“I went for six different try-ons in the past week or so, at each of the five New York City stores,” Tiernan Ray writes for Barron’s. “On the whole, I find the retail roll-out is a tremendous accomplishment on Apple’s part… but I think there are growing pains, as they say.”
“I’ve never seen this much effort brought to bear on the debut of a tech product in 21 years covering technology,” Ray writes. “The care taken with the watch is certainly several notches above what happens with tech products in most retail settings, such as Best Buy, where the haphazard arrangement of gadgets across the display stands; the missing or ambiguous signage; and the generally oblivious store staff, makes it seem as if the whole effort was coordinated by a Texas Twister.”
On to the growing pains. I found five things to complain about in the six visits:
1. Why are there no mirrors?
2. Why aren’t Apple Store employees wearing these things?
3. Why doesn’t the demo loop at least let you try watch faces?
4. Why are there none of the “Space Black” steel model to try on?
5. Why do some stores [incorrectly] tell you that you cannot resize the link bracelet during your appointment?
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Angela Ahrendts and Jony Ive deserve commendation for the Apple Watch retail roll-out. They are not to blame for extreme supply shortages.
“Why aren’t Apple employees wearing these things?”
I don’t know because Apple might want to get them on the wrists of all the people that have purchased them.
Come people. Is this person an Android user?
They have to buy them.
Of course they have to buy them.
Why no mirrors (because douchebags are also vampires)
Why are employees not wearing them (because they aren’t stupid)
Why can’t you demo watch faces (because they’re all equally as pointless)
Why are there no space black models (because there are no black models in space)
Why do employees tell you that you cant resize the watchband (because Apple Watch buyers are naive and will believe anything)
Lol, smh,
Why do you post such stupidity?
Because that’s what idiots do.
“Why no mirrors?” You don’t need a mirror to look at your Watch, Apple doesn’t sell mirrors, or ask the employee to take a selfie for you.
“Why aren’t Apple employees wearing these things?” Because it’s more important to see a Watch on YOUR wrist, not theirs.
The Apple Watch is being sold as also a fashion accessory. Seeing yourself wearing one in a mirror can help a sale. Successful sales include subliminal hints like having the employees wearing/using the product being sold. Imagine walking into the Apple store and the sale is rung up on a Windows Point of sale terminal or Surface Tablet. Would it make you confident that your Apple purchase was really the best choice?
The observation about the apple employees not wearing watches is unfortunate. They could be familiarizing themselves and model it all at once.
Lack of supply is at the center of this bothched launch….
This was a very poorly planned and implemented rollout .
Not Apple like at all!
I hope we never see botched launch like this from Apple again !
I feel completely opposite. Sure the product isn’t available at the scale it should be but by contrast it is probably benefiting in volume of media coverage.
Respectfuly disagree!
The buzz and excitement were all dampened by the poor planning.
Apple Employees have to buy them like everyone else.
Why do you need a mirror?
There are demo watches that you can try the demo faces.
Short supply still.
The try on is just that. So they cannot modify the bracelet.
I agree with Howe that Apple never intended to ship the watch in volume until June. Why? Because, as Ive pointed out, there are millions of combinations and Apple, never having sold a watch before, had no clue what would be ordered. Therefore, to avoid making a lot of Watch and band models that people were not going to order, Apple made a few and waited until it had order information from the multitudes before dialing the manufacturing machine to high. Specific items may have supply issues which held things up but, overall, Apple was just practicing tight inventory control as usual.
Assuming that’s true then Apple should not have done pre-orders and should not have announced a launch date. They should have just said the watch will be available to order online and try on in stores on date X. By announcing pre-orders and an official launch days they gave the impression people would have the watch at their doorstep on the 24th and next to no one did.
“should not have done pre-orders”
but scopie just said how would Apple know which items to manufacture if they don’t do pre-orders ?
I agree thought that the 24th launch date (on ads etc) was poorly planned or worded.
They should have announced the start date of try outs which should be a week or so BEFORE online orders (spelling clearly in ads that none would be available for immediate sales in stores and online orders would be “delivered when items available”. )
I was able to demo watch faces…it was the very first thing I was asked to try doing in the demo.
Plus, at the store I went to, there were plenty of watches set up outside the try on tables that you could play with and try all the apps and watch faces.
Maybe it is just the “New Yorkers” that aren’t getting the full treatment?
I tried on the Watch in Minneapolis, got to play with all the functions, was shown how to adjust the link bracelet and how to change watch bands, etc. My salesperson had ordered his watch, and was eagerly waiting for delivery, even showed me that his was shipping on his iPhone. I was impressed with the professional manner in which the Watch was presented, and they had every variation to play with except for the Edition. Had to make an appointment to see that one.
I’m not really blaming Jony Ive for the lack of Apple Watch hardware at launch but…
When I had my try-on with a lovely young lady at my local Apple Store she told me that each link in the link bracelet takes nine (Yes 9 !!!) hours to fabricate. So ya know, Jony might have had something to do with it indirectly.