AT&T Stores - How many??

[mac jones]

Hi Everyone,

I live in Columbus, OH and after living in San Francisco and understanding how crazy "Apple Country" can be for a launch, I feel optimistic that I will be able to pick up an IPhone on the 29th. I envision lines and what-not, and I definitely think it might be safer to go to an ATT store instead of our lone Apple store here in Columbus.

I love Steve Jobs and love Apple products. I also DO buy into some of the hype of this being the "Jesus phone". Having said all of that, I think that I still will have a fighting chance of getting one on launch day with having to wait in line for an hour or two prior to opening of an ATT store. I think some of the shortcomings that some people feel the phone has, the high price tag, the anal people who would always wait for a rev 2, and pre-existing cell phone contracts that people have, will allow those of us who are adament about getting one to be able to slip in and do so.

Am I way off base here?

Also, my strategy is going to be going to a ATT store in a more "lower income" suburb of Columbus. Does this make sense or should I just go to the ATT store by my house?

Keep up the chatter. This is like a drug tiding me over until the phone comes out.

Oh, I'm in Columbus right now passing though. Lovely town.
(just thought i'd chime in

 

[v-ault]

I seriously doubt you'll need to camp out by the AT&T store. This is not a console launch with millions of console gamers. This is a cell phone and is aimed mainly at business people; I doubt business people like camping out.

 

[Trent0341]

I seriously doubt you'll need to camp out by the AT&T store. This is not a console launch with millions of console gamers. This is a cell phone and is aimed mainly at business people; I doubt business people like camping out.

Millions of gamers vs. 100 million plus cell phone users. Not sure were you got the idea this device is aimed at business people. If anything that segment isn't even clear on whether or not the iphone will be compatible with a lot of current business apps. It seems like people on here are constantly trying to shoehorn the iphone into some preexisting mold. It won't work. The iphone is an entirely new category by itself. Hopefully this translates to better quality in the marketplace with more usable devices.

 

[v-ault]

Millions of gamers vs. 100 million plus cell phone users. Not sure were you got the idea this device is aimed at business people. If anything that segment isn't even clear on whether or not the iphone will be compatible with a lot of current business apps. It seems like people on here are constantly trying to shoehorn the iphone into some preexisting mold. It won't work. The iphone is an entirely new category by itself. Hopefully this translates to better quality in the marketplace with more usable devices.

100 million plus of those cell phone users laughed at the people camping at Best Buy for a console. Regular people think camping out for stuff is insane. 500-600 on a phone is a lot of money; this isn't going to be as mainstream as you think. I can only see the Apple fanboys camping out and some other tech geeks, nothing other than that. Regular people think they'll be able to go to an AT&T store anytime during the day or the next day and get one. That's just what I think. We'll see.

 

[Eric1285]

Gotta remember too that a lot of the people who camp out for product launches are hoping to flip the item on eBay for a quick profit. I guarantee that there will be tons of people like that in line when the iPhone comes out.

 

[constant L]

if its around 28 per store i think it will suffice..in my area alone i can think of a bunch of stores....but the initial supply will probably go fast...at the very least within the first couple days....if not by closing time on the 29th....

but i dont see people camping out at all the att stores around here...we will see who knows...im def gonna get one but wont camp out....not that theres anything wrong with that...just not my thing.....

is there confirmation it will be available online? i will at least try to order online asap if its an option...

 

[Eric1285]

im def gonna get one but wont camp out....not that theres anything wrong with that...just not my thing.....

is there confirmation it will be available online? i will at least try to order online asap if its an option...[/QUOTE]

You may not be getting one for a looooong time then. If they offer them online, it's almost guaranteed that the servers will be very, very slow due to insane amounts of traffic.

 

[kumbaya]

I predict!

...probably a foolish thing to do...

I think the initial run of iPhones will be sold out instantly.

- flippers (buying to sell on eBay)
- fanbois
- superb marketing for Apple/AT&T (iPhone sells out on first day!)

let the games begin!

 

[mediaprodguy]

this is soooooooooooooooooooo silly!!!!!!

IPHONE will be great no doubt.

You people keep comparing this to Wii and PS3...... think about it.....

Theres 1) ATT 2) Verizon 3) Tmobile 4) your other companies.

i find it hard to belive that 2, 3 and 4 will BREAK their current contracts at 175-300 per breakage fee......

then drive over to cingular to buy an "iphone" for 600 bucks......

It just isnt going to happen.......

There will be no "black friday" tragic lines.....

maybe 5-6 people outside each store..... but for christ sakes...... get real people......

with Wii and PS3 - you didnt have people being "taxed" to get out of their PS2 or Gamecube.......

 

[fishkorp]

who's going to flip a phone on ebay when they're tied to a long-term contract? if you break the contract within the first 30 days you have to return the phone. if it's after 30 days you have to pay a penalty. $600 + penalty + first months service + paypal fees + ebay fees = probably no profit. i can't see there being an ebay market for these unless they are unlocked. even then some features are useless.

 

[Eric1285]

this is soooooooooooooooooooo silly!!!!!!

IPHONE will be great no doubt.

You people keep comparing this to Wii and PS3...... think about it.....

Theres 1) ATT 2) Verizon 3) Tmobile 4) your other companies.

i find it hard to belive that 2, 3 and 4 will BREAK their current contracts at 175-300 per breakage fee......

then drive over to cingular to buy an "iphone" for 600 bucks......

It just isnt going to happen.......

There will be no "black friday" tragic lines.....

maybe 5-6 people outside each store..... but for christ sakes...... get real people......

with Wii and PS3 - you didnt have people being "taxed" to get out of their PS2 or Gamecube.......

Clearly you've been in a cave for the last 6 months. People have been incredibly hyped up about this product. You have to realize that people have been holding out on signing a new contract just so that they can get an iPhone.

 

[Eric1285]

who's going to flip a phone on ebay when they're tied to a long-term contract? if you break the contract within the first 30 days you have to return the phone. if it's after 30 days you have to pay a penalty. $600 + penalty + first months service + paypal fees + ebay fees = probably no profit. i can't see there being an ebay market for these unless they are unlocked. even then some features are useless.

I think most people will be transferring the contracts. It's pretty simple to do.

 

[Shamingo]

I'm breaking a contract with Sprint to get the iPhone and damn proud of it, I've been waiting for this moment and don't care how much it costs me.

 

[marksman]

That's incredibly disturbing. I'll be camping out starting on Wednesday, and you're telling me that someone who shows up on Friday morning has the same chance of getting one as me?

That is the most unfair thing I've ever heard in my life. I pray that you don't run the store that I go to.

You have a weird sense of fairness.

 

[derbystar16]

Umm Just buy it from Apple.com

Is it just me or am I the only one planning on buying the phone through the Apple Store online?

Everyone's freaking out about thinking they won't be able to get one but if you order it and wait 3 days, it's yours.

Am I wrong?

 

[arcanic]

Is it just me or am I the only one planning on buying the phone through the Apple Store online?

Everyone's freaking out about thinking they won't be able to get one but if you order it and wait 3 days, it's yours.

Am I wrong?

I think the recent Wii/PS3 fiasco is certainly fueling some of the madness. I got both those systems so I experienced it first hand. It's smart I guess from a business angle....ie...stirring up the masses...teasing us....then making them hard to get....but it's SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS for us consumers. I wish they would rely on their product and our word-of-mouth advertisement instead.

Myself, well....I'm a bit scared about launch to be perfectly honest. My original strategy was to take the 29th off only. Now, I'm planning on working a half day on the 28th and having the whole day off on the 29th. I'm going to the beach anyway on the 29th so it works out. Im just hoping I'll be headed for the beach with my new iPhone!!!!

Arc

 

[hatcher146]

i think i have it figured out to how many iPhones will be at each store.

there are roughly 1800 at&t stores and 159 u.s. apple stores

lets say apple gets a shipment of 300,000 iPhones

this means that each at&t store or apple store will get 150 iPhones.

any thoughts??

 

[lekun]

any thoughts??

Yeah, my first thought is man, I am way to into this iPhone.

My second thought is that you left out online inventory (unless you meant 3k iPhones for retail only).

My next thought is that the Business Week article must have been a little looney if they thought Apple was really going to have 3M iPhones on hand. Apple projects inventory by the quarter. All businesses don't want to have excess inventory. So lets say they reserve 2/3rds of the 3M iPhone inventory for online, leaving 1M for retail. By your numbers that is nearly 510 iPhones (on average of course, some outlets getting more than others) per store. No way, Apple plans on selling that many iPhones in the first production run.

My guess is that Apple, for a while will sell less of these than iPods. iPods are selling at 10M a quarter, and my guess is that iPhones would be lucky to get close to 1% of that.

So I am not predicting a shortage, but not predicting 3M iPhones like the Business Week article.

In reality, production should be short. This device, hardware wise, has been fairly locked-down for months, since a final version of the product had to begin the FCC approval process months ago. Apple could have easily been ramping up production for months, and continuing to work on the software side of the iPhone.

The only reason this wouldn't be so is the oft-cited remark that Apple may restrict supply. I really don't understand how this idea gets thrown out there. If the supply is restricted, Apple loses. People selling for above retail on eBay win, but Apple loses. Apple does best by selling an iPhone to everyone who wants one, especially early on. All the people shopping for an iPhone on the 29th are buying one virtually sight-unseen. Why turn these people away giving them chance to read reviews and second guess their purchase?

By analogy, it seems to me that there are plenty of people out there that would have bought a PS3 but because of short supply couldn't and then ended up getting a Wii on second thought. Why give the BlackBerry Curve or whatever some customers.

Don't believe the hype. If you want an iPhone on the 29th, camping out is probably unnecessary. They will be in stock. IMHO.

 

[Captain Ken]

AT&T Store in Maryland

I just spoke with a rep at a store in Ocean City who said that each store may have one IPhone for demo purposes only on June 29. He said that anyone who wants one will need to order it from the store and that the phone would arrive in 3 days.

I think the store reps are blowing smoke. I agree with the above post in that Apple wants to sell as many phones as possible. This particular store rep is not helping AT&T, Apple or the consumer by providing this information.

 

[Gonzlobo]

A question for campers...

...if each ATT & Apple store had thousands of iphones, would you still camp out? Would you feel the need to?

 

[Eric1285]

...if each ATT & Apple store had thousands of iphones, would you still camp out? Would you feel the need to?

What makes you think each store will have thousands of iPhones? That 3 million number touted in BusinessWeek is a joke.

If there really are going to be 3 million units, then yes, each store should have several hundred if not thousands of iPhones. In that case, we should know beforehand because we'll see a huge truck of iPhones arriving at every AT&T/Apple store.

 

[HitmanX]

I wlll possibly a couple hours early, to ensure I'm able to get a phone. I don't think it will be too crazy. I think a lot of people are still waiting on the data plan prices. It is one thing paying $600 one time, which a lot of people don't mind doing, but its another when you are paying several dollars more every single month for two years, to use it.

 

[paulyras]

I wlll possibly a couple hours early, to ensure I'm able to get a phone. I don't think it will be too crazy. I think a lot of people are still waiting on the data plan prices. It is one thing paying $600 one time, which a lot of people don't mind doing, but its another when you are paying several dollars more every single month for two years, to use it.

I'm with you. I'll probably get there at 5 or 6AM and have pretty good confidence that I'll be able to get a phone. If I get there and find out that I'm SOL, I'll head over to the Apple Store ASAP, in hopes of getting one there. Either way, I'm not too worried.

As for this stuff about drawing numbers out of a hat, I saw how Target handled the Wii (I'm a 31 year old teenager- Just ask my girlfriend), and it seems much more fair. Some people waited 2 or 3 days, and they got their Wiis. Others (such as myself) got there 3 hours before the store opened. Shortly after, perhaps 2 hours before the store opened, they handed out vouchers guaranteeing one for each of the first 40ish people in line (as many as they had). People were then able to go get breakfast, shower, pee, and all that.

I'd rather see that, where the ones who want it most get it, than something where anyone can wander up at any point casually and have the same shot as someone who obviously REALLY wants one. I would also thing Apple and AT&T would want that too. Get it in the hands of the ultimate disciples ASAP.

Just my thoughts.

Paul

 

[Affe]

I honestly predict that the majority of stores won't sell out. Yes, there is tons of hype with the iPhone, but with the current price, I don't see people just buying it left and right. I would feel confident walking in after work and still being able to pick it up. (But I won't consider cancelling my current contract and plopping down $500 for Rev. A iPhone plus no at&t coverage here)

 

[HitmanX]

I have called multiple AT&T stores in my city and the iPhone has NOT shipped yet. Once they start rolling off the factory line, I'm sure some "more official" numbers will be thrown out there.