To: Eric Yang who wrote (14429 ) 6/10/1998 2:35:00 PM From: RX4PROFIT Respond to
O'Grady's PB Update 6/10/98
Say it ain't so:
10 ÿJ u n e ÿ1 9 9 8 ÿÿÿ updated 11:49 EDT
After much research, interviews and dumpster digging the PowerPage has
learned that the recent 14.1" PowerBook G3 Series sightings are, in
fact, false. PBG3s with the large displays will probably ship much later than even we expected. When we called the Apple Store to inquire about the status of PowerBook G3 Series configurations with the 14.1" displays, we were informed that customers who ordered such systems will be sent a letter in the next five days or so, indicating that Apple does not expect to ship those systems within the next three weeks. That's right, none of us will receive our 14.1/292 systems within three weeks.
The agent I spoke with said that nobody at the Apple Store was telling
customers that the 14.1/292's would be shipping this Friday. One reader mentioned that the current abysmal availability/forecasting situation with the new PowerBooks gave them flashbacks to the time of the release of the PowerBook 540c which didn't ship until months after the announcement. Anyone remember the PowerBook 170 fiasco?
Apple needs to wake up and realize that while the new, fast products are great, if they can't ship them, they only hurt themselves with
disappointed customers and broken expectations. It is the top-of-the-line customers that contribute most to Apple's bottom line
because of the higher profit margins, but it is also the segment that
Apple services the worst.
In light of the atrocious availability situation with PowerBooks it is
surprising that Standard & Poor's revised its outlook on Apple Computer to positive. Steve Jobs takes credit for the advancements in processor speed and performance, but he also has to be accountable for the forecasting and product availability problems of late. What's up Steve?
The whole ugly mess reminds me of an expression that a wise man once
told me:
"Pioneers take the arrows, settlers take the land"
... I have the arrow scars to prove it.
At this point we are recommending that readers waiting patiently to
purchase 14.1/292 PowerBook G3 Series systems convert their orders to
configurations with smaller screens (if you can find one, that is) or
consider other alternatives.
