But Cook can't project (Or speak) for every single store and what They will have for available units and overall foot traffic during the store hours. I don't blame him for saying what he said, but every store Would vary anyways depending on location and size.
True, but in that regard:
1) Apple could be more upfront about which store will have better stock than others -- not specifics, though Apple knows what it ships to each store 24hrs before launch. Just something simple like well stocked or limited stock. Call one type of store "City Flagship," and the other "Town Center." I've seen this done with other "big" launches like game machines and Best Buy will advertise which stores will have better stock and which stores will have none.
OR 2) even better just turn on reservations 24 hrs before launch and let people order their p/u phone that way. But even if those two options are not practical for whatever reason then
3) certainly Apple could arm a dozen employees with iPads to go down the line 30 min before open and assign reservations then rather than only when they get to the top of the line
hours later. At the store I was at they did eventually start going down the line but that was many hours after open, no help to those of us that arrived at 6am.
Also, I get that some people want the full show -- set up, instructions on how to use, etc. But others just want to buy the box and leave. Literally a 2 min. transaction. No reason Apple could not have an express line for these people after they reserve their device just for express service. Why make these people who just want to see the trailer wait because people in front want to see the whole movie and read the credits afterwards?
I mean
IF it's all about the customer experience as Angela Ahrendts claims and not about Apple having a spectacle at every store Apple would standardize launch routines at stores to ensure that customers are not unnecessarily burdened because they want an Apple product on launch day. Apple could have done a lot better here. I've been in past Apple line ups and they went super fast. This one felt like how I imagine standing at the cash registers at Wal-Mart on Black Friday would be.
