“The pricing error was discovered on the Apple Education Store Taiwan’s Web site at about noon on Friday,” The Taipei Times reports. “The company has not commented on the issue.”
“The price listed for the 8GB [RAM] version of the computer model — the Mac Mini Snow Leopard Server — was even lower than the 4GB [RAM] version, which is priced at NT$34,900,” The Taipei Times reports. “The error was corrected at about 7pm on Friday, but by then the site had received orders for up to 200,000 units at the incorrect price, according to local media reports.”
Full article here.
Some web monkey and all his immediate supervisors just lost their jobs.
one way to increase volumes. 200,000 order in Taiwan in that short amount of time has got to be a record for Apple. And at $620 US, they shouldn’t lose much if any money.
You know, nothing irritates me more with respect to the web, then having some disembodied voice from some shitty ad suddenly engaging and scaring the shit out of me. Even worse is when it is made to resemble a MS Windows pop-up. For crying out loud, MDN… can you please be perhaps at least a little selective with your as selection?
Find it hard to believe they sold 200k minis just in Taiwan in seven hours.
Oh no! That sounds like the 50% (Buy 1 get 1 free) at RIMM. Maybe Dell could use this 2 for 1 as a way to keep their market share numbers up. Microsoft could have done a buy 1 get 9 free to off load those Zunes!
Michael Dell considered giving the money back to the shareholders yet? It is way past time Michael to do the right thing and take your medicine!
Cool experiment. If they weren’t all ordered by the same person, I bet there will be a lot of switchers in there.
I wonder if Apple the company, posted on it’s Store, “Not responsible for Typographical Errors.”, if that would be one of the terms of the contract?…
“Online orders are considered as effective contracts, therefore sellers must deliver on their orders even if they have been wrongly priced…”
Therefore, holding Apple, the company, harmless from Mr. Web Monkey and his cronies.
How is it in the USA?
I’m European but last year I bought two big HDTV’s from Best Buy, I used all the details of an American friend of mine.
Later that week, after I got the invoice and receipt sent by e-mail, I got a new e-mail saying the order was canceled due to error in price.
As far I remember, I bought 2 Samsung’s 52 inches full-hd for 100$ w/ shipping.
If they really did sell 200,000 in Taiwan in a few hours, start watching eBay for low-priced brand-new Man minis shipping from Taiwan!
really – how do they know there were 200,000 orders? lame article
and it is not a contract if Apple does not take their money BTW
“and it is not a contract if Apple does not take their money BTW”
Which does not occur until the computer ships. Good point!
@ Willie G
AdBlocker and ClickToFlash have cleaned up my browsing experience no end, and have dispensed with all disembodied voices.
The story is from the Taipei Times, reporting on an incident in Taiwan.
Whatever the consumer laws might be in the US or Europe, the only thing that matters in this case is what the law says in Taiwan.
We should have that law here. Best Buy once had a Canon lens for $200 instead of around $1800. I ordered it, received a confirmation, and the acceptance of my credit card, and even a shipping date.
The next day I received an e-mail saying it was a mistake.
If we had that law, companies would be more careful of making mistakes.
Ugh, and these are the sleek, new models?
It would not be a contract in the UK. It would be a mere invitation to treat.aw
@schmluss
“And at $620 US, they shouldn’t lose much if any money.”
only about $173,800,000, give or take.
@WillieG
Big pet peeve of mine as well. Got one thing to say about that:
ClickToFlash
It’s money.
To Willie G, get ‘PithHelmet’ and be done with ads.
http://culater.net/software/PithHelmet/PithHelmet.php?bundle_version=3006
@Tiago & @ Mel Gross: The big difference is that in your cases the items were sold for well below cost. In the case of these Minis in Taiwan essentially the high end Mini was sold for the price that the low-end Mini goes for here in the states. Translation: Apple maybe losing margin, but they won’t be selling for below cost.
Tommy, you don’t think selling a professional lens that sells for around $1,800 for $200, is below cost?
@Mel Gross: Methinks you cannot read. Of course selling an $1,800 lens for $200 is below cost, AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID IN MY ORIGINAL POST. OTOH selling a Mac Mini for $609 is not below cost, merely stupidly discounted.
You Know what, I bet many of this 200K purchases are not backed up with enough credit. But, because these taiwanese people must really know what they are up to, they may be negotiating extra credit with the bank, or maybe even find investors to make the opportunity good. Do you imagine some people there finding an investor in a matter of hours to make the Mini’s sale (buy them now sell them later). Sure someone gave their house on a “Mini” contract in order to find some rich guy with enough credit. I think this is the only way 200K Mac minis could be sold. And as some say here those machines will appear on eBay. Dramatic-funny. New taiwanese millionaires on Mini’s deals. Is hard to believe this number but if close to true we will read about it and even watch the videos.
LoL this is fantastic if it’s true. 200000 computers?
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> sound almost too good to be true.
Tommy, sorry, don’t know what I was thinking.