“Apple’s announcement of a June 29th debut for the iPhone signals the retail chain’s biggest challenge since the first two stores opened in 2001. Consumer expectations are high for the phone’s features and capabilities, while investor revenue expectations are off the charts… For the retail team, the debut will test every aspect of the organization: training, marketing, sales and support,” ifoAppleStore reports.
“Steve Jobs has said he expects huge crowds at Apple’s own stores. But AT&T contacts warn their stores will be receiving a very limited number of iPhones to sell, perhaps fewer than 40 units,” ifoAppleStore reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Judge Bork” for the heads up.]
I wonder if the iPhones to be sold in the Apple stores will be available with a 2 year AT&T contract only or “free” as well.
Is that fewer than 40 units TOTAL, or 40 units for each store?
Either way, sure seems pretty tight-fisted to me. But then again, AT&T stores can’t hold a candle to the Apple Store, especially when it comes to big openings/releases.
When was the last time you camped out at an AT&T store waiting for the “Next Big Thing” to become available?
Thought not.
to thomas
why would the apple stores be selling them any different? that $499 and $599 prices are with a contract. no other pricing is given, if you want an iphone, you will have to get the 2-year contract. no matter where you buy it.
“sales transactions will involve some measure of innovation, perhaps involving customer interaction with the Internet”
iPhone activation through iTunes??????
“Is that fewer than 40 units TOTAL . . . ?”
Yes. Forty total iPhones nationwide.
Now let’s go ahead and move to DEFCON 2 and un-redeploy the National Guard.
alexr: Hmm, perhaps some kind of “Soft-SIM” instead of a physical SIM-card? Maybe you register the iPhone with AT&T via iTunes instead of filling out paper forms in the store. Just an idea…
Apple CEO Steve Jobs told Fortune: “Our stores were conceived and built for this moment in time — to roll out iPhone.”
Geez. Who really thinks that Apple gave AT&T 40 units, total? Bro, what are you smoking?
Glad i don’t work there anymore. It’s bad enough trying to explain the differences between iPod cases, much less how the iphone works.
I am wondering if the Apple Store or ATT Store will be best place for purchase. ATT has no Applecare for iPhone apparently, and how knowledgable and flexible will Apple Store people be regarding service plans????
Gonna need to camp out for about 5 days methinks…
Surprised no-one is already doing that at at the Big Apple..
No – he means the Apple stores will each get fewer than 40 units. AT&T will handle the bulk of the sales, with company stores getting a large allotment, and fewer for the independent franchise operations.
Also, my AT&T contact told me that initially they aren’t going to sell iPhones to existing customers, but instead use them to lure folks who currently are with another carrier. We both expect this to create quite a bit of havok and frustration!
An initial shipment of 40 units to each of ATT’s stores makes sense. If Apple sells an equal number of units (80,000) at it’s stores, then ATT will be hit with 160,000 new customers in just two days.
ATT’s network is undergoing extentive upgrading and testing in prepration for the iPhone launch. That’s all well and good, but testing never catches everything.
No sense hitting ATT netowrk with several hundred thousand new customers in the first week, or so, after the launch.
to Calingular:
BAHAHAHAHA. apple stores for the most part will have more per capita than at&t stores. you really think the manufacturer of the phones will let at&t store have more???????!?!?!! with their curteous, and highly intelligent staff? RIGHT! they also have 10 times as many stores.
“….iPhone launch to test Apple’s Retail Store network….”
Yeah … I wonder just how many people you can cram into an Apple Store ??
Will the Fire Marshal be workin overtime ?
College towns often have AT&T stores, but seldom have the high-income crowds to depleat such a high ticket item. Head for the rural college town if you want an iPhone.
anyone know where the “40 units” quote comes from?
i phone, therefor i am.
“anyone know where the “40 units” quote comes from?”
I though it was either Ezekiel or Genesis. But no, it’s right out of the Book of Jobs.
I also heard from a friend who is a Cingular employee that they’re being trained to refuse upgrades to existing customers and save their initial iPhone units for new contract customers.
@ Camel Milk…
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It looks (from reading elsewhere) that Apple will have plenty of devices in their own stores, and that some of the AT&T stores might get AS FEW AS 40 devices (not all, not that few). Apple has about 180 stores; AT&T has about 1800. That’s why Jobs kept asking everyone to go to AT&T for this one, rather than cram the few Apple stores in the country that will have the phone. My math says that even if they sell an average of 50 phones per store per day, they’ll sell first million in a few weeks. The estimate of 5 million in 2007 and another 15M in 2008 sounds quite reasonable.
“ather than cram the few Apple stores in the country”
But that’s part of the fun. Apple Store Raves.
“I also heard from a friend who is a Cingular employee that they’re being trained to refuse upgrades to existing customers and save their initial iPhone units for new contract customers.”
They better not pull that sh*t. First come, first served. My current contract has no EDGE capability, so I would certainly be a new customer to that product.