“First week sales of Apple’s new shockingly thin iPod nano have fallen short of expectations, with most Apple retail stores having sold only one-fourth of their initial inventory of the players, AppleInsider has learned. A couple of Apple retail stores in California, which last week received over 1400 iPod nanos, said they sold only a couple of hundred units by Saturday. This despite favorable reviews from both analysts and the media,” AppleInsider reports.
Black iPod nano units “‘are outselling the white ones by a great deal,’ Shaw Wu, an analyst for American Technology Research, wrote in a research note released to clients on Tuesday. ‘5 to 1 and in some cases as high as 8 to 1.’ Coincidentally, these sales ratios completely contrast Apple’s initial production ratios of the nano, which reports suggest were 1 black nano for every 5 to 8 white nanos,” AppleInsider reports.
Full article here.
“Mr. Wu wrote, cautioning ‘iPod nano has only started shipping since Sept. 7, and thus it may be difficult to draw a trend with only six days of data,'” The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
Full article here.
[UPDATED 12:56pm ET: Added quote from Wu via Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.]
Advertisement: Apple iPod nano. 1,000 songs. Impossibly small. From $199. Free shipping.
As Apple Store affiliates, MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews, without revealing actual figures, can report that the iPod nano is, by far, the most successful product we’ve ever featured on our websites in terms of units sold based on five days of sales (9/8-9/12). Perhaps people were/are unsure of retail availability and are buying online during the first week? To us, reports based on less than a week of data seem a bit premature and specious to determine the extent of iPod nano’s success. Everything we see from iPod nano at this extremely early date screams “grand slam” to us.
We have no way of telling whether black or white iPod nano units are selling better via our websites, but anecdotal information we’ve heard from other sources, suggests that black is easily the most popular iPod nano color.
Related articles:
Apple’s new iPod nano units enter Apple-dominated Amazon’s top sellers list – September 13, 2005
Apple iPod nano takes a beating and keeps on beating – September 12, 2005
Apple’s iPod nano: The ‘thin lady’ sings unwelcome iTune to competitors – September 09, 2005
Hands on with Apple iPod nano – September 09, 2005
Mossberg: Apple iPod nano ‘beautiful, incredibly thin, and exceeds Apple’s performance specs’ – September 08, 2005
Over 1,000 accessories now available for Apple iPod – September 07, 2005
Apple’s iPod nano will make competitors whimper, Motorola’s ROKR inexplicably bland – September 07, 2005
Tech pundit Enderle: ‘iPod Nano is a hit,’ Motorola ROKR ‘simply doesn’t have enough Apple in it’ – September 07, 2005
Jupiter analyst Gartenberg: ‘the market is going to go for Apple iPod nano in a big way’ – September 07, 2005
Analyst: iPod nano ‘could be Apple’s next home run’ – September 07, 2005
Video of Steve Jobs introducing iPod nano, ROKR iTunes phone now available online – September 07, 2005
Apple’s Steve Jobs predicts ultra-thin iPod nano ‘will become the highest volume iPod in the world’ – September 07, 2005
Apple introduces iPod nano – September 07, 2005
Apple’s iPod nano will make competitors whimper, Motorola’s ROKR inexplicably bland – September 07, 2005
Apple stomps competitors in flash-based MP3 player market – September 02, 2005
Analyst expects 3-6 million 4GB flash-based Apple iPod mini units to ship in second half 2005 – August 25, 2005
Apple to switch 4GB iPod mini from hard-drive to flash-based? – August 22, 2005
Apple’s iPod shuffle takes nearly 60 percent of US flash-player market in March – May 04, 2005
Not surprised. I spend practically a Nano worth of gas a month now. I need to wait. Still using my 2nd gen and my shuffle.
OMG — Apple’s going out of business … OMFG !!!
wow…first week numbers already. And a whole DAY BEFORE the first week sales are over!!!!
these analysts are amazing. Give it a while…not everyone watches Apple as closely as we do. Let the commercials sink in.
This “research note” is crap….typical for this Wu guy.
I visited 2 Apple stores and they were selling Nano’s like crazy. Instead of being impressed that Apple has so much supply already at the sales points (unlike the few hundred pieces it had for the shuffle and mini launches) he is already suggesting price discounts.
My advice to everyone…do your own research. These “analysts” are hacks, unlike the old days when they actually had access to real insight.
Once again they will surprised (disappointed) by record sales.
Maybe it’s because, despite the Nano’s amazing design, its price point targets it at Mac fanatics/early adopters, most of whom probably already have iPods.
I just bought a 20GB iPod three months ago. I’d love a Nano, but just can’t justify it.
1) I got mine at Apple Store in King of Prussia on Saturday. They had been getting hammered with people coming in for them.
2) They had a TON of white in both sizes and had already sold out of black 4 GB ones. So I bought a black 2 GB.
3) The report may be accurate as to the stores themselves–the store I went to was certainly overstocked with white players and it is not hard to imagine that people wanting 4 GB blacks either went home and ordered them online, or figured they pick them up next time.
It takes time for word to spread. What, they expected to exhaust their entire inventory in a week?
Hope they don’t end up with a bunch of unsold white ones …
I guess black is the new white…
I saw the same thing as GS.
And just what is “American Technology Research” anyway ? A home for Wall Street flunkies ?
The drop in capacity from the mini may turn a few people off – especially those that already own minis and don’t see the size difference as an adequate reason to become iPod adders, given the price. On the other hand, there may actually be a boost in final mini sales for the same reason – get more capacity while you still can.
btw, i would have called it the ‘micro’ and saved ‘nano’ for the next size drop. will the next one have to be called the iPod angstrom?
It’s the PRICE, stupid!
grrrilla, I heard the next size bump is going to be called the iTtiybitty
Hard to believe someone gets paid for writing this crap…
Had the store received less and sold out they’d say Apple was in trouble because they couldn’t meet demand.
Black is the new white but I’m fine with my 3g 30gb iPod. But, if they introduced an orange iPod nano my credit card would be out quickly.
I can’t believe the statement re: Apple’s production ratio of “1 black nano for every 5 to 8 white nanos.” People have been clamoring for black iPods ever since Apple made that backlit iPod ad (that made the white iPod appear black to many.) I think that this a lot of folks purchased the U2 iPod for this reason (and not for their love of U2 per se.) This is even more true since Apple adjusted the pricing (making the 20G iPod U2 only $20 more than the regular 20G iPod.)
There’s a difference between selling a whole lot and selling out. Obviously, Apple has learned from past mistakes and are also using different technology (flash vs hd) that can be manufactured more quickly. Therefore, they have plenty of stock.
Jeez, people complain when they run out of stock, and now people complain when they DON’T run out of stock. Get a clue.
Another possible reeason sales may be a little slow:
people donating for Katrina relief ??? I know I did and will need to wait a bit b4 buying one
Why is everyone so quick to dismiss the numbers?
Had the numbers reenforced that people what (A hot selling iPod) they would be “irrefutable”. I want the nano to sell well too, but I am realistic…
Apple hasn’t even gotten the word out. A few commercials sure, but given there was barely a whisper of this new product, we are working on just days of market knowledge.
Further, because of past shortages of iPods in the retail channels on introduction, there is little doubt consumers are ordering on-line.
Lastly (the hard truth) is that Apple missed on the capacity issue. I have a 4GB 1st Gen iPod mini. I don’t want to replace it with the same capactiy player. I was actually just about to purchased the 6GB mini as a replacement when the nano killed it off so now I am kinda backing off a purchase. I really want 6GB – it feels like a good size. 8GB or 10GB would be even better but I would probably pull the trigger at 6GB. The recent article about the nano asking user’s to pay a $50 premium for it’s size/battery life/color screen is acurate. I have no doubt I will choose a nano to replae my mini, but I won’t choose it until there is a larger capactiy available to force the upgrade.
MDN word: Nuclear
Analysts predictions of failure:
Original iPod
iPod mini
iPod shuffle
Analysts predictions of a hit:
iPod nano
(I’m scared too)
Apple are probably aiming to stay on the seeling curve that the mini had not create a totally new one.
remember that the nano simply replaces the mini – if sales are that same as the mini was previous to the announcement then all is well.
the black nano shows more fingerprints and smudges on its face than the white nano.
Apple should include a pair of cotton gloves (like the ones that Mike Bolt wears while handling the Stanley Cup) in the custom nano bag with every black nano.
Considering you couldn’t buy a nano from any of the typical consumer electronics outlets yet (as of last Friday, only the Apple Store had them in stock) and only the geeks were aware of its release before the commercials started running in primetime, the ‘analysts’ should withold judgement on sales figures until the end of the first month if they’re to be taken seriously.
Maybe Apple did overproduce the nano. This is a good thing. That means there won’t be a shortage this Christmas. Another reason is that Apple never seems to have enough product after an announcement and customers are waiting to see if the product will be in the store in 3-4 weeks.
Didi anyone read the “Take?”
The iPod nano is, by far, the most successful product we’ve ever featured on our websites in terms of units sold based on five days of sales (9/8-9/12).
It is too early to know. Wu and AppleInsider should be ashamed.
iPod nano sales slow?
Apples ‘slow sales’ are still more than the competitors combined
Funny, I’ve seen the polar opposite at the stores that I’ve visited. Both Apple Stores plus the Fry’s store I have been to were selling many more white than black nanos. The white were completely sold out at one store and the 4GB white ones were sold out at another. The black was plentiful in both 2GB & 4GB models at all 3 locations. However, the nanos in general were selling quite briskly at all the stores I visited regardless of what color was being purchased. I don’t think this anal-yst did enough research as usual…
I know 4 people who are either waiting till Christmas to get one or are saving up and will buy one within a month.
But, going on what these analysts are saying, the nano will be discontinued next week due to lack of interest!
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There’s a reason why the word ANAL is in analyst.
It’s a shame they dropped all the mini colors. I think the fact that the black is outselling the white means that people are getting tired of the same white look for all their Apple products, and black is the only alternative. I think the mini colors had a large share in the mini’s success. And no, nano tubes just aren’t the same.
This past Saturday morning the Short Hills NJ Apple store was sold out of the Black 4GB. 5 nanos were sold (including my Black 2GB) within 25 minutes of store opening. And there were alot of customers looking and asking questions.
P.S. the little nano shopping bag is very cool
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The San Francisco store was sold out of 4GB both colors this weekend.
Gotta love those analyst
i want colour.
i hate being limited to gay white.
AppleInsider hasn’t stopped slamming Apple (with stuff that, of course, may or may not be accurate at all) since Apple brought the lawsuits against the rumor sites. Seems pretty transparent to me that AppleInsider is looking to extract yet another ounce of revenge here.
When I was in the Apple Store, everyone wanted to see the display nano (they only had one available for display, presumably due to tight supply), but no one could buy them because the ones they had were all reserved by people who had called ahead. When I’ve been in any third-party iPod retailer this week, there weren’t even any nanos in stock yet. So AppleInsider is basing sales data on what, again?
Lets see – a few hundred per store and there are over a hundred Apple stores – then there is CompUSA others – That is easily 250,000 or more sold in the first week – Dam that is a huge failure. I would like to sell that many of anything in a year..
MW = “rate” at this rate Apple is sure to go out of business.
I don’t buy it – one bit. I have 2 people in my office (PC Based) who bought 2 each – one for themselves, and one for their kids. Granted – they did it online.
I must say – I am waiting though – for the next gen. Nano (it’s a capacity issue)
I want a 4 gig nano but both the Tokyo Apple Stores (I am on vacation) and the Orlando Apple Store have been sold out of 4 gig nanos. If anything, I think Apple underestimated the demand for the larger 4 gig players. The stores are full of tons of 2 gig players but I saw many people turned away that wanted a 4 gig. Price point a problem? I don’t think so. I think it’s capacity and Apple’s consistant underestimation of demand for the larger versions.
Wu is an idiot. Reporting sales ‘estimates’ based on a channel check of a half dozen stores is, at best, typical of the crap he routinely comes up with.
Frankly, I think this colour thing is just a money making poll from Steve. He wants to see whether he should migrate the new Macs to black instead of the current signature white. I’m betting that he wants to go black and wants to see if it will sell.
Black vs White
“…Mike Bolt, Stanley Cup…”
w00t!!! Game on!!!! (Capitals training camp opened yesterday!!
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I love the design of the nano. Unfortunately, capacit is too low for me. The nano would have to replace my 6GB mini.
A 6GB nano would get the wallet out, hesitantly. The 6GB mini is already filled to capacity with just my favorite songs.
At 8GB (or larger), the credit card would be out and I’d be running toward the counter.
The Nanos are going to sell like wildfire. Everyone I have talked to has said that they are going to buy one — during the holidays. This is not a big buying season right now… people are tapped with back-to-school expenses, Katrina relief, and general recovery from the spending of the summer. This is a holiday item.
HOWEVER — that being said, I think it was a BIG MISTAKE FOR APPLE TO DROP THE COLORS OF THE IPOD MINI!!!! All the girls I know SHRIEKED WITH DELIGHT when they saw the full range of colors that the iPod mini came in!
Now, the iPod looks like every other computer gadget out there: black or white.
APPLE DROPPED THE BALL when they decded to lose the colors. Big mistake.
I had every intention of buying a Nano this last weekend to replace my now dead 1st gen Mini, but I was disappointed when I saw them in person. Why ?
Every single unit on display at my local Apple store was covered in surface scratches after only two days of exposure to the real world environment.
In know that the demo units are manhandled far more badly than a personal unit, but the Minis on display for months at the same store looked relatively new by comparison.
Turned off by this apparent flaw in durability, I decided to buy a 6g Silver Mini instead while I still had the chance.
Others may be doing the same?
‘i want colour’
First of all, white is ALL colors visible at once. You have color!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> Black, on the other hand, is the total lack of color. Rainbow colored, however, would be gay.
I had a chance to ‘fondle’ a black nano this weekend and I didn’t like the way fingerprints showed up on it. I was originally leaning towards a black nano, now I’m not so sure…
BTW, the units on display in the Apple stores are not being subjected to a ‘real world environment’. They are handled and abused far worse and more often than the ‘owner’ would treat/handle it. Most people, when trying out something at a store, don’t care too much because it’s not theirs. Sad, but true. The nano is constructed of the same materials as my 3G iPod, so I would expect it to wear in a similar way.
The nano is gonna be the gift for Christmas. I have two iPods already and have to wait to then to save up enough “new toy points”.
Annecdotally, I will ask for a black one. I already have two white ones and the black looks tre cool.
Remember, the iPod Mini’s colored face is aluminum, while the iPod and iPod nano are glossy smooth plastic. Big difference in material hardness. My 3G iPod still looks pretty good- very few (and very minor) scratches on it after over 2 years. Then again, my CDs don’t have any fingerprints on them either. Take a look at the average teenager’s CDs and you will be amazed at what you see. It’s surprising they play at all!
Scott Rose…
Colorful armbands and tubes for your girls…
http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/accessories.html
New York store repeatedly sold out of all stock all week long, with new shipments coming in daily.
MDN: “As Apple Store affiliates, MacDailyNews and iPodDailyNews, without revealing actual figures, can report that the iPod nano is, by far, the most successful product we’ve ever featured on our websites in terms of units sold based on five days of sales”
????????? Is this total b.s. or what? What did you sell – 5 and you bought 3? MDN now thinks its a site to source for sales. Okay, MDN which are the worst Apple products you affiliated? Give us your top ten with real sales numbers.
——–
If sales from REAL sources is any example Steve may have misjudged things (or people are waiting until Christmas).
Or people like the old ipod mini.
Or ipod sales are peaking….
Its too early to buy, I’ll be waiting till about christmas to get one for my dad.
g$,
“First of all, white is ALL colors visible at once. You have color! grin Black, on the other hand, is the total lack of color. Rainbow colored, however, would be gay.”
Huh? I thought white was no color (or the color of objects that reflect nearly all light of all visible wavelengths) and black was all colors. I could be wrong.
Amazon’s top-selling MP3 players
Yeah, enough of that gay white. Gimme some hetero pink or lime green. Now I’m feeling macho.
Black looks better than the white. Where are the Pink???? Where is the Gold?? Put something out there that people want!! White???? why bother
Wu is basing his idiocy on the fact that Apple stores have inventory left. Could this mean that Apple actually made and delivered more than enough iPod nanos to meet demand. This is unlike Apple, but it is possible, since they discontinued the mini and it is probably simpler and quicker to make a nano.
MW: “run” as in run for your life, Apple is falling…
Time for a scratch-resistant gray. M/W says “blue” but it’s always wrong.
I just recently ordered my first iPod – the white, 4G model. Decided to have it engraved which is why I did not pick one up at a brick and mortar.
Does the sales data include online stores as well?
Sales should pick up as Christmas approaches.
Peace.
Soho store selling out (daily refresh)
Short Hills store selling out
WU ?…..Wu who?
As far as pigment is concerned, white is no colors and black is all. But when referring to light waves, white is all colors and black is none. Confusing, no?
Amazon isn’t even shipping them yet, so I wonder how long the delay will be.
All this Nano supply has me a bit confused — I was going to buy a Nano soon to avoid the holiday supply crunch, but now I might delay that purchase until the holiday season. I do hope they don’t sell out like last year!
The Mac Daily News Magic Word that I had to input is “Indeed” — as in, Indeed.
” I thought white was no color (or the color of objects that reflect nearly all light of all visible wavelengths) and black was all colors. I could be wrong.”
You are wrong. Shine white light through a prism and what do you get? Black is the absence of light hence no color.
Bought my 4GB Black nano online within one hour of the announcement. I got free engraving and free shipping. It already has the first scratch. I need a protective case, but no one has them available yet. I also want the lanyard headphones, preferably in black but they are not available yet either. Maybe some are waiting for these accessories?
Huh? I thought white was no color (or the color of objects that reflect nearly all light of all visible wavelengths) and black was all colors. I could be wrong.
—
uh.. this debate always comes up… look up in the sky at night.. that’s black.. no colour. look in the sun on a summer day.. that’s all colours.. bright white
what people get confused with.. is when you mix paint, if you put all colours together you get a sick dark brown/black colour..
i want colour.
i hate being limited to gay white.
—
and pastel is…manly?
There are two ways of thinking about color: light and pigment.
With light, all colors = white and no colors equals darkness (black).
With pigment, no color = white and the mixing of colors eventually goes toward nearly black.
“and pastel is…manly?”
Can gay not be manly? I know a few truck drivers who might take issue with that.
Now just think what would happen if (GASP) we were given a choice of GUI colors/themes. Everyone with eyeballs would choose white(or some color) on black instead of what we are forced to strain our eyes to look at (black on white?
I saw the black nano at the Grove store in Hollywood this weekend. Very busy… there was a line to get close to it. Not a single scratch on it that I could see. Fingerprints do show up pretty easily, especially if you have nasty little sticky fingers.
Got mine via FedEx yesterday… MAN is it a beautiful device. A screen like that on a device this small… wow.
Magic Word = “want,” as in how I felt before finding the FedEx box.
Want choice of colors? Want to protect the nano from scratches? Buy the nano tubes. Problem solved.
Sorry gzero, tubes in now way compare to the look and feel of the minis.
Ordered a black 2 GB model online because the retail stores have a history of running out in the first few days. For example, I was ready to buy a Might Mouse, but the Apple store near where I live still didn’t have stock 2 weeks after it was announced. So I bought it online this time.
So Apple probably did it differently this time and made sure the stores had a very good supply.
Secondly, I called 3 Apple stores on the day the nano was announced, and all of them said they wouldn’t have any until the weekend. I’m sure other people discovered the same thing and went ahead and ordered online as a result. Hell, I’m still waiting for FedEx Ground to deliver my nano.
Thirdly, my think is that even if it’s true that the Apple Store only sold 1/4 of the initial inventory, the inventory is probably 10x what the inventory for the mini was when it went on sale. If you assume this, that means the nano is selling almost 3x faster than the mini was.
Finally, whatever production Apple has, it will be gone by Christmas.
There is no way Apple produced 1 black nano for every 5-8 white ones. Every store I’ve been to has had close to even numbers available for sale between the black and white. If the ratio was that far out of whack, every black nano would have been sold on day one already.
I thought this color thing got resolved over 2,000 years ago.
Light:
All colors = white.
No colors = black.
Pigment:
All colors = dark brown.
No colors = clear.
I like the Nano but have a perfectly good iPod mini (silver). Besides, when I went to the local Apple Store Friday, they had none in stock.
In demand? Well I know an scandinavian distributor that had orders for 4300 Nano`s within the first week. They ordered 12000 from Apple and are getting 30- thirty of each model on the 16th. They had never seen anything like this demand for anything before.
we order twelve bushels of banano
no come in.
i ordered yellow kind.
problem?
I tried to buy a nano this weekend in Virginia, but they were nit yet available.
That might be one reason that sales haven’t yet taken off.
It is amazing how some nimrod claims to know that sales are low and everyone believes him.. I have heard as much buzz as I am hearing about the Nano – everyone I know is buying one..
Interesting since the Nano is on Amazons top ten best sellers list. 1,5,6,8 respectively. This is for all models of the iPod Nano. So I think this report falls short on it’s facts not to mention that it is a little to early to tell or measure sales after barely a week. They just became available this past weekend in limited quanities.
On Apple’s online store website as of this morning, color doesn’t seem to be an issue when it comes to availability at all, but storage capacity does. The 2GB models in both colors ship within one business day, whereas the 4GB (again regardless of color) both now take 5-7 business days to ship.
Well you know… Size does matter
Black and White are not colours they are shades. Apple will release nanos with colours soon. It’s all marketing.