite wide of the mark.

 

[Nuke61]

Sigh... No I am not.

Then you've offered no solution at all. Just saying that Apple have lots of cash and they could have fixed this isn't a solution. LG has been the supply constraint, not Apple, and it's LGs issue to fix.

There is no 3. choise. Either they are doing the old scarcity strategy or they are just plain incompetent. They could easily buy LG or just build everything themselves. Or announce the product when everything is ready to go. That would competence.

Another option is that they thought the new lamination process was under control and figured out, because their supplier assured them that it was. Yet another option is to allow customers to go right into Apple stores and walk out with a 27" iMac, but with fewer optional upgrades, and TELLING those who order online that they will have a wait of anywhere from a few to many weeks. Buying LG would have made ZERO difference because you can't force the process. That you think throwing more money at the process can speed it up significantly just demonstrates that you know nothing about how it works.

 

[azentropy]

I still think Apple messed up by changing to a process that obviously wasn't quite ready for the production levels they needed. They probably could have shipped an Ivy Bridge update in the previous enclosures in June 2012. No we wouldn't have got the nifty thiner version or the better reflective display but it still would have been a nice update. Instead they waited until October to announce, November and December to start shipping and here we are 4 months later (after announcement) and they are still hard to come by in some configuration and areas.

So yeah, this was a poor product rollout.

 

[Overg]

I still think Apple messed up by changing to a process that obviously wasn't quite ready for the production levels they needed. They probably could have shipped an Ivy Bridge update in the previous enclosures in June 2012. No we wouldn't have got the nifty thiner version or the better reflective display but it still would have been a nice update. Instead they waited until October to announce, November and December to start shipping and here we are 4 months later (after announcement) and they are still hard to come by in some configuration and areas.

So yeah, this was a poor product rollout.

Agree with every word