The Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro are both “in short supply, and people are reselling them on eBay for as much as $650,” Hope King reports for CNN. “People are even stealing the Apple Pencil from demo stations in stores, according to reports on Reddit, Twitter, and blogs.”
“The new products were unveiled during a big event in September, and went on sale last Wednesday,” King reports. “Apple sold out online quickly, and there’s now a four to five week wait for them… ‘We have a limited supply of Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard in Apple Retail stores,’ a company spokesman told CNNMoney. ‘Customers are very excited for iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard.’ The Apple Pencil costs $99 on Apple’s website, but they’re going for as much as $500 on eBay. The same thing has been happening with the Smart Keyboard, which Apple sells for $169. Over at eBay, sellers are asking for anywhere between $200 and $650.”
“Tumblr co-founder Marco Arment called the shortage ‘an embarrassing damper on the Pro launch,'” King reports. “‘My Apple Store got 20 Pencils yesterday. They let one guy buy all 20. Meanwhile, no in-store pickup, and online backordered 4–5 weeks,’ he tweeted… Apple says its stores will ‘continue to receive regular shipments and we encourage customers to visit Apple.com for online availability and delivery dates” of both products.”
https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/666387997387026433
https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/666388123555876865
https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/666388473373421568
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This too shall pass.
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TIME Magazine reviews iPad Pro: ‘The best computer Apple has ever made’ – November 16, 2015
Apple’s new iPad Pro debuts with forced reboots, missing Apple Pencils – November 16, 2015
Apple’s perplexingly incomplete launch of the iPad Pro – November 16, 2015
I’ve ditched my MacBook for an iPad Pro; here’s why – November 16, 2015
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iPad Pro: Day 2 and already making my work better, easier, and faster – November 13, 2015
Why Apple’s new iPad Pro makes Mac users feel weird – November 12, 2015
Apple’s new iPad Pro is faster and more affordable than beleaguered Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 – November 12, 2015
Analyst: Apple’s iPad Pro and its powerful A9X CPU pose threat to Intel – November 12, 2015
Video: Apple Pencil for iPad Pro vs. Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 stylus – November 12, 2015
Apple’s joyless iPad Pro launch: WTF are the Apple Pencils and Smart Keyboards? (4-5 weeks away) – November 12, 2015
Apple’s A9X-powered iPad Pro offers Mac-like speed – November 11, 2015
Wired reviews Apple’s iPad Pro: ‘The best tablet, and the best case for tablets, anyone’s ever made’ – November 11, 2015
Horace Dediu reviews Apple’s iPad Pro: Unlike anything we’ve ever seen before – November 11, 2015
Ben Bajarin reviews Apple’s iPad Pro: ‘The start of something new’ – November 11, 2015
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Gruber reviews Apple’s iPad Pro: A MacBook replacement for many
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Mossberg reviews Apple’s iPad Pro: Graphics folks will love it, but I’m sticking with my iPad Air – November 11, 2015
The Verge reviews Apple’s iPad Pro: Could this replace my MacBook? – November 11, 2015
I was kidding earlier about buying a bunch of available pencils and selling them on eBay.. But $500….
I hate scalpers… That’s so capitalistic…. 😛
I continue to contend that there is a chasm of difference between actual capitalism and PARASITISM. They are not one in the same. Saying they are, wrecks the reputation of capitalism and feeds the socialist loony fringe.
I agree with what you wrote. However does the wider world know the difference? Could we call major companies parasites if we can show that they are not following principals of capitalism but instead are opportunist – profiteering at the disadvantage and desperation of others? At what point to we define the separation from one to the other? While Uber is trying to make money by offering a competitive service to taxies, which are licensed to show some level of trust, they are parasites at a time when need is at its highest, even critical when customers are under duress. Taxis though wouldn’t change their rates under momentary duress. (Just an example). How about monopolies or companies which spend effort to control or ruin competitors and develop demand artificially? The stock market does this continuously.
However does the wider world know the difference?
Good points. What is competition and what is exploitation. What are a stockholder’s legitimate rights? Where’s the line between stockholder rights and stock manipulation? How do we differentiate constructive vs destructive behavior?
We’re talking about ethical behavior within a game structure. So, right off the bat it’s an artificial structure, an invented system. Then toss in the wide range of human behaviors and its a complex soup, seen from the outside. Digging into individual events, however, there is some worthwhile delineation to make that my usefully apply to the whole. That’s when we get into the realm of law and regulation versus various forms of anarchy, both positive and negative. Fun fun fun.
capitalism – charge what the market will bare. What’s the problem? Certainly people buying an iPad pro know apple will make more pencils. Anyone silly enough to buy one for 500 dollars has 400 dollars to give away.
What do you think 4.00 a gallon gas was about, limited amounts of oil? Come on. Companies whine that the President was keeping them form finding new sources, off shore drilling restrictions, and all that. What a lie. We seem to have more oil then we know what to do with. No you say. Why the falling price, more supply perhaps?
You may think it’s evil, but make no mistake it is capitalism at its best.
capitalism – charge what the market will bare. What’s the problem?
No conscience. No collaboration. I rarely use the word ‘evil’ as it is profoundly vague. I like pointing directly at things and acts.
Another vagary is the word ‘psychopathy’. But it’s more precise than ‘evil. The corroded rendition of capitalism, or plain old parasitism, is rife with psychopathy of various kinds. IOW it is at the core self-destructive. It abuses itself and everyone involved. To be greedy, which is something you’re advocating, is itself self-destructive. I very much believe in human spirit, as opposed to simply mind and body. What spirit is left in a person who ONLY thinks about ‘Charge what the market will bare.’ None. The humanity is gone. The lost and predatory animal with no soul and a desire to destroy itself is left.
I call this behavior the human self-destructive imperative (HSDI) I call it ‘imperative’ because, as a species, it is where we demand to go, to a self-induced cataclysmic end. It makes no sense to me. That’s why I am what I call a ‘positive’ anarchist. Responsibility for one’s actions is the goal in living. Irresponsibility is the HSDI. Capitalism is not about irresponsibility. There are plenty of other names for those who are irresponsible.
THIS is capitalism at its best:
Tesla proactively recalling 90,000 Model S cars because of a single fault
Company asks owners to bring in cars for a quick safety check.
Capitalists? Parasites? Thieves?
Hate the opportunists, but they supply only the cash-rich, impatient, or plain stupid – and the window of opportunity won’t stay open long.
Willing buyers cut deals with willing sellers on Ebay. And you can’t handle that. Capitalism eh. Let me guess … you are a Millennial in a Safe Zone in some panty waist university majoring in Race Identification.
Tim Cook, operations genius.
The Pencils are going for a million $ on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=apple+pencil&rt=nc&LH_Auction=1
Old news. They WERE going for up to $500 before they started shipping to stores. Check the current sales on eBay, they ARE going for more like $190.
Over reaction Jackson!
production issues maybe the white was yellow
I hope someone at Apple is documenting all these adventures and mis-adventures at the company. Someday, this will all make a fascinating book.
Meanwhile, this is idiotic:
My Apple Store got 20 Pencils yesterday. They let one guy buy all 20.
Apple knows better! Obviously, the guy is scalper, as they’re called in the ticket biz. We’ve seen this a few hundred times in China already. DUH. 😛
You’re jumping to conclusions. If the guy had previously bought 20 Pros and spent $20k, I think they would be entitled to take all 20 Pencils.
It could happen!
Ordered the iPad Pro,Smart Keyboard,and Pencil on Wed. Nov. 11. Got the Pro on Tuesday Nov. 17. Keyboard and Pencil
estimated delivery on Dec. 7-14. Ordered the Logitech
keyboard from Apple Store on the 18th {very early AM}
with next day before noon delivery. Got it on the 18th
at 11 AM !!! Canceled Smart Keyboard order on the 19th.
The keyboard is superb, arguably better than Apple’s.
Ordered another identical Pro (Gray,128 GB,wifi-cellular)
on the 16th with delivery on Nov 27+. Hope the Pencil
gets an earlier delivery date. The Pencil will be a
monumental game changer. It was one of the major
reasons for my Pro order.
And yet, we walked into our local Apple Store last weekend, saw the iPad Pros all had pencils lying by them, asked the rep if they were in stock, they were, and we walked out with one five minutes later.
Three words: World gone mad.
Oh, please. “Supply crunch” my ass.
When I realized the source of this was Marco Arment, I rolled my eyes. Don’t get me wrong — Marco is a very knowledgeable guy. But let’s put this into perspective:
1. Marco is a big-time geek. He wants everything NOW.
2. Marco is a Twitter crybaby. Your homework assignment: Read through a stream of Marco’s past tweets. A common theme is that he complains about EVERYTHING.
My point is this: There are tech pundits who are used to having everything handed to them on a silver tray. They get comp’d trips to tech conferences, get advance copies of apps and products, and expect to have have everything first. I wish I could be so lucky.
Meanwhile, the rest of us live real lives. We wait and save up for things we aspire to own. I have learned that ANY new product, whether it’s from Apple, Tiffany, Tesla, Ferrari, or Nike, will likely have a wait before it becomes generally available. And guess what? It’s okay. Really. The world won’t stop spinning if you can’t get an Apple Pen tomorrow. I, for one would rather go outside and enjoy an 82 degree Southern California day in the sun, or go play in the freshly fallen snow with a dog in Chicago or Utah. Life is bigger than having your panties in a knot over something as trivial as a new product you don’t have RIGHT NOW.
Meanwhile, in Paris, Beirut, Mali and elsewhere, families are mourning their lost loved ones. But to the Marco Arments of this world, that’s trivial in comparison to the fact that they DON’T HAVE THEIR DAMNED APPLE PEN RIGHT NOW!!!!
Marco: Grow up. Please.
Can’t worry about the world. This is an apple forum not world news. You must be on the wrong site