Demand for Apple
Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) latest offering keeps going up. Stores in Hong Kong have
already sold out their current batch of iPhone 5, even as orders keep pouring
in. China will soon report similar events because carrier China Unicom is soon
launching iPhone 5 on their networks.
Brian White, an analyst
from Topeka Capital Markets, who is presently on tour in the region, states
that the iPhone 5 in Apple’s retail store in Hong Kong, can be purchased via an
online order. There is a lottery mechanism to decide who wins – that lucky
person can get the iPhone 5 from the store on the next day itself!
China Unicom has
reported that all models of iPhone 4S has been totally sold out at some of its
stores. This is because Unicom wishes to prevent issues regarding the stock in
December, before they officially introduce the iPhone 5.
Presently, Apple is
tied up with China Unicom and China Telecom, which constitute about a third of
the entire user base in China. Talks about collaborating with the world's
largest carrier (688 million subscribers), China Mobile, has been doing the
rounds for sometime but has not led to anything substantial. Although Apple has
a 15% share in the smartphone market in China, it has various opportunities to
grow.
Initially the iPhone 5
was launched in US and 8 other countries but it is now available in 22 others
including Hong Kong. By the end of the year, the units are expected to be
shipped to 100 countries and will be available with 240 carriers, which is by
far the highest rollout for Apple.
The question isn't whether it was sold out or not, but how many units were sold.
ReplyDeleteIf another ridiculously-low number was supplied like in the US, then ofcourse it will sell out, which just means the marketing tactic worked. If, however, it sold a lot, then it's an issue worth noting.
Apple clearly can't produce enough of the device. The question isn't really how many they sold this week or this month, but how many can they produce for delivery in December. The demand is clearly there, but there simply isn't enough supply.
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