(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| Popular iMac Computers Sell Out Upon Arrival in Japan
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September 17, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Apple Computer Inc.'s new personal computer,
iMac, is becoming extremely popular in Japan after its release on Aug.
29, and supplies cannot keep up with demand.
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A recent survey by Nikkei MAC revealed that retailers are in a bind in
that new computers are sold out immediately after the products arrive
in their shops.
More than 8,000 units were sold at retail shops in just two days after
the new computer hit the market. Advertisements in weekly magazines,
women magazines, on TV and radio are contributing to the high popularity
of iMac.
The retailers that sold out the first-round shipments of iMacs have begun
accepting advance orders. "Every day we get advance orders for 10 units
on average. Demand is so strong that supply cannot catch up with it,"
said a retailer in Akihabara, Tokyo, an area with a concentration of
electric/electronics stores.
At present, after about two weeks from the release of iMac, the supply
shortage is serious. There are nine retailers authorized to sell iMacs
in Akihabara, and five in Nipponbashi, Osaka, which is the most well-known
electronics-store district in the Kansai region. All of them have been
out of stock since Sept. 1, according to the Nikkei MAC survey.
Almost all of the stores expect that the next shipment of tens or several
hundreds units of iMac computers will arrive at their stores by Sept.
12. The retailers told Nikkei MAC that they will have to send all of
the computers to the users on their waiting lists.
Asked about the duration of time the users must wait until they receive
the new computer, retailers in Akihabara said one week, while retailers
in Nipponbashi, Osaka, said about two weeks.
According to the retailers in Akihabara, Apple Computer told them that
the iMacs ordered on the second weekend of this month (Sept. 12-13)
will be shipped to them in about one week. The retailers in Nipponbashi,
on the other hand, said the manufacturer told them that the ordered
computers will arrive at their stores before the end of September.
There is a slight difference in the remarks by the retailers in Akihabara
and Nipponbashi.
Most of the retailers said they received an additional shipment of iMac
computers only once or twice in September. Some of the retailers said
they have not received any additional shipments since the beginning
of September. Asked about the volume of the additional shipments, the
retailers who received the bulk said it was 200 units, while those who
received less said it was less than 20 units.
The combined number of iMacs sent out to users from retailers in Akihabara
and Nipponbashi during the past two weeks after the initial shipments
were sold out totaled far less than 1,000 units, according to an estimate
by Nikkei MAC.
The number of users on the waiting list is increasing steadily. Some
retailers have adopted a system in which they receive advance payment
when they accept an advance order. Despite this system, some retailers
are receiving advance orders for about 10 units daily. Many of the ordered
computers have yet to arrive at users' offices and houses.
Nikkei MAC estimates the combined number of advance orders accepted by
the retailers in Akihabara and Nipponbashi, on and before Sept. 11,
at more than 1,000 units.
Related stories:
Apple Japan Enjoys Large Demand for iMac PCs
Sales of Apple Computer's iMac PC Begin in Japan
(Nikkei MAC)
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