If you have an Apple ID, you probably get emails from the company touting new products. I’ve gotten several about the Apple Watch, and I got one today about the new MacBook.
Today’s email made me wonder: is it worthwhile for Apple to promote products they con’t ship? I clicked the Buy Now link in the email, and selected a configuration, only to see this on the Apple website:
It doesn’t seem very productive to tell people to “Buy Now” when you can’t get a product for four to six weeks (plus delivery time; so, in reality, about five to seven weeks). In fact, it seems quite negative for the company to be promoting products it can’t ship.
I’m well aware of the lack of availability of these products: I write about these things, unlike most people who are just regular consumers. So when I see that button in the email, I know I won’t be able to buy. But I wonder how average users feel when they get these emails and discover that they can’t get the products that Apple is actively pushing.
And I’m not talking about product launches. Apple naturally should be hammering its customers when a new product is released, even if it sells out in minutes. (Though I think they really need to work on that whole process.) I’m questioning the promotion of products a month after they’re announced, when the ship dates are still far in the future.
I think Apple should either wait to promote products they can’t ship, or be more explicit in their emails. It’s not a positive experience for users, and merely reinforces the image of Apple as an elitist brand. If you can’t ship, you shouldn’t taunt people.