chinacat
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Post by chinacat on Apr 17, 2015 17:40:08 GMT -8
Well, nice to have monthly OpEx behind us, and the damage was really not that bad considering the carnage in the market as a whole. Official Apple Watch release next Friday, but I expect another round of confusion in the press due to the changes in the retail process. Reports here and elsewhere seem to indicate continuing improvement of the customer experience as the staff becomes more comfortable with the new product and the new sales process. I am ill-equipped to comment on the trading outlook, but I'll do it anyway . Unless there are massive information leaks prior to the earnings release, it is hard to see much action of interest until the 27th, but perhaps if the rumor mill gets strong enough, maybe build a little momentum at the end of the week. Sox off to a good start, Celtics unexpectedly in the playoffs, and Marathon next week. I can wait a week for fireworks. The bar is open. Step right up!!
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platon
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"All we can know is that we know nothing. And that's the height of human wisdom.? Tolstoy
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Post by platon on Apr 17, 2015 18:14:47 GMT -8
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Post by artman1033 on Apr 17, 2015 18:42:52 GMT -8
Today, 16 April 2015, WikiLeaks publishes an analysis and search system for The Sony Archives: 30,287 documents from Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and 173,132 emails, to and from more than 2,200 SPE email addresses. SPE is a US subsidiary of the Japanese multinational technology and media corporation Sony, handling their film and TV production and distribution operations. There are a number of APPLE, IPHONE, TIM COOK and other related posts available from the search function. wikileaks.org/sony/press/lots of SONY/APPLE CONTRACTS. lots of folks social security numbers.(millions?)
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Post by phoebear611 on Apr 18, 2015 3:24:09 GMT -8
Not to beat a dead horse and yes, Red wrote an eloquent piece but I still call the bullshit on Angie. Whatever happened to being judged on what you do the first 90 days? Or your first launch? I'm not suggesting there shouldn't have been any hiccups but this was disappointing. Maybe I'm solo here but so be it. The lady needs to make this right....I don't know how but she needs to somehow not just "right the ship" but speed it up IMHO to redeem herself. You don't get a freebie at her level. I'll have another cup of coffee, thanks. By the way - spoiler alert - Apple does employ folks that screw up now and then so let's make sure we can figure out early on who they are and who they are not. In store purchases not expected now until June: appleinsider.com/articles/15/04/17/jony-ive-and-marc-newson-reveal-special-apple-watch-sport-band-colors-at-milan-gala9 TO 5 Mac amongst several others reporting custom bands coming out - revealed at the Milan show - I NEED the slate blue one: 9to5mac.com/2015/04/17/milan-event-new-bands/
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Post by rezonate on Apr 18, 2015 3:39:14 GMT -8
There is a certain magic that comes with an impulse purchase, going into your hometown Apple Store to discover they just unloaded the truck and surprise surprise that nice new shiny bauble can be had TODAY, if you want it. With "sold out" as the expectation and "got one!" as the result, Apple makes (or keeps) a fan for life. This whole "launch day - oops sorry web only, if you were awake during these 7 minutes" is not magic.
We'll see how they do starting in 6 days... Drinking a "mess deck mocha" this morning, black coffee with a spoon of instant hot chocolate swirled in. Last night - water. What a week.
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Post by redinaustin on Apr 18, 2015 3:48:38 GMT -8
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Post by redinaustin on Apr 18, 2015 5:45:43 GMT -8
As I tweeted Phoebear's girlfriend Angela, we really need Apple Watch gift cards. Mother's Day May Father's Day June Adequate supply ? Without gift cards you really can't surprise anyone with a gift of an Apple Watch because of all the choices to be made. It's just too personal.
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Post by Red Shirted Ensign on Apr 18, 2015 5:46:54 GMT -8
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Post by osx10 on Apr 18, 2015 8:00:35 GMT -8
Thanks for sharing the Carl Howe piece. He makes a bunch of sense on the Apple Watch and enjoyed his dig on Click Baiting as a bonus...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 8:01:47 GMT -8
There's a write up in today's WSJ discussing Apple's Watch. I don't subscribe but some of you do ... hint, hint.
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Mav
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Post by Mav on Apr 18, 2015 8:28:13 GMT -8
There is a certain magic that comes with an impulse purchase, going into your hometown Apple Store to discover they just unloaded the truck and surprise surprise that nice new shiny bauble can be had TODAY, if you want it. With "sold out" as the expectation and "got one!" as the result, Apple makes (or keeps) a fan for life. This whole "launch day - oops sorry web only, if you were awake during these 7 minutes" is not magic. We'll see how they do starting in 6 days... Drinking a "mess deck mocha" this morning, black coffee with a spoon of instant hot chocolate swirled in. Last night - water. What a week. Rez, don't completely ignore that there are 42 band combinations that can work with non-Edition watches. And remember any other "I can't get one on launch day" launch? Like iPad 1?
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Post by incorrigible on Apr 18, 2015 8:45:53 GMT -8
There's a write up in today's WSJ discussing Apple's Watch. I don't subscribe but some of you do ... hint, hint. Cut and paste the full title of the article in Google. You'll get full access. Thought everyone knew that trick.
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Post by tuffett on Apr 18, 2015 9:08:48 GMT -8
Not to beat a dead horse and yes, Red wrote an eloquent piece but I still call the bullshit on Angie. Whatever happened to being judged on what you do the first 90 days? Or your first launch? I'm not suggesting there shouldn't have been any hiccups but this was disappointing. Maybe I'm solo here but so be it. The lady needs to make this right....I don't know how but she needs to somehow not just "right the ship" but speed it up IMHO to redeem herself. You don't get a freebie at her level. I'll have another cup of coffee, thanks. By the way - spoiler alert - Apple does employ folks that screw up now and then so let's make sure we can figure out early on who they are and who they are not. In store purchases not expected now until June: appleinsider.com/articles/15/04/17/jony-ive-and-marc-newson-reveal-special-apple-watch-sport-band-colors-at-milan-gala9 TO 5 Mac amongst several others reporting custom bands coming out - revealed at the Milan show - I NEED the slate blue one: 9to5mac.com/2015/04/17/milan-event-new-bands/If Angela's sole responsibility was to manage the retail stores, then I agree that she has made a few missteps. However, given her experience and success as CEO of Burberry, I have a strong feeling that she was relied on heavily for everything related to the Apple Watch launch - from pricing to marketing to store setup to choosing the locations of the exclusive stores (and possibly involved in the related negotiations). All that for what might be Apple's most important product in close to a decade is a lot to take on for a new hire. Until we know everything she had a hand in I'm not going to pass judgement. She is certainly no John Browett.
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chinacat
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Post by chinacat on Apr 18, 2015 9:19:29 GMT -8
Small note about Apple Pay targeting Canada:
The country is a prime market for Apple Pay, Yeager said. "Canada is about 10% the size of the U.S., and the market is more consolidated so all those banks have been able to collaborate more closely ... with all the stakeholders to push innovations forward," Yeager said. "Whereas it's a much more fragmented market in the U.S."
This close-quarters contributed to Canada ranking No. 2 on MasterCard's 2012 Mobile Payments Readiness Index, which surveyed the receptivity of 34 countries for mobile payments. Canada was second only to Singapore on the list, with Canada performing well in the category of "mobile commerce clusters," which is a measure of the partnerships between financial services organizations, telecommunications companies and governments, and their ability to work together to develop mobile payment solutions.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 10:04:48 GMT -8
I've been stuck behind a paywall at WSJ before but this time it worked.
The comments are more interesting than the article. Seriously, when the technology improves and Apple's Watch becomes less about changing clock faces and more about health, smart notifications and yes, becomes independent of the iPhone, that's when the diehard watch enthusiasts will be forced to make a choice between jewelry and something indispensable on the wrist.
So many people have so little imagination on where the Watch is going. I suppose one can wear something on each wrist, but that strikes me as wishful thinking by the Swiss.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 10:17:30 GMT -8
Anyone expecting their Watch to arrive by next Friday? Apple is still giving me a window between April 24th - May 8th.
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Post by Red Shirted Ensign on Apr 18, 2015 10:22:36 GMT -8
I've been stuck behind a paywall at WSJ before but this time it worked. The comments are more interesting than the article. Seriously, when the technology improves and Apple's Watch becomes less about changing clock faces and more about health, smart notifications and yes, becomes independent of the iPhone, that's when the diehard watch enthusiasts will be forced to make a choice between jewelry and something indispensable on the wrist. So many people have so little imagination on where the Watch is going. I suppose one can wear something on each wrist, but that strikes me as wishful thinking by the Swiss. I've never had a problem with that. Really Mercel..get with the style...
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chinacat
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Post by chinacat on Apr 18, 2015 15:02:16 GMT -8
Small note about Apple Pay targeting Canada: The country is a prime market for Apple Pay, Yeager said. "Canada is about 10% the size of the U.S., and the market is more consolidated so all those banks have been able to collaborate more closely ... with all the stakeholders to push innovations forward," Yeager said. "Whereas it's a much more fragmented market in the U.S." This close-quarters contributed to Canada ranking No. 2 on MasterCard's 2012 Mobile Payments Readiness Index, which surveyed the receptivity of 34 countries for mobile payments. Canada was second only to Singapore on the list, with Canada performing well in the category of "mobile commerce clusters," which is a measure of the partnerships between financial services organizations, telecommunications companies and governments, and their ability to work together to develop mobile payment solutions. Oh well, according to today's PED story (based on a WSJ report), the big six Canadians banks find the terms "onerous."
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Post by macwire on Apr 18, 2015 16:14:42 GMT -8
Not to beat a dead horse and yes, Red wrote an eloquent piece but I still call the bullshit on Angie. Whatever happened to being judged on what you do the first 90 days? Or your first launch? I'm not suggesting there shouldn't have been any hiccups but this was disappointing. Maybe I'm solo here but so be it. The lady needs to make this right....I don't know how but she needs to somehow not just "right the ship" but speed it up IMHO to redeem herself. You don't get a freebie at her level. I'll have another cup of coffee, thanks. By the way - spoiler alert - Apple does employ folks that screw up now and then so let's make sure we can figure out early on who they are and who they are not. In store purchases not expected now until June: appleinsider.com/articles/15/04/17/jony-ive-and-marc-newson-reveal-special-apple-watch-sport-band-colors-at-milan-gala9 TO 5 Mac amongst several others reporting custom bands coming out - revealed at the Milan show - I NEED the slate blue one: 9to5mac.com/2015/04/17/milan-event-new-bands/With you 1000 percent. She got paid 90 million dollars last year. Ridic lol. I'm not saying she can't be a success but c'mon this launch BLEW.
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Post by Red Shirted Ensign on Apr 18, 2015 16:26:28 GMT -8
I'm still trying to understand how the launch could have been done better. It isn't even launch day yet.....
Other than Mercel's suggestion that Apple wait until it had built enough watches, bands and infrastructure to be sure hundreds of people could all be accommodated in the stores on launch day..in other words, September ( or later because nobody knows what would be popular), what would you have Apple do?
I'm fine with the rollout. The marketing is brilliant. The demand for bands..bands! ...is off the charts. I just don't know how Apple could or should have handled this one to satisfy.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 16:57:01 GMT -8
I'm still trying to understand how the launch could have been done better. It isn't even launch day yet..... Other than Mercel's suggestion that Apple wait until it had built enough watches, bands and infrastructure to be sure hundreds of people could all be accommodated in the stores on launch day..in other words, September ( or later because nobody knows what would be popular), what would you have Apple do? I'm fine with the rollout. The marketing is brilliant. The demand for bands..bands! ...is off the charts. I just don't know how Apple could or should have handled this one to satisfy. I have to agree. Combine the time involved to choose from all the options and limited supply, I think lines on launch day would have been a disaster. All things considered, I think Apple's retail strategy is the correct one. As people become more familiar living with the Watch after a year or two, Watch Gen 2 will allow a return of the line queue.
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bud777
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Post by bud777 on Apr 18, 2015 16:57:53 GMT -8
A bit of sleuthing by Apple is beginning to unravel the mystery of the unusual short supply at pre-order. It appears that Apple has been the victim of a highly sophisticated campaign to buy all available watches. The perpetrators of this attempt to corner the market were successful in buying fully 1/3 of the available watches. Apple has been perplexed because, while the watches were purchased though a very sophisticated series of IP addresses, they have been traced back to ONE person! And to date, there is no indication that there is any intention to resell the watches. Apparently the buyer intends to place all the watches into one large swimming pool and then dive in daily. Apple has asked members of the board to assist in locating the buyer. They have only been able to identify a first initial "P" and believe that the last name may be associated with some large mammal.
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Post by phoebear611 on Apr 18, 2015 17:17:42 GMT -8
To be clear - the part that I REALLY found screwed up on the launch is to have zero availability on "the day of the launch at the stores on the 24th". I don't care what any of you say ...that's just f**ked up! THAT was NOT planned that way - that was NOT a brilliant stroke - that was simply an OH SHIT moment! That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. As for the wait on the watches - sure it could have been a bit shorter but it's not horrible...I'm down with that. It's the former that has me in a tizzy. The whole trying on strategy is all very cool and well thought out .... product placement yes, well done. Were there errors - HELL YES. I was very clear on what I found in my local Apple store on day one which is a very, very, very busy Apple store. Sales personnel were not all well prepared. FULL STOP. Many were .... but many were not. That just is not Apple's style. Steve would have had an aneurysm. For the love of Pete - I live in NEW YORK - not in a hick town. How could I not have qualified personnel here?! (Although it shouldn't matter to Apple where I live, right?) When all was said and done I still bought 5 - a mix of sport and stainless ones but boy oh boy - would love to be drinking a cup of coffee and be sitting across from TC one day!....Coffee gives me ZERO filter.
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Post by phoebear611 on Apr 18, 2015 17:46:30 GMT -8
On a lighter note - with respect to Pay - It really is quite amazing. Yesterday morning I woke up and found an email from AMEX informing me that they thought I had fraudulent activity on my card over night. I looked at the two purchases and one was a purchase on Alitalia Airlines and the other on Aegean Airlines - alas, neither made by me. I called them immediately and told them that indeed it was fraud and they cancelled the card immediately. They told me they would Fedex me a new card and that I would have it the next day (today) and said not to worry about my Pay account. Just as they said that my Amex number magically changed on my Passport App on iPhone. The woman at Amex wouldn't give me the number on the phone but said the number on my Pay account was valid and could be used as a courtesy to me. It was weird that Amex and Apple had it (my new Amex card number)- but I did not. In the meantime....all I could think of was the thief who was probably somewhere on the Amalfi Coast enjoying themselves with tickets purchased with my Amex....and dare I say that for a brief moment I was jealous!?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 18:39:47 GMT -8
Phoebes, I think it would have been a lose-lose proposition. Too little inventory would have incited anger by those turned away having made the effort to queue. Sufficient inventory would have produced line-hell, interminable wait times for those ahead of them, in-store paralysis by all the choices.
I agree that Apple staff were not well informed. Hell, that's true today, as I appealed to one staffer to configure stock price notifications. I can't get it to work and the Apple employee had no clue.
I won't repeat the developer's name, but to the guy who claimed the OLED screen wasn't of sufficient resolution: You're full of shite. The only screen that appears unsharp is the bold text for customizing the watch face. The same guy was bitching about the 42m size being too small. Those desiring a Panerai behemoth on the wrist aren't Apple's target market. That market is rounding error.
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Post by Red Shirted Ensign on Apr 18, 2015 18:41:37 GMT -8
To be clear - the part that I REALLY found screwed up on the launch is to have zero availability on "the day of the launch at the stores on the 24th". I don't care what any of you say ...that's just f**ked up! THAT was NOT planned that way - that was NOT a brilliant stroke - that was simply an OH SHIT moment! That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. As for the wait on the watches - sure it could have been a bit shorter but it's not horrible...I'm down with that. It's the former that has me in a tizzy. The whole trying on strategy is all very cool and well thought out .... product placement yes, well done. Were there errors - HELL YES. I was very clear on what I found in my local Apple store on day one which is a very, very, very busy Apple store. Sales personnel were not all well prepared. FULL STOP. Many were .... but many were not. That just is not Apple's style. Steve would have had an aneurysm. For the love of Pete - I live in NEW YORK - not in a hick town. How could I not have qualified personnel here?! (Although it shouldn't matter to Apple where I live, right?) When all was said and done I still bought 5 - a mix of sport and stainless ones but boy oh boy - would love to be drinking a cup of coffee and be sitting across from TC one day!....Coffee gives me ZERO filter. So, just noodling here....let's say that at every Apple Store on launch day there were 300 watches and 1000 straps. Better than the current situation, or worse? I think worse.
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Post by phoebear611 on Apr 18, 2015 18:55:27 GMT -8
So Red - you are saying they misjudged their market?
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Post by Red Shirted Ensign on Apr 18, 2015 19:57:28 GMT -8
No....to my post from Thursday. This is not like selling phones or pads. Too many options..."try on time".
Let's say you had 1000 watches in the store on launch day. How many people could have a decent experience that day? How many could sit down, try on four or five bands, two watch sizes...a couple of styles? In a day.....300? 400?
While this is going on the other 500 are standing outside wondering what the heck is going on....and getting mad.
I don't think Apple ever wanted lines on April 24. I'm not sure they ever planned to allow walk-ins on April 24.
They may have misjudged the size of the market, but not what kind of experience they want people to have. Suppose a person waits in line eight hours after the store opened....then gets in for his/her try-on or order.....and only the wrong size, color, band is available. Not good. Better to do THIS rollout different.
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JDSoCal
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Aspiring oligarch
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Post by JDSoCal on Apr 18, 2015 20:52:35 GMT -8
To be clear - the part that I REALLY found screwed up on the launch is to have zero availability on "the day of the launch at the stores on the 24th". I don't care what any of you say ...that's just f**ked up! THAT was NOT planned that way - that was NOT a brilliant stroke - that was simply an OH SHIT moment! That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. As for the wait on the watches - sure it could have been a bit shorter but it's not horrible...I'm down with that. It's the former that has me in a tizzy. The whole trying on strategy is all very cool and well thought out .... product placement yes, well done. Were there errors - HELL YES. I was very clear on what I found in my local Apple store on day one which is a very, very, very busy Apple store. Sales personnel were not all well prepared. FULL STOP. Many were .... but many were not. That just is not Apple's style. Steve would have had an aneurysm. For the love of Pete - I live in NEW YORK - not in a hick town. How could I not have qualified personnel here?! (Although it shouldn't matter to Apple where I live, right?) When all was said and done I still bought 5 - a mix of sport and stainless ones but boy oh boy - would love to be drinking a cup of coffee and be sitting across from TC one day!....Coffee gives me ZERO filter. I'll ask again: Have you made your feelings on this subject known to Apple?
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Post by Luckychoices on Apr 18, 2015 21:47:07 GMT -8
Great link, Red. Considering the building of 1,000,000 origami lobsters (with different finishes) lays out the Apple Watch build scenario very nicely. And, IMO, these two sections of his writeup puts Carl Howe in the "Big Brain" category of technology analysts. ============ I assume that Apple plans to keep these risks to a minimum by eliminating as many unknowns in the manufacturing and production process as possible. Specifically I believe that Apple’s strategy is to: 1. Optimize Watch manufacturing around two core modules. Despite offering 38 different models of Apple Watch, Apple only really needs to make two sizes of the electronics module: 38mm and 42mm. Because these parts are used in all the models of Apple Watches made, Apple can make millions of both of these sizes knowing they’ll be used no matter which products consumers order. 2. Customize Watch products at the last opportunity. Building huge inventories of all the models of watches and waiting for consumers to order them risks warehousing large quantities of unsold merchandise. That wastes capital. Instead, I believe Apple will build a smaller number of watches of each type for store and demo use and then do build-to-order final assembly of the actual cases and bands ordered. 3. Use automated and well-understood production plans. Apple has a great deal of experience with high-volume new product manufacturing and launches. This includes the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch in the fall of 2014 where the company sold and delivered more than 10 million units in the first weekend. I believe that Apple will use largely the same production lines and processes for the Apple Watch to avoid having to build these high-volume, high quality processes from scratch. 4. Build margin value through design. While Apple uses premium materials for the Apple Watch, I believe that the costs of those materials are small compared with the price of even the least expensive Apple Sport Watch. By designing cases and bands that command prices aligned with jewelry instead of electronics, Apple has positioned its smartwatch products to earn exceptionally high margins compared to its smartphone and computer lines of business. ============= The data: scarce and governed by new rulesThe launch of Apple Watch differs from prior launches of iPhones and iPads. Previously, the period between when consumers were allowed to pre-order products and when they would be shipped to them was only one week. With Apple Watch, Apple has left two weeks between the first date of preordering, April 10 and when orders will start shipping, April 24. Further, Apple has not guaranteed deliveries of any products on the first day of availability, April 24. Instead, it has provided all early buyers to expect delivery between April 24 and May 8. I believe this difference is important because it allows Apple to do something it hasn’t done before: Apple can use data from the early sample of pre-orders to guide final assembly and manufacturing of the bulk of products to be shipped.
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