How Long Will it Take to Buy an iPhone?

[glide]

Anytime I've purchased a phone in the past from a cingular store it takes 30-40 minutes if I'm lucky. Between checking/updating contracts, plans, sims, etc...

Is purchasing an iPhone on launch going to be the same type of hassle, or do you think its going to be an in-and-out type of deal with all the registration updates done by the user online?

Also - are people seriously going to be waiting in line overnight? with 60 phones per store I would think that would be adequate supply for a niche market.

 

[Aperture]

I think you'll buy the phone in store and take it home to setup your plan, etc in iTunes. Furthermore, I'm not sure where you got the 60/store # but I'm sure in some areas there will be overnighters.

 

[Eric1285]

Where are you getting that 60 iPhones per store number?

 

[Fearless Leader]

I think the number will vary from store but 60 sounds high. The fastest I've gotten a phone was 10 minuets from walking in the cingular store, slowest was about 30. Though I do go om weekday afternoons usually if I have to go in one.

 

[iSaint]

I sincerely hope they over-staff for the next few weeks.

 

[gvk]

IPhone and IPod

How to prevent the IPhone cannibalizing IPod Sales…

Steve - this is what I would do:

1. Send a message to every current IPod owner offering a discount on the IPhone price contingent upon Him/Her giving their IPod to someone.

2. The recipient in return must submit to APPLE Inc. credible proof of having received the IPod i.e. Serial Number etc

3. This accomplishes to boost IPhone sales (during the initial feeding frenzy not needed – but nothing lasts forever) and APPLE gains a new IPod customer . His/Her’s music downloads in time should easily amortize the discount on the IPhone.

4. And finally – perhaps most important – you keep and gain APPLE/MAC converts

 

[darwen]

I sincerely hope they over-staff for the next few weeks.

Apple is hiring extra staff at all the stores... I know this becuse I just signed my job offer today!

Steve - this is what I would do:

1. Send a message to every current IPod owner offering a discount on the IPhone price contingent upon Him/Her giving their IPod to someone.

Spoken like a true newbie! I dont mean to be rude, your post is kinda idiotic though. Apple has no reason to do this... it would just cost them money.

 

[/dev/toaster]

Here is what bothers me. Why would Apple hire a bunch of extra people (for more then a few days), when the chances of the iPhone selling out in the first day or so are very high. I wonder if they are doing because:

- They have a secondary shipment being released shortly after launch (Get it to sell out, but have more ready to go very quickly)
- They will have higher numbers of units then we expect.
- To deal with the crowd that will be angry and/or trying to find the iPhone after sold out. I can imagine how many will be calling every store in the state trying to find it. Hell, after the PS3 and Wii every store had signs out front that said "No Wii! No PS3! No we don't know when we will get more! No you can't pre-order or reserve it"

 

[synth3tik]

They will be well prepared. Apple knows that not meeting customer demand is a very bad thing and will help turn away buyers, They will have a good stock and a lot of staff and most likely you will take your phone home and then set it up. Apple would not set a limited run so that not every one got their phone, it's very bad marketing. I really wanted a Wii and a PS3, but the stupidness surrounding the whole 8484758958934 people and only 10 units is just ridiculous and now I'm really not all that interested in getting one. The excitement has gone.

but the iPhone will be stocked and I will be getting one

 

[applehero]

I like positive thinking...

 

[/dev/toaster]

They will be well prepared. Apple knows that not meeting customer demand is a very bad thing and will help turn away buyers, They will have a good stock and a lot of staff and most likely you will take your phone home and then set it up. Apple would not set a limited run so that not every one got their phone, it's very bad marketing. I really wanted a Wii and a PS3, but the stupidness surrounding the whole 8484758958934 people and only 10 units is just ridiculous and now I'm really not all that interested in getting one. The excitement has gone.

but the iPhone will be stocked and I will be getting one

Its not a question of being prepared, its a question of how many units can they really churn out in a month. I really doubt that Apple would take a gamble on producing products without FCC approval, it could be a very very expensive mistake. Lets also not forget, this is an initial run production. First runs always take long as their is a higher rate of failed assembly not to mention they need to get assembling the unit down pat.

Although I would like to believe your theory (Would make my life a hell of a lot easier), based on previous product launch that had a huge following ... its going to be a nightmare no matter how you look at it.

 

[Trent0341]

How to prevent the IPhone cannibalizing IPod Sales…

Steve - this is what I would do:

1. Send a message to every current IPod owner offering a discount on the IPhone price contingent upon Him/Her giving their IPod to someone.

2. The recipient in return must submit to APPLE Inc. credible proof of having received the IPod i.e. Serial Number etc

3. This accomplishes to boost IPhone sales (during the initial feeding frenzy not needed – but nothing lasts forever) and APPLE gains a new IPod customer . His/Her’s music downloads in time should easily amortize the discount on the IPhone.

4. And finally – perhaps most important – you keep and gain APPLE/MAC converts

Not a business major are you. This makes zero sense (or cents). Why would SJ want to risk losing 10 million potential customers because they just got a free ipod? Talk about canabalizing ipod sales... what do you think that many free ipods on the market would do for ipod sales?

And why would it be worth it for me to give up a 30g ipod that I just paid 250 for to get a discount on an iphone. I'm sure most of us arent buying the iphone for another ipod.

 

[Trent0341]

They will be well prepared. Apple knows that not meeting customer demand is a very bad thing and will help turn away buyers, They will have a good stock and a lot of staff and most likely you will take your phone home and then set it up. Apple would not set a limited run so that not every one got their phone, it's very bad marketing. I really wanted a Wii and a PS3, but the stupidness surrounding the whole 8484758958934 people and only 10 units is just ridiculous and now I'm really not all that interested in getting one. The excitement has gone.

but the iPhone will be stocked and I will be getting one

I too would have bought a PS3 the day it came out. Due to the 2 total console units I wasn't able to land one and still don't have one to this day (and probably never will). I hope your right that they have plenty on launch day (and whats looking like the day after for me) but I'm skeptical.

 

[macaddicted]

They will be well prepared. Apple knows that not meeting customer demand is a very bad thing and will help turn away buyers, They will have a good stock and a lot of staff and most likely you will take your phone home and then set it up.

Um yeah. This is, after all, Apple, which specializes in having just not quite enough of their Hot New Product. Helps to keep the desirability up.

 

[AHDuke99]

i still cant imagine this launch being bigger than the wii or PS3 ... i am wondering what strategy i will take to get one. the at&t corporate store here in town is in an area of town by the mall where crime takes place. i will not be camping out overnight, that's for sure. i want my iphone, but not risk my life for it. i hope people wont camp till the morning. i hope they wont camp at all in this area, but i am sure they will. i'll go around 9am that morning and if there's already a line, oh well. i hope a friend will go with me, though.