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Thoughts on Angela Ahrendts.
- Thread starter pavanluvin
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Apple has fans who will pre-order whatever Apple releases. That's why they made pre-orders immediately available. If they didn't people would complain about it. I think people need to back up off Angela TBQH.
Or maybe no blame needs to be assigned at all. Apple should just be thankful there is greater demand for the Apple Watch than initially thought. On what planet do we assign "blame" for a product that is SUCCESSFUL beyond anyone's wildest expectations? People need to calm down.
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This is quite possibly the most childish post I've ever read in the history of the internet. Clearly you're either young and immature, or you're just completely ignorant of how companies market their products. My guess is both. So, you're upset that Apple has made it so that celebrities have early access to a new product (and keep in mind, you don't know whether Apple gave them the option to buy an Apple Watch early, or if they gave them a watch, or if they're loaning the watch to them) so that their watch can get some exposure in the media and get people excited about it... so what? All you're really saying here is "Waah, they get one and I want one now!" And as far as "showing us all these bands that we can't buy"... nobody knows about these bands except for the people at the fashion event in Milan, and us nerds on MacRumors who read stories about people at a fashion show in Milan where the Apple Watch was being shown off.
Calm down, grow up, and wait for your damn watch to show up at your doorstep.
Just my two cents...
My thoughts exactly.
She's an easy target for frustration because of her association with Burberry and the coincidental courting of celebs to show off the watch and exclusive accessories. I doubt if she has anything at all to do with that, but people see gold bling, celebs, and jump to the conclusion that "The hoity toity Burberry Exec is trying to destroy our beloved Apple."
I don't know if her gender and sexism plays as much into negative impressions of her as much as her image does and the Burberry image she helped build. The fact that there are difficulties in supply may contribute to the air of exclusivity and privilege of the celebrity watches and stir resentments and fears that she is trying to remake Apple into a more exclusive merchant. But again, one is a supply issue and the other is a marketing strategy. It's not a thing to do with Ahrendts other than she was once associated with an exclusive brand.
I was at an Apple Store a few hours ago. The staff was excellent as always. The store looked different in that it was rearranged to accommodate the watches. Other than that, I can't see that she changed the retail experience all that much.
The guy who let me try on bands was normal enough and didn't nervously polish them and he only helped me with bands I was having trouble with. He was intelligent and friendly. I wasn't asked if I had an appointment. He simply saw me peering at products and helped me out. Just like they always do.
(Oh and I was dressed frumpy in jeans and t-shirt because the visit was an unplanned one, but I was treated as courteously as a nicely dressed customer was. They haven't gone hoity toity on us yet. )
I don't know if her gender and sexism plays as much into negative impressions of her as much as her image does and the Burberry image she helped build. The fact that there are difficulties in supply may contribute to the air of exclusivity and privilege of the celebrity watches and stir resentments and fears that she is trying to remake Apple into a more exclusive merchant. But again, one is a supply issue and the other is a marketing strategy. It's not a thing to do with Ahrendts other than she was once associated with an exclusive brand.
I was at an Apple Store a few hours ago. The staff was excellent as always. The store looked different in that it was rearranged to accommodate the watches. Other than that, I can't see that she changed the retail experience all that much.
The guy who let me try on bands was normal enough and didn't nervously polish them and he only helped me with bands I was having trouble with. He was intelligent and friendly. I wasn't asked if I had an appointment. He simply saw me peering at products and helped me out. Just like they always do.
(Oh and I was dressed frumpy in jeans and t-shirt because the visit was an unplanned one, but I was treated as courteously as a nicely dressed customer was. They haven't gone hoity toity on us yet. )
I agree with the celebrity's getting special bands. That's ********! When I see that I think "Why does they get a band I couldn't buy no matter how much money I throw at Apple?" Really what the ****? Do I really need ten million Twitter followers to get a band someone else has?
A bit, but not all that different. Horses for courses. This is a new product line and a fashion item. It seems like adapting that existing strategy to this new product. To me, at least.
I have to say I really like her.
And being someone who isn't great at public speaking myself, it's nice to see someone who is in the position she is, not getting there just due to her speaking abilities.
And being someone who isn't great at public speaking myself, it's nice to see someone who is in the position she is, not getting there just due to her speaking abilities.
I would have to say $10000 for the Apple Watch, 18K or not, is rather expensive and not competitive with similar products in the price range.
It's being priced that way intentionally to price even the wealthy, as long as they are practical.
Watches above $10000 do not cost that much because they have a gold case.
They cost that much because of these factors and more, which the Apple Watch Edition lacks:
1) craftsmanship: a mechanical movement inside a watch that costs $10000 is usually meticulously hand made, with hand polishing of even the smallest parts that cannot be seen. In most cases, they are art made by artisans.
2) exclusivity: even the highest selling brands like Rolexes sell maybe 1 million per year and that's including all the watches below $10000... other smaller brands like A Lange & Sohne sell around 4000 per year; the Apple Watch Edition may not sell many but it's really exactly the same product as a $350 watch. There is no gold A Lange & Sohne that has a replica that has the same innards as a $350 watch. There is no gold Rolex that has a replica costing $350 with the same parts inside.
3) timelessness: a Patek from 1920 will not only still work but also be more valuable today than it was back then
Just to give you an idea of the new watches that are available for around $10000, I searched for new, gold watches around 8000 to 13000 (because watches can be discounted 30% or more routinely).
http://www.chrono24.com/en/search/i...s=0&watchTypes=U&priceFrom=8000&priceTo=13000
Now, note that most gold watches come with gold buckles and handmade leather straps so if we bump the price up to 20000 (which you can discount to 17000 without any problem), the results get even more interesting.
http://www.chrono24.com/en/search/i...e=1&gender=1401&priceFrom=15000&priceTo=20000
As you can see, there are many new Pateks, Hublots, all gold Rolexes with gold bracelet, Breguets with complications, Girard Perregaux with worldtime complications, JLC with annual calendar, Audemars Piguets (hugely popular with potential Apple Watch Edition buyers), IWC with 7 day power reserve, etc.
I appreciate you trying to salvage the damage that has been done. Seems like you joined macrumors today to specifically comment on this post. So I wanted to take a minute and respond.
1) I believe that I was not alone with my experience at the Apple Store that day. There were several other members that felt that way as well. It was the whole store that was chaotic. I was very interested in buying the edition but wanted to compare it to the Stainless Steel version before playing my order for edition. Apple employees wouldn't let me look at anything else and told me to wait another 45 minutes before looking at SS. (Already made me wait 45 mins after my initial edition appt was supposed to begin). All employees were asking each other different questions which should have been addressed in their team meeting that morning.
2) 10K for an 18K gold watch still seems a little expensive for me considering the tech inside will be outdated in ~2 years. There is no where near 10K worth of gold on that watch. Also no way at all the 17K 38mm watch has 17K worth of gold. You have to be a fool to think that, or need a reality check. But I agree there needs to be a significant upmark to make sure it fits with Apple's standards.
3) This is the launch of a whole new line of apple product, the first since the passing of Steve Jobs. It should be held as a celebration, and not just give die hard fans a window of when they can expect their product.
4) As addressed above ^. Should not give a window for first batch of preorders, makes them look unprepared. Seems like they are spending too much time advertising on people who don't even care if they are wearing one.
4x2) + 5) I don't know what this has to do with butlers. Its common sense. The people you are giving it out to don't give a rats ass. I know it will not delay my order, but I just feel like we should all be treated equally when it comes to something big like this. I feel like Apple kind of "Sold Out" so they can get celebrities to wear the watch. But besides the Apple community aka MacRumors, who actually knows that the celebrities are wearing it?!?!
I would have liked a better experience is all I am saying. This whole process did not seem very "Apple like" to me. I would also like to be treated like every other human being. I don't like that certain people who Apple deems special should get something that the person doesn't even know how to use. I know a lot of us in this community advocate for apple at any given opportunity, I would just like to see similar respect. I just hope to see better changes in the future.
I've been a part of macrumors for a while, however, I did create a burner for this. Again though,
1)Angela is not to blame for your less then stellar experience. That would be on the employee who provided that experience.
2) I agree $10,000 is a lot of money to a lot of people. The people who the Edition is aimed at, not as much.
3) as far as I've seen, it has been a celebration. Despite the supply constraints, Apple Watch is being heavily celebrated, and like all new products some people may not be getting them on launch day. Like most new products, demand is also higher then expected. Again, thank you for blaming Angela, Thank you for being misinformed on what her job entails. Please provide a suggestion on how you would have done better as SVP of retail.
4 (and 4x2) This seem more like jealousy. Plain and simple. You are upset that people were provided apple watches and it may not be worn in a certain way. Be it the right way or the wrong way, you have no context. AT ALL. please think before making misinformed judgements based on your discomfort that other people may have a watch before you. Again, you also have no context on how exactly those people have obtain said watches. Who says Apple directly gave them the watches. Each one of those people are people who are well connected to the executive team. Lastly, Thank you for forgetting about the thousand or so common-folk who have had apple watches for quite some time now and focusing on the celebrities who have gotten them.
What i'm hearing is that you want this process to be the same for everybody, but you do not want to have to wait. Meaning, while you want equality, you would like to be a special exception, and if you cannot get past the velvet rope before everybody, then no one should. I've had the privilege of seeing this launch in its entirety from behind the scenes, as well as some others, and I can assure you this is the most apple-esque launch we have had for quite some time. I'm sorry if you have had a less then stellar experience, and i know waiting sucks. As an employee I can tell ya waiting patiently till may 13-24th for my watch is going to be hard (specially because many people who i interact with on a daily basis will already have one). But it'll be worth the wait.
To be clear, you do have some valid concerns. But they are totally addressed at the wrong person. Had this thread be worded differently not attacking someone for things outside of their powers, I may be compelled to agree with you on some things. But, this is not Angela's first launch, and she has done so many great things for apple that you just haven't seen yet.
Fascinating thread; fascinating discussion, and an extraordinary blast from - and nod to - a rapidly receding past with the wonderfully apposite link to 'Thread 500'.
This thread is already legendary per se:
The
Watch is a successful product.The introduction of
Watch is successful.Exactly! And in the past, they have been treated just like everybody else - forced to wait in line (or send their personal assistant to wait for them). I recall when one of the iPhones came out, Drew Carey had just gotten the Price is Right gig and CBS interviewed him while he was waiting in line at one of the NYC Apple Stores!
Yes, it does, rather. A whiff of pile on the nicely wrapped bundles of wood preparatory to lighting the flames (caught be the profanity filter when using a perfectly old English word to describe a collective noun of bundled sticks of wood for the purpose of supplying fuel for fires and witch burnings…..which has another, alternative and offensive meaning) - nice and high - while wielding the weapons of righteous retribution………
Now, to remark on a few other matters which have been raised in the course of this discussion (and yes, I have taken the time and trouble to read the entire thing; it is a fascinating exercise in thwarted and almost ludicrous desire, the reliable old standby of cherchez la femme, salivating impatience, and resentment from those who feel themselves rejected….)…..
When will you guys get over feeling that you belong to a 'cult', and that the love you bear for The Founder and His Products (and do bear in mind that this is the first product that does not bear the direct imprint of the sticky thumbprints of The Founder) is not reciprocated.
You may love Apple, its ethos and its Founder. Above all, you may love its products. The Company, on the other hand, does not reciprocate this love - whatever else its marketing may suggest. Indeed, Apple has no emotional stake whatsoever in the fact that you were queuing for an iPod back around the time the Twin Towers were attacked. Your memories are their profits.
Indeed, your memories, and belief that you were a member of an esoteric, elite, technologically savvy and 'cool' brethren were their means to a commercial resurrection, financial respectability, bottomless profit and satisfied shareholders. Do please bear in mind that they have discontinued the iPod with no fuss and with a bare minimum of nostalgia.
When anyone writes that 'Apple Should be Loyal To Its Fans', I want to respond by telling them, that, to Apple, they are not seen as 'loyal fans' but rather, as Walking Wallets. You are a customer, not a fan.
Loyalty is for friends, family, things like that not computers….and is certainly not something to expect from any commercially inclined and rather ruthless company. They don't care that you have an emotional investment in this; they have a financial investment, - along with a technological and marketing gamble - and that is what matters.
Indeed, it may matter even more, because, with the demise of The Founder, Mr Jobs, those who are now only emerging from under the long and forbidding shadow of his visionary brilliance may well feel impelled to seek to prove themselves. After all, he had no hand or act in the conception or development of this product. Thus, proving that the company can develop new (and successful) products and that it can well survive the death of the Founding Visionary may be more important in the long run than anything else.
Re the Watch itself, I have a sinking feeling that it will be horribly successful. I suspect, that as with many other Apple products, the first iteration is a try out, to see what works, what the public responds to, what needs to be improved, and - within what can be done now with available technological sources, invention and tools - what can be improved.
I also suspect that the delay in shipping these desirable objects may not simply be a cock-up, or a bottleneck, but may be a result of Apple tweaking production to match initial consumer preferences; some of these watches and bands will be in far greater demand than others - this period of delay may well be Apple's own way of conducting a bit of 'real time' market research and ramping up production accordingly based on what their initial orders tell them may be in demand.
However, with regard to the gold watch, well, I suspect that this is simply to position Apple into the luxury market where it has not had a presence until now; such people as will be in a position to afford this need and desire the cachet of exclusivity and rarity.
And, as for celebrities flaunting such devices on their wrists……….this is marketing, - and a highly successful marketing campaign, too, if it has people talking about it, and product placement, deplorable, lamentable and regrettable and all though it may be…….
Fire Angela Ahrendts
I'm sure the title of this thread is a bit extreme but hear my reasoning prior to casting judgement. What makes Apple different than any other tech company? Loyalty! Customers actually looked forward to product launches and waiting in line for a chance to be an early adopter. This product launch is a complete joke! So yes I woke up about Ten minutes late and have to wait until 5/13-5/27. That is not the primary reason I'm upset. I don't like that Katy Perry, Pharell, Drake, Beyoncé are all running around with a watch. Steve Jobs would have fired whoever gave the product out prior to the actual release. That is terrible advertising anyway. I guarantee that I ( the loyal Apple customer) have spent more on Apple products than any of the people named above. I'm sure Dr Dre is out running around giving out the watch to these people while being escorted by his thug posse. What a Joke having that guy as an executive anyway. This company's appearance is changing in a bad way. There are so many ways this product launch are a terrible future for Apple. Apple wouldn't be what it is today without its retail partners and it's pretty obvious that they are cutting them all out of the profit by only selling it on the Apple Store online. I'm venting because they obviously released the watch the same day as the Samsung s6 just to try and sway a few but not because they were ready to launch.
I'm sure the title of this thread is a bit extreme but hear my reasoning prior to casting judgement. What makes Apple different than any other tech company? Loyalty! Customers actually looked forward to product launches and waiting in line for a chance to be an early adopter. This product launch is a complete joke! So yes I woke up about Ten minutes late and have to wait until 5/13-5/27. That is not the primary reason I'm upset. I don't like that Katy Perry, Pharell, Drake, Beyoncé are all running around with a watch. Steve Jobs would have fired whoever gave the product out prior to the actual release. That is terrible advertising anyway. I guarantee that I ( the loyal Apple customer) have spent more on Apple products than any of the people named above. I'm sure Dr Dre is out running around giving out the watch to these people while being escorted by his thug posse. What a Joke having that guy as an executive anyway. This company's appearance is changing in a bad way. There are so many ways this product launch are a terrible future for Apple. Apple wouldn't be what it is today without its retail partners and it's pretty obvious that they are cutting them all out of the profit by only selling it on the Apple Store online. I'm venting because they obviously released the watch the same day as the Samsung s6 just to try and sway a few but not because they were ready to launch.
If we're going to be honest, the problem isn't anything to do with Retail, or the online stores, it has to do with the fact that they launched with 38 different models, in 9 different countries. This is a logistics nightmare no matter what company you are.
In this world you aren't going to like everything. My suggestion is to find a way to come to term with that fact.
