Apple's iPad 2 Sells Out, Again

[Guest]

"The year of iPad 2" -- Steve Jobs.

Apple's iPad 2 Sells Out, Again : Read more

 

[azconnie]

Why?

 

[lucky015]

Have to wonder if apple hold back supply and even entire models (iPhone White) just to try and increase the buzz around their products and make demand appear higher.

 

[zerapio]

He described the waiting lines in New York City and San Francisco a "spectacle",

Yes, a sad spectacle...

 

[applegetsmelaid]

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.” - Albert Einstein

Preach it brother.

 

[Guest]

The "Buzz" is the biggest factor Apple has been able to bring to bear on the tablet market. Somehow, Apple has been able to get most media outlets to report anything "Iphone or Ipad as
"News" instead of as tech trivia. Kudos to Mr. Jobs. He has most of the media outlets advertising for him. Shear Genius!!

 

[znegval]

I wonder how much more extremely successful products Apple has to create for the "people buy Apple products because they are stupid" crowd to finally accept that their oh-so-superior intelligence might have gotten it wrong? Maybe they make good products that people actually WANT to use. Just because you don't like their exorbitant prices and business model doesn't mean you are right and everyone who disagrees is wrong.

And yeah I'm exclusively a PC user but I'm not a fucking fanboy like many article commenters.

 

[znegval]

Sorry about the double post but did they take away the edit button from the forums? Bad grammar is kind of embarrassing.

 

[mdillenbeck]

znegval -

The direction the corporate world has taken: ditching "liabilities" like manufacturing plants and shifting into "branding". There are industrial psychologists who study brand imaging and how to get consumers to increase their brand loyaltly.

This is not to say that for many people that the iPad is not a good choice. However, there are people upset at what constitutes "news" for the Apple products. I don't recall seeing many years ago any articles on the power of a tablet PC using Corel Painter or ArtRage, yet when someone uses a dumbed-down app to fingerpaint on an Apple product is is headlines. Why?

Well, we know. People are obsessed with Apple. Tom's staffers have admitted that the Apple articles drive clicks, and clicks mean more ads served and greater revenue. As they have said, it is not a minor difference either. I believe it was at least an order of magnitude greater.

I have seen many good products drown out because of iMania. For example, do you think having an eReader with a plastic screen that wouldn't shatter would have a good use in the market? Say, perhaps as a substitute for heavy books used used in an academic environment (k-12 or college)? PlasticLogic had such a device, but under the media mania of the iPad they withdrew it. Now we do not have an eReader with a plastic display that was flexible, a device that you could step on and still have it function - whereas most devices if you stomp a boot on it will have a busted screen.

Branding alone does not drive all products, but there are many products that succeed by branding. Again, another example: The Coca-cola paradox. When doing a blind test, people often picked Pepsi as the better of the two products. However, when the brand was shown then people chose Coca-cola. Why would people in a blind test say they liked Pepsi, but in a non-blind test say they like Coke? Branding, brand loyalty, and the way it makes them feel.

You cannot tell me that there is not an "image" that Apple pushes for its products. Old, nerdy, and somewhat incompetent suit versus a sassy, young, and edgy hipster sound familiar? "It just works" is another aspect of their brand, even though there are those who show their products still have warts.

Yes, people want to use it - but do they want to use it because they looked at product capabilities for the cost and said it was good, or do they want it to fulfill some psychological or social need brought about by a marketing department? For some, the former is true - for others, the latter. It is the latter we concern ourselves with.

 

[jmchien]

What apple is doing (if indeed they are doing) is not much different than the marketing ("buzz") of black friday. People are willing to go extreme measures to get products they want or think they want.
I can't say how apple is handling their supply, but as a manufacturing engineer, a product like this does take time to manufacture (milling the case is probably the bottleneck). I think apple should have postponed the launch date, but probably gave in to competition (Xoom, etc).
Also, I thought I read that they're only selling to US citizens/residents ... I'm pretty sure a lot of those waiting in line are only buying to sell overseas...

 

[maddad]

[/qYes, people want to use it - but do they want to use it because they looked at product capabilities for the cost and said it was good, or do they want it to fulfill some psychological or social need brought about by a marketing department? For some, the former is true - for others, the latter. It is the latter we concern ourselves with.
quote]

But the same can be said for Windows, Google, Facebook and a host of other brands. The only brand people want to bash on Toms seems to be Apple. Like another poster said; I don't personally own a single Apple product, but I don't feel the need to bash Apple or their users. As I have posted before Apple comes out with a new product; and then all the PC brands (HP, Dell,etc...) and Phone makers (RIM, Motorola) Play catchup. The have Ipad beaters and Iphone beaters. Why didn't they market their product first if it was so good. Or do they just wait to see what Apples' ideas are and then try to copy the idea.

 

[jmchien]

[citation][nom]MDillenbeck[/nom]znegval - I believe it was at least an order of magnitude greater.I have seen many good products drown out because of iMania. For example, do you think having an eReader with a plastic screen that wouldn't shatter would have a good use in the market? [/citation]

MDillenbeck - agree with you in a lot of areas, but not quite on plastic vs. glass screen. I believe one of the main reasons glass is used is because of higher precision (touch) for capacitive screens (in apple's case parasitic capacitance).

 

[Nexus52085]

[citation][nom]nebun[/nom]are you that stupid....i am sure that apple would like to sell as many products as they can manufacture....it's not about the buzz, it's abut supply and demand...again, you are so stupid[/citation]
Buzz is part of what creates demand, stupid. If Apple holds back supply, the media says "Apple sells out!" and people buy it because if "that many" people buy the product, it must be good regardless of what the numbers sold are. People hear "sold out" in the media and it creates buzz.

 

[eddieroolz]

Of course it sells out, better to create a huge line of people that wants it by artificially holding back supply.

 

[mobutu05]

[citation][nom]applegetsmelaid[/nom]“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe.” - Albert EinsteinPreach it brother.[/citation]

You're the proof...

 

[Griffolion]

This doesn't surprise me. Considering Apple's brand image and the level of brand loyalty they are able to generate, it wouldn't surprise me that the next batch and the next batch after that sell out quickly too, it's just the way they've done things.

I have a Xoom on pre-order and can't wait for it .

 

[Guest]

I love the haters, because they wouldn't buy it, it is stupid. Because it doens't have certain specs, it is stupid. It continues to sell because it has a large demographic (ages 2 to 200) and doesn't take a rocket scientist or manual to use it. Since most computer users are content consumers, it is the perfect device. I can't wait to get my mom and Aunt one!

 

[chronicbint]

iPad is still the daddy.

 

[christopherknapp]

I only had to wait about an hour in line at Best Buy, and I received mine on March 11. I feel sorry for the folks that have to wait, this is a wonderful tablet.

My cousin was the girl who sold her spot in line for $900, she didn't want the tablet at all, she was doing it to make money. Good for her I say. Sad for the buyer.

As far as the bashers are concerned, get a life. The iPad 1 is leaps ahead of most tablets out there, not to mention significantly cheaper as well. Now with the iPad 2, Apple has taken a giant leap foward. The Xoom, which isn't even on the shelf yet, is inferior in nearly every fashion. I find that most amusing. Oh well, to each their own.

 

[bloodlover]

Is the general public still thinking: "OMG it shines!!! I must have it!!!" ?