Last week good friend and colleague here at DisruptiveViews, Tony Poulos, penned a piece on his dissatisfaction with Apple. As the person who proudly showed me the first iPhone (when I though nothing would knock Nokia off the number one spot) and who showed me in a restaurant how brilliant the first iPad was (although he actually left the iPad in the restaurant after the meal!), I was surprised to read the extent of his dissatisfaction.
I can only assume Tony has never tried the Apple Watch. I’ve already written about my initial experiences and can only add that it continues to grow on me. It’s not a perfect device but the already announced roadmap, with watchOS 2 coming later this year, addresses many of the shortcomings.
I can understand Tony’s frustration with not being able to buy a MacBook, however I recently bought a new MacBook Pro, having waited for the Broadwell processor upgrade and no delays there.
Apple does need to work on its supply chain but however hard they try to meet initial demand, they can never predict just what that demand will be. Consumers faced similar issues with the launch of the Apple Watch with some orders being received on the launch day and others weeks afterwards. Supply constraints here appear to have improved with the Watch now available in store.
However it’s unfair to look at Apple solely from a supply perspective. The service, especially the Genius Bar, is superb and the build quality of Apple products leaves competitors far behind. I still have ‘fond’ memories of my Dell laptop with the bendy keyboard and a cursor that had a mind of its own. Or the Dell desktop that Dell insisted I to return so they could slide a replacement DVD drive into the the bay – they did eventually relent and agree I could it myself. My current business Toshiba Ultrabook that cost about the same as a MacBook Air is a fine example of flimsy plastic engineering that needs a piece of Sugru stuck to the bottom to keep it level and an excellent personal memory to remember where the keys are as the paint on the key caps has worn off! As an aside I can highly recommend Sugru for many tasks including fixing gadgets.
I’m sure Tony’s MacBook will turn up soon and his faith in Apple will be restored. Having examined all three models, silver, space grey and gold; the choice of colours is superb. Why should laptops only come in a choice of one colour? The world has moved on from Henry Ford and his Model T!
You can follow Jonathan on Twitter @sevendotzero
My dear JJ, please ket me clarify a few points. I am not dissatisfied with Apple products, it is the company’s supply of products I have issue with and the bizarre method of distribution it seems to have taken on. And, yes, I have tried an Apple Watch but got bored and a little frustrated after just 15 minutes.
As it happens, after my fourth failed attempt to purchase said Macbook at Apple’s premier UK outlet in London’s Regent Street, and being told that even they only get ‘one or two’ on occasion to sell and I had missed out yesterday’s delivery, I stumbled into a Curry’s PC world and was rewarded by the only one they had seen in a week! I thought all my Christmases had come even though I had to accept the higher spec model I did not need.
You can image my shock after dropping into Dixon’s at Gatwick Airport on the way home to find they had ‘plenty’ of stock!
Where is the logic?
I’m pleased to hear you have tried the Watch; I was concerned your view was based based purely on hearsay as opposed to hard facts! I was impressed after five minutes and it gets better with time (no pun intended).
The fact that Apple is short of stock whereas DSG has lots is perhaps a reflection on the fact that Apple is a more popular retail destination and a much better shopping experience.
Anyway, I trust you’re happy with your MacBook. Did you get it in gold?
I think you might be on the wrong track. I don’t think it’s “supply chain management”, but rather “demand chain management” that is the question here.
How are Apple going to keep the illusion of scarcity up if they don’t make them hard to get? Scarcity is good for Apple: it justifies the price and makes you want it even more.
The whole scarcity question is an interesting one. I’m not convinced about that argument as it just frustrates customers – Tony with his MacBook, me waiting for my Watch. Demand for some products is so throttled that it must be demand swamping supply, e.g. when Apple Watch orders opened, delivery dates moved out within about a minute. Producing sufficient stock in the pre-launch window is always going to be challenging for high demand products, especially when they incorporate new technology components in limited supply.