Slow sales????

[Premium1]

Selling out in a few hours Ir a few days- either one is an amazing feat. Only Apple, with it's great success of late, can it be considered a failure if a new device takes a few days to sell out! We are at the point where tech sites and blogs are looking for something, howevers small, to show Apple's demise. This ain't it.

If the 4S went on sale a few months ago, the sales would have bee even higher. Now, many are waiting to purchase since it is so close to Christmas. Add to that the two extra carriers (US), the delay in the sale date with the unlocked models, and you can see why it took a longer to sell out of the initial batch.

And let's not forget the most obvious thing: the iPhone 4 is still an AMAZING phone and is now only $100 bicks a lot of people hanging on to them, but a lot of people (especially Sprint customers) likely purchased a 4.

3gs is still a big seller on at&t also. Isn't sprint the only new US carrier that it is on?

 

[Jellotime91]

I recall with past launches, if you didnt preorder your iphone a few hours after launch, your delivery was pushed back a few weeks.

I also recall hearing how Apple had an issue with suppliers, and with the slow economy, they were going to have smaller quantities available.

Because of this, I got up early this morning and placed my order.

Well, now, at 6pm est. (15 hours past launch), I just checked the Apple site. All models from all carriers, will still deliver by the 14th

As a stock holder, I am always looking for little clues. I wonder if this means anything? Has the demand slowed? Did Apple beef up the supply? Was Apple playing games with supply and demand on the past launches?

thoughts?

Everyone I've spoken to from carrier level to Apple Store employees have told me that there will be a MUCH greater supply of devices this year.

Because the manufacturing process is already perfected for this form factor, they won't have as hard a time meeting the demands for the 4S launch as they did when the 4 launched. I asked my local Apple Store what it would be like to wait there on launch day, and the store employees told me it would be a waste of time because they will have more stock immediately following launch day, and I won't have to wait long.

Apparently the supply is much greater this year.

 

[traylorc]

what because you don't like what I say? It's also hilarious to watch you try and put words in my mouth. what exactly am i backpedaling on? I still stick with what I said maybe you just can't read or comprehend that is what it seems to me anyway. Anyway enough thread jacking have fun though=)

Maybe when Apple launches the iphone 5 you can come back and tell us how demand won't come close to the 4s.

 

[Premium1]

Maybe when Apple launches the iphone 5 you can come back and tell us how demand won't come close to the 4s.

You must not read much on the internet the demand for the i5 will be ridiculous since most likely it will have lte and a redesign.

 

[davjaxn]

Everyone I've spoken to from carrier level to Apple Store employees have told me that there will be a MUCH greater supply of devices this year.

Because the manufacturing process is already perfected for this form factor, they won't have as hard a time meeting the demands for the 4S launch as they did when the 4 launched. I asked my local Apple Store what it would be like to wait there on launch day, and the store employees told me it would be a waste of time because they will have more stock immediately following launch day, and I won't have to wait long.

Apparently the supply is much greater this year.

Although I have one on pre order for my wife, this OS great news. I remember weeks and weeks after the launch of the iPhone 4 you still couldn't walk into an Apple Store and simply buy one. Hopefully that will be a thing of the past with the 4S. Let's hope the same can be said for the inevitable iPad 3 launch!

 

[Hot94Z28]

They said 1,000,000 pre ordered just think if they did have LTE and a redesign how many they would sell?


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[Jeremy]

Not sure what all the rumbling is for, the 4S sold the most in the first 24 hours. Like mentioned already, Apple has beefed up the supply and the device is and will continue to be the best selling iPhone to date.

 

[Timhewitt]

The sales numbers wouldn't be any different. No one in the real world knows what LTE is, and the design is just fine.

 

[davjaxn]

3gs is still a big seller on at&t also. Isn't sprint the only new US carrier that it is on?

That's totally true- the 3GS still sells well and now that it is "free", I can only assume that would take away from some 4S sales.

Sprint is the only new carrier on this iPhone launch but back when iPhone 4 was launched the only carrier was AT&T. Verizon didn't get the iPhone until months later. So this is the first iPhone launch with more than one (three!) carrier to choose from.

I guess it doesn't matter though because according to this mornings Apple press release, more the iPhone 4S pre sales outdid the 4 pre sales. Very impressive. I am very cirious as to how many 3GS and iPhone 4's ($99) were sold during the same period of time. I'll bet it was a lot as well.

 

[davjaxn]

Not sure what all the rumbling is for, the 4S sold the most in the first 24 hours. Like mentioned already, Apple has beefed up the supply and the device is and will continue to be the best selling iPhone to date.

I agree. But I think people equate a big "sold out" sign with succsess. But in reality the fact that Apple, as well as the carriers, had not sold out in a matter of hours is a huge success. They still sold more than ever, but still have some available for those who want them. That is great news considering how difficult it was to acquire an iPhone 4 last year. Only Apple could be criticized for selling "only" 200,000 of something in a matter of hours!

 

[BryanTheRed]

The sales numbers wouldn't be any different. No one in the real world knows what LTE is, and the design is just fine.

I don't agree. LTE will be marketed to the general public just fine, all that has to be said is it's faster! A redesign would have brought all those current customers who are holding on to their iPhone 4's this go around. A redesign and LTE would have certainly brought more customers!

 

[Fausty82]

That's totally true- the 3GS still sells well and now that it is "free", I can only assume that would take away from some 4S sales.

Sprint is the only new carrier on this iPhone launch but back when iPhone 4 was launched the only carrier was AT&T. Verizon didn't get the iPhone until months later. So this is the first iPhone launch with more than one (three!) carrier to choose from.

I guess it doesn't matter though because according to this mornings Apple press release, more the iPhone 4S pre sales outdid the 4 pre sales. Very impressive. I am very cirious as to how many 3GS and iPhone 4's ($99) were sold during the same period of time. I'll bet it was a lot as well.

IMHO, the free 3GS will not take anything away from the 4S sales. They are two different market sectors completely. The 3GS will be for those without the ability and/or the desire to purchase a new top of the line phone, but want the iPhone/iOS experience. The iPhone 4S, on the other hand, will sell well to those who want the latest and greatest with all the bells and whistles.

There's nothing wrong with either category, but the 3GS will definitely NOT cut into the 4S sales figures.

 

[pilsbury]

IMHO, the free 3GS will not take anything away from the 4S sales. They are two different market sectors completely. The 3GS will be for those without the ability and/or the desire to purchase a new top of the line phone, but want the iPhone/iOS experience. The iPhone 4S, on the other hand, will sell well to those who want the latest and greatest with all the bells and whistles.

There's nothing wrong with either category, but the 3GS will definitely NOT cut into the 4S sales figures.

I agree. A good move by Apple and the carriers making a free iPhone available to the masses. Theyre not chasing the phone money, they're after the two year contract.

 

[DrewBear]

They said 1,000,000 pre ordered just think if they did have LTE and a redesign how many they would sell?

LTE is moot. Apple does not want to make battery life compromises to push a technology that is accessible to a small fraction of the population.

If you entered the iPhone 4 into a design competition vs all other smartphones, it would still win. The rumored Nexus Prime certainly has an interesting profile, but what percentage of the population will really want to be hauling around a phone with a 4.65" display? Even the 4.3-4.5" SGS2s feel plasticky compared to the iPhone 4. And we'll have to see how that curved display holds up in real life. Previous attempts had screens slightly popping out of the phone chassis.

Apple is selling every iPhone 4S they can make. If the phone had been redesigned, the production ramp would have been more complicated and they would probably have made even fewer phones. For Apple, make less = sell less.

 

[DrewBear]

Everyone I've spoken to from carrier level to Apple Store employees have told me that there will be a MUCH greater supply of devices this year.

Because the manufacturing process is already perfected for this form factor, they won't have as hard a time meeting the demands for the 4S launch as they did when the 4 launched. I asked my local Apple Store what it would be like to wait there on launch day, and the store employees told me it would be a waste of time because they will have more stock immediately following launch day, and I won't have to wait long.

Apparently the supply is much greater this year.

I agree the supply of new iPhones is much greater this year, but it still will not be enough to meet demand for some time. Apple did not meet iPhone 4 demand for nearly 6 months. We really do not know what the demand level is for the 4S.

Remember that they are managing a worldwide roll out of the 4S. 7 countries this week and 22 more by the end of the month. They would sell every phone even if they could make 15 million by the end of this month...and still not meet demand.

Supply is much greater this year, but so is the demand.

 

[Jeremy]

Only Apple could be criticized for selling "only" 200,000 of something in a matter of hours!

That number was AT&T only if I am not mistaken.