How Apple blew the launch

[sigamy]

I can't think of a good reason not to do pre-orders... In fact, it would help them with production targets.

As posters above have noted, the Apple Store staff with heroic, but there were tons of organizational issues. Why on earth would you not tell your stores how many units they are getting in?

Exactly. I had no luck on Friday due to flooding in my basement and flooding at my closest of 3 Apple Stores.

So Saturday morning I join about 50 others in line at Short Hills NJ store. We were given 4 different stories in a 40 minute time frame. They are getting a shipment but don't know how many and which models. Then they "may" get a shipment. Shipment is coming between 10-noon, or shipment is coming before 2pm.

Finally turned out that all they got was 16gb Black Wifi. Many folks were upset. It's not like this was a month after launch. This was day 2!

How can Apple have a chain of retail stores and not tell each store what they are getting and when? Hire a few more logistics guys and get this fixed. RFID tags, heck use the "find my iPhone" feature...

 

[Meever]

They got as many iPads out in as many outlets as possible. How is this a failure? They didn't have enough? Well, yeah, I guess. But it's an Apple product they can never meet demands in the first batch or two.

 

[CP123]

Why must people be the first to have anything? I don't see the big deal in getting the iPad or iPhone or anything on rollout date.

 

[thesiren]

Why must people be the first to have anything? I don't see the big deal in getting the iPad or iPhone or anything on rollout date.

Why would anyone want to WAIT to have something they want? That's dumb.

 

[fanboy05]

Once I decided to buy one, I called around, the version and AT&T stores were only going to carry 3 g models, the 2 walmarts nearby had 0 coming in, the super target said they had 0 coming in... And so I had to drive to best buy or up to the apple store ( which is very far away).... Apple store was out of the question, as I wasn't dragging the kiddos along, and it was a work day, so best buy was the only option unless I wanted to be far away from the kids ( and piss off the OH)

So off to best buy, I went at 10:30 am , to see if there was a line yet, And to ask how many they were getting, since no one else within 100 miles was getting any... Bb of course had no idea what they were going to get as supposedly the shipment hadn't arrived... So when I arrived the line went around the front and to the side. Bb said they were limiting to one per person, but they didn't have many so " take your chances"
4:30 rolls around and now there are a lot more peope behind me waiting too ( couldn't see the end of the line)
They come out with the tickets, and i got one of the last ones ... Guy in front of me was stuck to pick a model he didnt want or nothing at all, so he got the 64g in white.
A lot of people in front of me left after waiting because bb didn't carry anything but wifi, and they " had no idea" that it was wifi only until 4:30..
Any way for me, they didn't " blow it" but for the huge crowd behind ,me and the people who waited the whole time, only to find out that not 1 single iPad was a 3G iPad, they blew it.
Yes, the people will probably get one eventually & yes apple sold a LOT of iPad 2's & yes they will consider it a success, but if I hadn't picked up one, for me i would have said they " blew it" too.
Stores needed to know what they were selling and how much IMO, so consumers could make informed choices, and ESP for the people who thought they would score one with no problem, a list of places and quantities would have been helpful, instead of me having to call every store to see if they were going to even get any in, and having the employees all say either a guess or not know.

Really preordering ( and you pick it up in the store) would have been great, then people wouldn't have had the whole mess being chaotic and so mismatched. ESP when you have large populations of people and you only have 1 store get inventory.

 

[Coukos34]

Sorry but this whole thread is complete fail. How did Apple "blow" the launch, because you didnt get what you wanted? Apple did what they needed to do for themselves. They are a business and can do whatever they want. If you wanted an iPad 2 bad enough, you would have been in line at an apple store early like everyone else. If not, oh well, you get one shipped to you, you poor souls. Any other excuse is just that, an excuse. What a complete whiner thread. Society has unfortunately become a forum for such drivel. What complete self entitled....ugh, i can't even control my distaste. You should listen to yourselves, it's utterly disgusting

 

[AMDGAMER]

I don't think its intentional, I think they should have held off a week or two until they could really put them out there in enough quantities so people could get one on the first day which is part of the fun. Thats all.

 

[dmaul1114]

Why would anyone want to WAIT to have something they want? That's dumb.

Patience is a virtue. If there's not online preorder I'd rather wait a few days or weeks than waste time waiting in line with nerds to spend my hard earned money.

Especially for a toy, it's not like it's some drug I need to beat a terminal illness or something. I ordered online and will get it when I get it--though I'm lucky and got in early and should get mine Thursday.

I'll never understand people who wait in line to buy things, and I'll never understand those who waste energy getting upset over how hard things are to find at launch. Life's too short for such things IMO. But to each their own I suppose.

 

[corriewf]

Once I decided to buy one, I called around, the version and AT&T stores were only going to carry 3 g models, the 2 walmarts nearby had 0 coming in, the super target said they had 0 coming in... And so I had to drive to best buy or up to the apple store ( which is very far away).... Apple store was out of the question, as I wasn't dragging the kiddos along, and it was a work day, so best buy was the only option unless I wanted to be far away from the kids ( and piss off the OH)

So off to best buy, I went at 10:30 am , to see if there was a line yet, And to ask how many they were getting, since no one else within 100 miles was getting any... Bb of course had no idea what they were going to get as supposedly the shipment hadn't arrived... So when I arrived the line went around the front and to the side. Bb said they were limiting to one per person, but they didn't have many so " take your chances"
4:30 rolls around and now there are a lot more peope behind me waiting too ( couldn't see the end of the line)
They come out with the tickets, and i got one of the last ones ... Guy in front of me was stuck to pick a model he didnt want or nothing at all, so he got the 64g in white.
A lot of people in front of me left after waiting because bb didn't carry anything but wifi, and they " had no idea" that it was wifi only until 4:30..
Any way for me, they didn't " blow it" but for the huge crowd behind ,me and the people who waited the whole time, only to find out that not 1 single iPad was a 3G iPad, they blew it.
Yes, the people will probably get one eventually & yes apple sold a LOT of iPad 2's & yes they will consider it a success, but if I hadn't picked up one, for me i would have said they " blew it" too.
Stores needed to know what they were selling and how much IMO, so consumers could make informed choices, and ESP for the people who thought they would score one with no problem, a list of places and quantities would have been helpful, instead of me having to call every store to see if they were going to even get any in, and having the employees all say either a guess or not know.

Really preordering ( and you pick it up in the store) would have been great, then people wouldn't have had the whole mess being chaotic and so mismatched. ESP when you have large populations of people and you only have 1 store get inventory.

This exactly what I have been referring to. And yes, even if I received an ipad2, I was pretty surprised at this launch. I have never seen people have to do so much work to find an item and this is the highly publicized device. It's just odd...and to sum up, lame.

 

[corriewf]

Patience is a virtue. If there's not online preorder I'd rather wait a few days or weeks than waste time waiting in line with nerds to spend my hard earned money.

Especially for a toy, it's not like it's some drug I need to beat a terminal illness or something. I ordered online and will get it when I get it--though I'm lucky and got in early and should get mine Thursday.

I'll never understand people who wait in line to buy things, and I'll never understand those who waste energy getting upset over how hard things are to find at launch. Life's too short for such things IMO. But to each their own I suppose.

You know what, I agree with you. I don't like to put down people that wait in line, but it's not something I agree with. With that said, I was really let down I couldn't reserve one in store for the next shipment of iPads. That was going to be my way of getting one. That is exactly how I got my first one. Since they don't allow that, it will probably be months before the store has standing stock. They will shorten the shipments in a week or so for the international launch. I don't want to wait months tbh...

 

[Surf Monkey]

I don't think its intentional, I think they should have held off a week or two until they could really put them out there in enough quantities so people could get one on the first day which is part of the fun. Thats all.

Too many other tablets are nipping at Apple's heels. I think they got iPad 2 out the door as quickly as they could for a reason.

 

[ravenas]

Once I decided to buy one, I called around, the version and AT&T stores were only going to carry 3 g models, the 2 walmarts nearby had 0 coming in, the super target said they had 0 coming in... And so I had to drive to best buy or up to the apple store ( which is very far away).... Apple store was out of the question, as I wasn't dragging the kiddos along, and it was a work day, so best buy was the only option unless I wanted to be far away from the kids ( and piss off the OH)

So off to best buy, I went at 10:30 am , to see if there was a line yet, And to ask how many they were getting, since no one else within 100 miles was getting any... Bb of course had no idea what they were going to get as supposedly the shipment hadn't arrived... So when I arrived the line went around the front and to the side. Bb said they were limiting to one per person, but they didn't have many so " take your chances"
4:30 rolls around and now there are a lot more peope behind me waiting too ( couldn't see the end of the line)
They come out with the tickets, and i got one of the last ones ... Guy in front of me was stuck to pick a model he didnt want or nothing at all, so he got the 64g in white.
A lot of people in front of me left after waiting because bb didn't carry anything but wifi, and they " had no idea" that it was wifi only until 4:30..
Any way for me, they didn't " blow it" but for the huge crowd behind ,me and the people who waited the whole time, only to find out that not 1 single iPad was a 3G iPad, they blew it.
Yes, the people will probably get one eventually & yes apple sold a LOT of iPad 2's & yes they will consider it a success, but if I hadn't picked up one, for me i would have said they " blew it" too.
Stores needed to know what they were selling and how much IMO, so consumers could make informed choices, and ESP for the people who thought they would score one with no problem, a list of places and quantities would have been helpful, instead of me having to call every store to see if they were going to even get any in, and having the employees all say either a guess or not know.

Really preordering ( and you pick it up in the store) would have been great, then people wouldn't have had the whole mess being chaotic and so mismatched. ESP when you have large populations of people and you only have 1 store get inventory.

Well said. I was one of those who waited in line but came home with nothing because the model I wanted wasn't available. I came and lined up exactly when the store employees told me to. Unfortunately none of the employees at the Apple store or Best Buy seemed to know a thing about what they were getting or how to properly manage the demand. No tickets offered, no polling the line, no information given. Just line up and take your chances. About half the Apple line went home empty-handed and unhappy.

I'm kicking myself for not pre-ordering online in the early AM. Had I done that I would have gotten my model of choice and not wasted an afternoon on misinformation.

So in terms of Apple making a splash with sold out inventory they had a successful launch. In terms of making consumers happy getting them the models they wanted, then it was a disorganized epic fail.

I really don't understand not taking the store pre-orders over the last week. Had they done that then perhaps they would have better managed the stocking to accurately place wanted models in given locations. This free-for-all left folks feeling like it was all some nefarious publicity scam.

I know for certain I'll never bother with another Apple launch. It was much more satisfying toying with the iPad display models for a couple months then deciding to come home with one with no issue.

 

[Surf Monkey]

How can Apple have a chain of retail stores and not tell each store what they are getting and when? Hire a few more logistics guys and get this fixed. RFID tags, heck use the "find my iPhone" feature...

You don't think there might be some reason why it played out like that? You honestly think one of the most successful companies of the last decade didn't take every factor into consideration?

I love the hubris of some posters here who evidently think they have answers that Apple doesn't. Seems to me that we know very little about what did or didn't happen behind the scenes of this launch. Pronouncements about what should have happened are based on nothing but rank speculation. Hardly the firmest platform from which to pass judgment.

 

[ayz]

Once I decided to buy one, I called around, the version and AT&T stores were only going to carry 3 g models, the 2 walmarts nearby had 0 coming in, the super target said they had 0 coming in... And so I had to drive to best buy or up to the apple store ( which is very far away).... Apple store was out of the question, as I wasn't dragging the kiddos along, and it was a work day, so best buy was the only option unless I wanted to be far away from the kids ( and piss off the OH)

So off to best buy, I went at 10:30 am , to see if there was a line yet, And to ask how many they were getting, since no one else within 100 miles was getting any... Bb of course had no idea what they were going to get as supposedly the shipment hadn't arrived... So when I arrived the line went around the front and to the side. Bb said they were limiting to one per person, but they didn't have many so " take your chances"
4:30 rolls around and now there are a lot more peope behind me waiting too ( couldn't see the end of the line)
They come out with the tickets, and i got one of the last ones ... Guy in front of me was stuck to pick a model he didnt want or nothing at all, so he got the 64g in white.
A lot of people in front of me left after waiting because bb didn't carry anything but wifi, and they " had no idea" that it was wifi only until 4:30..
Any way for me, they didn't " blow it" but for the huge crowd behind ,me and the people who waited the whole time, only to find out that not 1 single iPad was a 3G iPad, they blew it.
Yes, the people will probably get one eventually & yes apple sold a LOT of iPad 2's & yes they will consider it a success, but if I hadn't picked up one, for me i would have said they " blew it" too.
Stores needed to know what they were selling and how much IMO, so consumers could make informed choices, and ESP for the people who thought they would score one with no problem, a list of places and quantities would have been helpful, instead of me having to call every store to see if they were going to even get any in, and having the employees all say either a guess or not know.

Really preordering ( and you pick it up in the store) would have been great, then people wouldn't have had the whole mess being chaotic and so mismatched. ESP when you have large populations of people and you only have 1 store get inventory.

again, since you do not seem to understand this

your experience at best buy is not apple's fault

best buy orders ipads from apple. which ipads go to which best buy store is entirely best buy's call.

Exactly. I had no luck on Friday due to flooding in my basement and flooding at my closest of 3 Apple Stores.

So Saturday morning I join about 50 others in line at Short Hills NJ store. We were given 4 different stories in a 40 minute time frame. They are getting a shipment but don't know how many and which models. Then they "may" get a shipment. Shipment is coming between 10-noon, or shipment is coming before 2pm.

Finally turned out that all they got was 16gb Black Wifi. Many folks were upset. It's not like this was a month after launch. This was day 2!

How can Apple have a chain of retail stores and not tell each store what they are getting and when? Hire a few more logistics guys and get this fixed. RFID tags, heck use the "find my iPhone" feature...

do you really think apple didn't tell the stores because they didn't know HOW to? get the f out of here.

it's better for them to not tell stores, if you think about it. if you knew exactly what models are in what stores, then you wouldn't wait in line at the apple store if you knew they only had 3 of the model you wanted, or not at all. instead, you wait in line for 2-3 hours, get in, find out that you wanted a 16GB wifi but they only have 64GB wifi in stock. so you buy the 64GB wifi instead.

that, to apple, is a success. they just made you fork over $200 more than you planned. and yes, while you're going to cry about it and complain about apple, the fact of the matter is when it came down to it, you were willing to pay the price. and you know what, you're probably going to continue to buy from them, regardless of how they "fail" their launches.

 

[corriewf]

it's better for them to not tell stores, if you think about it. if you knew exactly what models are in what stores, then you wouldn't wait in line at the apple store if you knew they only had 3 of the model you wanted, or not at all. instead, you wait in line for 2-3 hours, get in, find out that you wanted a 16GB wifi but they only have 64GB wifi in stock. so you buy the 64GB wifi instead.

that, to apple, is a success. they just made you fork over $200 more than you planned. and yes, while you're going to cry about it and complain about apple, the fact of the matter is when it came down to it, you were willing to pay the price. and you know what, you're probably going to continue to buy from them, regardless of how they "fail" their launches.

So what your saying is that Apple wants consumers to feel pressured into buying something they really didn't want? Do you think that customer is going to be truly happy in the end? Do you think they will remain loyal to apple? One day someone is going to release a tablet that does compete and if they allow an easier smoother customer purchase experience, do you think that same customer is going to stick with Apple?

That's why I say that sales numbers don't depict success. A happy customer is a repeat customer and sometimes for life.

 

[ayz]

So what your saying is that Apple wants consumers to feel pressured into buying something they really didn't want? Do you think that customer is going to be truly happy in the end? Do you think they will remain loyal to apple? One day someone is going to release a tablet that does compete and if they allow an easier smoother customer purchase experience, do you think that same customer is going to stick with Apple?

That's why I say that sales numbers don't depict success. A happy customer is a repeat customer and sometimes for life.

that customer is happy, in a way. you might complain about having to pay more for the ipad, but you know what, you were willing to pay for it, hence you decided at some point in time that it was a good decision.

they lose no customers in this case. if you're only willing to spend money on a 16GB wifi, you go home and order one online. if you just want an ipad and are willing to spend more, you buy the more expensive one. up-selling is actually a pretty common way of generating more revenue. think about every time you want to buy ANYTHING and the salesperson is trying to convince you to buy something newer/better/higher quality.

the customer purchase experience argument is bs. nobody is buying ipad over xoom because the customer purchase experience is better. when you are spending $800, you're not picking based on customer service. you are picking based on the PRODUCT. they could offer free on-site handjobs and a hooker with each purchase of an xoom, and people who want ipads will still buy ipads.

if you have a negative "customer purchase experience" and end up unhappy you paid more for a 64GB, this is what you're going to do when the ipad 3/4 is released, or whatever your next upgrade is:

1) do more research, camp out earlier, do whatever to ensure you get the model you want, or
2) say f it and not bother with stores and just order the model you want online

either way, you're still an apple customer so who cares

 

[corriewf]

that customer is happy, in a way. you might complain about having to pay more for the ipad, but you know what, you were willing to pay for it, hence you decided at some point in time that it was a good decision.

they lose no customers in this case. if you're only willing to spend money on a 16GB wifi, you go home and order one online. if you just want an ipad and are willing to spend more, you buy the more expensive one. up-selling is actually a pretty common way of generating more revenue. think about every time you want to buy ANYTHING and the salesperson is trying to convince you to buy something newer/better/higher quality.

the customer purchase experience argument is bs. nobody is buying ipad over xoom because the customer purchase experience is better. when you are spending $800, you're not picking based on customer service. you are picking based on the PRODUCT. they could offer free on-site handjobs and a hooker with each purchase of an xoom, and people who want ipads will still buy ipads.

if you have a negative "customer purchase experience" and end up unhappy you paid more for a 64GB, this is what you're going to do when the ipad 3/4 is released, or whatever your next upgrade is:

1) do more research, camp out earlier, do whatever to ensure you get the model you want, or
2) say f it and not bother with stores and just order the model you want online

either way, you're still an apple customer so who cares

Or you figure out they used the same bait and switch tactics a cheap mattress store uses and hope the competition comes out with something better later. A lot of people have stuck with Apple through the tough years because they didn't pull the kind of **** other companies do. Competition will get tougher soon and we shall see. Apple makes a great product, but they can't afford to keep blowing people off in future launches.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Or you figure out they used the same bait and switch tactics a cheap mattress store uses and hope the competition comes out with something better later. A lot of people have stuck with Apple through the tough years because they didn't pull the kind of **** other companies do. Competition will get tougher soon and we shall see. Apple makes a great product, but they can't afford to keep blowing people off in future launches.

Come on. Now you're just trolling.

 

[canadianipad]

I can't think of a good reason not to do pre-orders... In fact, it would help them with production targets.

I think the reason is VERY obvious. Apple didn't have the supply in order to do pre-orders. They sent all inventory to stores and there is still huge supply issues. Had they taken pre-orders, there would have been none or even less for the stores.
Plus look at how many countries are launching on the 25th. Apple has to be putting some aside in order to get decent quantities out to all those countries in 2 weeks.

 

[corriewf]

Come on. Now you're just trolling.

I call it disagreeing and maybe debating. I speak from real world experience. I now have a mattress I am happy with and I never went back to the store that played the bait and switch tactic on me. Up selling is fine, bait and switch is advertising a product and then purposely only carrying a few of said item but more of the expensive items. I have always been given the general impression that Apple prefers their customers to have no regret. This is the first time I have ever questioned that perspective.

 

[corriewf]

I think the reason is VERY obvious. Apple didn't have the supply in order to do pre-orders. They sent all inventory to stores and there is still huge supply issues. Had they taken pre-orders, there would have been none or even less for the stores.
Plus look at how many countries are launching on the 25th. Apple has to be putting some aside in order to get decent quantities out to all those countries in 2 weeks.

There were two lines for the iPhone 4 launch. One line (the longer one) was for reserves and the other was for walk ups. I didn't feel sorry for those in the walk up line that didn't reserve one. They knew they were taking a risk. In this case Apple didnt care enough to do it. A lot of people waited for nothing. In my book that is a ****** customer experience. I am sure they will be getting a lot of negative feedback on it and maybe some heads will roll. I sure hope so. Limited supplies is always a given. Poor organization and ****** customer experiences is for other companies.

 

[olternaut]

Woah...hold on here. This is a Mac forum, so we are going to talk about iPads, Apple, and bitch about our experiences in regards to the launch. That's fine.

But it is just wrong for you to say that the Japan devastation is killing your ranting and complaining about not getting an iPad on launch day. Did people in Japan ask for this natural diaster? We are so lucky to have our health, home, and gadgets such as an iPad or whatever else you have.

Seriously, that dude is actually mad that Japan's disaster is taking away from the Apple news? Unbelievable! I hope he drops his precious iPad and the glass display shatters.

 

[canadianipad]

There were two lines for the iPhone 4 launch. One line (the longer one) was for reserves and the other was for walk ups. I didn't feel sorry for those in the walk up line that didn't reserve one. They knew they were taking a risk. In this case Apple didnt care enough to do it. A lot of people waited for nothing. In my book that is a ****** customer experience. I am sure they will be getting a lot of negative feedback on it and maybe some heads will roll. I sure hope so. Limited supplies is always a given. Poor organization and ****** customer experiences is for other companies.

Wow, talk about being spoiled. Apple doesn't have to do pre-orders. It's a nice feature they've offered in the past. How many other big tech companies allow you to pre-order?
Us international Apple customers rarely, if ever get pre-orders. We understand we have to lineup, and there is a risk we may not even get it if supplies are low.
Hell, for the iPhone 4 people in Canada were lining upat the Apple store every day after launch for more than a month in hopes of getting one. No one knew if the stores would even get stock.
There is always a huge demand for the latest Apple product. Did Apple maybe rush the release? You could make an argument.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I call it disagreeing and maybe debating. I speak from real world experience. I now have a mattress I am happy with and I never went back to the store that played the bait and switch tactic on me. Up selling is fine, bait and switch is advertising a product and then purposely only carrying a few of said item but more of the expensive items. I have always been given the general impression that Apple prefers their customers to have no regret. This is the first time I have ever questioned that perspective.

This was not a bait and switch situation. The further this conversation goes the more detached your criticisms are getting from reality. That's why I said you were trolling. The post above simply supports that impression.

 

[shipwrecked]

I wasn't one of the people who queued up for an iPad on Thursday but I can say from reading some posts on macforums, and tech blogs such as cnet and tuaw, I gather there were some miscommunication about how many iPads were available.

There are lots of reports of people waiting in line being told that they were going home with an iPad and then turned away hours later. That, IMO is pretty ******. If you didn't have them in stock why not say so sooner than later so the people in line can go on their way without waiting for hours. I don't know but that seems pretty reasonable to me.