Apple launched its latest 3G version of the iPhone over the weekend, and the company announced that it sold one million units by Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch.
When it comes to excellence in all around supply chain capability we have to place Apple on the top of the benchmarking list. Year after year, and product launch after product launch, the ability of this company to execute on product supply availability is just something to be admired.
A related article in The Washington Post (free sign-up required) points out the ” rising all boats’ effect in the market, namely all the market buzz around the iPhone has raised consumer demand for other smartphones such as the Palm Pre, in spite of a severe recessionary economy.
I recently commented on Palm’s challenge with the Pre, in the attempts of its supply chain to maintain availability of product during this peak demand where consumers now have more competitive choices in which phone to buy. The Post article indicates that analysts believe that 100,000 Pres were sold the first weekend of its June 6th launch, a far cry from Apple’s performance, but none the less, encouraging.
Consistent supply chain execution by Apple will seem to be the biggest obstacle for its competitors, and a benchmark for all to try to emulate.
