Apple Doing a Lot Better than Expectations

John Gruber:

Daring Fireball: I just went through Apple’s iPhone availability checker for all 50 states in the U.S.: one store in Hawaii has one model (8 GB), one store in California (out of 38 in the state) has one model (16 GB black), and the Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York has one model (16 GB white). That’s it.

So much for my “just wait a week and then cruise in and pick one up in five minutes” plan.

This doesn't appear to be an "underproduce to make sure you keep the buzz" stockout. This appears to be a genuine surprise stockout...

Comments

[Doctor Jay]

How do you tell the difference? I mean, when it's hard to get a Wii six months after launch, that's one thing, but it's been just a week...

[Maynard Handley]

I was going to raise the Wii example as well. WTF is going on there, Mr Economist man? Isn't this something like the gold standard or supply-and-demand or one of those things they teach in Econ 101? If people want to buy Wiis, isn't the supply of them by Nintendo supposed to rise?
Sure, standard econ has no concept of dynamics, as opposed to static equilibria, and pretends that time scales just don't matter, but this is starting to become ridiculous.