inventory
Latest
Original iPads still selling well
The second generation iPad has sold amazingly well for Apple since its launch in early March. The tablet device is difficult to find in retail stores, and Apple's online storefront offers the iPad 2 with a 4-5 week ship time. Also riding this wave of success is the original iPad, whose supply will soon be depleted. The first generation iPad is available in Apple's clearance website with a $100 price reduction. All models are available at this reduced price, except for the 16 GB Wi-Fi, which is apparently sold out. AT&T is also continuing to sell its supply of first generation iPads and only has the high-end 64 GB Wi-Fi + 3G available in its online storefront. This model is selling for an incredibly low $529. If you want an original iPad, you'd better act quickly. Presumably, Apple has stopped manufacturing the first generation device and is focusing its resources on the second generation model. Apple is selling the remaining inventory from its last production run, and this stock will not be replaced when it is sold out. Of course, there is an ample supply on eBay or Craigslist, but the secondary market is fraught with dishonest sellers and many models will be used.
Apple re-working iPad 2 inventory shipments strategy
Apple is apparently trying to slow down the iPad 2 madness. A new report from AppleInsider claims that the company has instituted a new policy with iPad 2 shipments, requiring stores to keep received iPad 2 units in store for up to a day before actually releasing them for sale. That actually makes plenty of sense -- just pushing them out for sale as they arrive could really mess up inventory, and this policy gives the store managers enough time to make sure shipments are received and logged-in before they start going out the door to customers. Of course, this means that customers may be lied to when they come in the store asking for iPad 2s. Employees may be telling those asking that shipments came in the same day, when they likely were received a day before (and, of course, you could be told the store doesn't have any product when it actually does in the back room). But this seems reasonable -- the report says it's "utter havoc" when iPads are going out as fast as they're coming in, and I believe it. It's worth noting that Apple hasn't made any official statements on this one, but it's unlikely that it would share information on an internal policy like this anyway. If you're still hunting an iPad 2 at your local Apple Store and are told they're "expecting a shipment tomorrow morning," you might want to show up nice and early the next day.
Apple expected to ship 6.5 million iPads in Q1 2011
Digitimes is reporting that, according to an iPad supply chain source, Apple intends to ship 6 to 6.5 million iPads in the first quarter of 2011 (ending at the end of March). According to the source, 300,000 to 400,000 of those will be iPad 2s. Digitimes' source also points out that Apple had about 1 to 1.5 million iPads in the inventory channel in January, and since Apple only ordered about 2 million iPads in January, it surmises that Apple is already planning to phase out the first generation iPad in favor of the iPad 2, of which we can assume production will be significantly increased in March. However, if anything goes wrong with the production channel for the iPad 2, Digitimes points out that there could be a shortage of iPads because there will be no surplus stock of first generation iPads. Though, of course, this is speculation and, from Apple's track record, it is unlikely. Unless we're talking about a white iPad 2. [Via Electronista]
Final Fantasy XI launches the February update
It's a lucky day for Final Fantasy XI players all around, as the awaited February version update has gone live. While Square-Enix has been calling it a mini-update due to the lack of a major content push accompanying the patch, it's still packed with some pretty substantial improvements. Experience and skill gains have both been buffed significantly -- experience gains have been substantially improved outside of Abyssea, and skill gains will happen in larger amounts against weaker targets. Several other improvements to quality of life have also been brought live, including the option to reclaim lost items from the completion of Treasures of Aht Urhgan. Porter moogles are also expanding their lists of retained items, giving players a chance to free up more of their precious inventory spots. Final Fantasy XI might not have added a great deal of new content with this update, but the full list of changes makes it clear that a lot of older content has been vastly improved.
Final Fantasy XI's February mini-patch dated
Fans waiting expectantly for the Final Fantasy XI February update are going to have to wait a little while longer. But not too much longer... just until the 14th, at which point it will go live and bring accelerated experience and improved storage functionality for all. That's one of the major takeaways in the newest set of questions and answers from the development team, a steady feature since December that's helping to give players a clearer voice in the game's progress than ever before. While the date of the patch is good to know, there are a lot of other interesting tidbits in the rundown, including a chance for players to suggest new prizes for future Mog Bonanza events. The team is also looking into addressing the issue of the most popular Notorious Monsters, storage for less-armor-related items that players tend to acquire in large quantities, and of course the squashing of troublesome bugs. Final Fantasy XI players should look at the full rundown and get ready for a number of improvements going live in just a few short days.
Item-level RFIDs get support from big retailers, track your every purchase
Toilets, cows, and Germans have all been tagged by RFIDs, but according to a new study, it's footwear and fashion that top the demand for radio-enabled tracking. In a report released yesterday, ABI Research said more than three-quarters of a billion RFID tags will be used in global apparel markets in 2011, with retailers like Walmart, Macy's, and JC Penney leading the way. Item-level tracking isn't new -- in fact we saw something similar in 2006 -- but with the likes of Walmart on board, the system is expected to grow as much as 60 percent in the next three years. The study suggests inventory and security as driving factors in the adoption of RFIDs, but we've got our suspicions. And anyway, we don't want anyone to know how much we spent on that Material Girl leopard print shrug -- not even a machine.
iPod Classic stock low, prompts refresh rumors
AppleBitch picked up a tip that the shipping times are getting pretty long for the iPod Classic and that many Apple retailers are simply out of stock. Since the iPod Classic hasn't been updated since fall 2009, we're now seeing speculation that the iPod Classic might be due for a refresh soon. Hardmac reported last month on a new line of hard drives that could indicate the iPod Classic's capacity might go up to 220 GB. Reinforcing the news, AppleBitch points out that Amazon.com shipping times for the iPod Classic run 2 to 4 weeks. MacStories points out that Best Buy says the iPod Classic is backordered. We'll probably see other Apple sites pick up on these hints, and some solid speculation about when a new iPod Classic announcement will appear. [Via MacStories]
Could the Mac App Store eliminate boxed software inventory?
Blogger Arnold Kim over at MacRumors published an interesting conjecture today -- that Apple is planning on eliminating the space-consuming inventory of boxed software at Apple Stores through an emphasis on purchasing apps through the Mac App Store. The post provides compelling evidence of proof of this, including a quote from Apple's plans for the Personal Setup for Mac service which states that the employees who set up your Mac will "walk you through the Mac App Store." To me, the key point is in the next line, where it is stated that "boxed software also takes up retail space that could be used for higher profit items like iPad or iPhone accessories." As a person who has been visiting Apple Stores since 2003, I've seen Apple moving in this direction for eight years. Early in the evolution of the Apple retail stores, there was an emphasis on boxed software in aisles of wooden shelves, as well as an in-house theater for training. Now there are very few shelves, most located in the back of the stores and with the majority of space devoted to Apple-branded software. Training is done primarily through One-to-One sessions at the actual tables where devices are displayed.
HTC Desire 2, Flyer, Pyramid and LG Optimus 3D, Star Tab surface in Vodafone Germany inventory system
There are leaks, and then there are leaks. As you can probably glean from the headline, this is most certainly a case of the latter. FoneArena has received shots of what appears to be a Vodafone Germany inventory system, and it's a system currently overflowing with both rumored and heretofore unheard of product names. HTC's Flyer and Pyramid are all but confirmed for a MWC unveiling, while the Desire 2 is popping up on our radar for the first time. We've also been told that LG's Optimus 3D will be fully revealed next week in Barcelona, but the Star Tab? Now that's a new one. Of course, it shouldn't come as any surprise to see a swath of new names pop up just days before the year's most gargantuan mobile show, but it definitely brings about a metric ton of questions. Is the Star Tab a phone? A slate? A unicorn-based gaming console? Will the Desire 2 simply be more desirable than the original, or will it utilize one of those new screen technologies HTC is feverishly working on? Hard to say from a simple list of names, but you can bet we'll be keeping an ear to the ground for more as Mobile World Congress approaches. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Lost Pages of Taborea: Improvements on MMO standards
After having a couple of conversations on the topic over the last month, I decided to make a list of more reasons I am so attracted to Runes of Magic. Runewaker may not have created the next evolutionary step in MMOs, but it did do some new and innovative things. It created what I consider to be the first hybrid traditional free-to-play MMO. RoM predominantly uses western game mechanics and a quest-driven leveling system with a cash shop. As far as actual gameplay is concerned, RoM features many standards -- very nice improvements on those standards. In this article, I list six refinements that I think add to the increasing uniqueness of an MMO that constantly shows it's more than a generic clone. Jump past the break to see if you agree with me or share your favorite MMO standards that you think RoM improves upon.
White iPhone 4 purportedly turns up in Best Buy's inventory system, launching February 27th?
It's been a long time coming, but it's starting to look like things just might be starting to maybe, possibly line up for the white iPhone 4. We saw some inventory shots from Vodafone Germany ourselves yesterday, and now Mac Rumors has turned up a shot of it own that appears to show both 16GB and 32GB versions of the phone in Best Buy's inventory system in the US. What's more, these listings also show a specific in-stock date of February 27th and, for what it's worth, the model numbers match those that first turned up in Best Buy's system when it was originally taking pre-orders for the difficult-to-manufacture phone. Of course, we still won't be fully satisfied until we start seeing some actual boxes with white iPhones in them, but here's hoping we won't have to wait too much longer for that to happen -- Apple still hasn't pushed back that "spring 2011" date, after all. [Thanks, Micah ]
White iPhone 4 seen in German inventory system
The good folks at Engadget have received pictures of what purports to be the inventory listing for Vodaphone in Germany, and in there you can see an entry for an iPhone 4 "weiß," which you don't have to have taken high school German to realize means white. That's right, the legendary white iPhone 4 still isn't dead -- Engadget's source says the phone should be available to the public "soon." We'd say that it's all just a bunch of wishful thinking yet again, but who knows? If The Beatles can show up on iTunes, then maybe we will see an actual, non-modded iPhone 4 for sale officially.
The Daily Grind: Do you have enough bag space?
I used to laugh at the fact that I could carry 50 or 60 items in the hip pocket of my Star Wars Galaxies avatar. These weren't comlinks or stolen Death Star plans either, but rather big, bulky armor sets and crates of crafted consumables. It seemed rather immersion-breaking at the time, and despite the enormous convenience afforded by SOE's inventory system, well, it simply bugged me. Fast forward a few years to the juggling act that I go through every time I want to quest or craft in Age of Conan, and I'm left to wonder what has changed more, the games or my tastes. Bag space is at a premium in Funcom's Hyboria; I'm forever throwing away stuff, making trips to my bank (which is also stupidly small), or otherwise finding work-arounds for the fact that I'm equal parts pack rat and collector. Most other MMORPGs are similarly stingy with their item space and in fact, it's only been in my recent excursions into Darkfall that I've found an inventory system that I absolutely adore. What about you, Massively readers? Is bag space at a premium in your game(s) of choice? How would you do MMO inventory mechanics differently if you could? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Mog Log: Patching holes
Due to a general case of it's-the-blasted-holiday-season, I didn't get nearly as much playtime with Final Fantasy XIV following the November patch as I would have liked. I had to wait a couple days to really sit down and engage in a nice play session to really get a feel for all of the changes that had been wrought on the game by the update. And in a way, I'm glad I knew that I would need some time and thus focused on the community piece last Saturday, because it's meant more time to really appreciate the improvements. The short version, if you're allergic to page breaks, is that this patch solves a huge number of issues, to the point that I imagine many players who couldn't see past those issues to the core game will be better able to see what's at the root. But there's a lot of unpacking to do, so I'd still recommend hopping past the cut for a breakdown of the patch as a whole as well as a brief look for what the December update still has to do for Final Fantasy XIV.
Wings Over Atreia: Altaholics anonymous
OK, now I've done it... my status as an oddity at Massively is exposed for all the world to see. I confess -- I do not like to play alts. Whew. There, I said it. That wasn't so hard. And being unique is not such a bad thing, right? In gaming, and in Aion especially, I definitely feel out of place for this philosophy. After all, Aion not only encourages but rewards you for playing alts; what other game gives you an impressive armor set and weapon only after you reach mid-level on numerous characters? And even for those who eschew playing alts, there are times when you are forced to do so (like I was). Pathetic available inventory space? Make a mule. Miss lower-level solo instances because they were introduced after you were too high of a level? Make a noob. But these are only a couple of examples involving mechanics. What makes people create so many alts that they need spreadsheets just to know who has what and is where? Head past the cut to delve into the pros and cons of managing multiple characters in Atreia.
Final Fantasy XIV sends the November update live
Everyone in the US got to spend the day gorging on turkey and pie, but Final Fantasy XIV players got to gorge themselves on something else -- a large patch. The far-reaching November version update has gone live as of yesterday evening, bringing with it a host of updates and improvements to help bring the game up to speed in both content and accessibility. While the patch notes focus on enhancing the play experience, the improvements should be well-received by many players. Among the more significant gameplay changes are the movement of skill points to an end-of-combat reward in the same manner as experience points and the reduction of points needed for ranks 11 through 31. The UI response time has been improved, and the widgets of the interface have been changed around to make the game more accessible and responsive. Synthesis materials have been altered, inventory space has increased, and the high-quality drops that once clogged inventories are being streamlined. All of the details can be found in the patch notes, a veritable feast of good news for Final Fantasy XIV players from a very appropriate day.
Better storage en route to Final Fantasy XI
Inventory space is at a premium in Final Fantasy XI and always has been. When you first start playing, the bag space you have seems like a reasonable amount, but after a couple of hours of play you wind up with both an inventory and a Mog Safe stuffed to the brink. The December version update promises to bring the latest options for players to store items, however, allowing players access to two new item-storage methods -- the Mog Sack and the brand-new Porter Moogles scattered across the world. The Mog Sack is a cousin to the Mog Satchel, but where the latter requires the purchase of an authenticator linked to the player's account, the sack simply requires a quick purchase of just under 10,000 gil. It allows access to stored items from anywhere, and it expands concurrent with a character's normal inventory space, thus allowing players a maximum of 80 extra storage spots. Porter Moogles, meanwhile, will allow players to store high-end items in a manner similar to the event armor storage already in place. Take a look at the full preview for moogle locations, and get ready to kiss your Final Fantasy XI storage woes goodbye... for a couple of hours, anyway.
Ask Massively: I am happy when I get to talk about Transformers edition
If people haven't noticed by now, I have fandoms that don't generally intersect with MMOs. So I'm happy to see that the Transformers MMO will be wide-ranging, while at the same time I understand that many of the things I want out of the game will not be happening. Then again, almost none of the things I want dovetails with more casual fans. Considering how strongly Hasbro is pushing the newly unified Transformers: Prime continuity, my vague hopes of seeing something set on Cybertron post-Reformatting are unlikely to come to fruition. (I will still be happier than those people who assume the series peaked 26 years ago.) Leaving aside my personal pet causes, we've got the usual cocktail of questions for this week's Ask Massively, complete with a discussion of the dark art of modding and the far lighter art of inventory storage. If you've got a question for us, you can leave it in the comment field or mail us at ask@massively.com.
Report: Apple's inventory woes fixed for holiday shoppers
A number of analysts are expecting inventory shortages to restrict holiday gadget sales. However, Forbes reports that Apple will be able to avoid the pinch. Jason Busch, the founder and Managing Director of advisory firm Azul Partner, expects Apple to keep holiday shoppers happy for three main reasons. Busch says that firstly, Apple has "superior" forecast accuracy than its competitors. Keeping a close eye on where their inventory is at all times, Apple is able to control the particulars accurately, although they don't always get it right. For example, when a new iteration of a product is released -- like the new MacBook Air -- stock of the previous version will dry up in the weeks leading to that release, demonstrating Apple's precision in inventory management. Secondly, Busch says Apple is "at the top of the [inventory management] food chain" because of its sheer weight in the consumer electronics market. "Apple controls so much volume that it has greater influence over its suppliers, at multiple levels," says Busch. Finally, Apple can build strong lead times for its most popular products. For instance, the iPad was released in April allowing for strong supply chains to be established well before the expected holiday demand. Gartner supply chain analyst Mickey North Rizza affirms this by saying, "Because Apple brought out the iPad in April, they have had time to ramp things up. Apple's efforts to build a supply chain for each product will continue to create a distinct advantage in the marketplace." With iPhone 4 and iPad supply shortages having been recently resolved, Apple smoothed the kinks in its related supply chain. Either way, if you're looking to buy a loved one some Apple gear during this festive period, we'd recommend starting early, just to be on the safe side. [via MacDailyNews]
Players speak and devs deliver: LotRO's new vault system and EU preview event on the way
Quite often the mark of a good company is how it responds to player dissatisfaction. While it may be riding high on cloud money as of late, Lord of the Rings Online's recent decisions have not made all of its players happy, and both Turbine and Codemasters are taking steps to rectify these situations. Although Turbine touted the revised "Vault 2.0" bank system as superior to the old inventory system, many found it difficult to organize and sort. As a result, a new dev diary is showing off the third iteration of the vault system, which uses a cleaner interface of tabs and rows to help players keep their hundreds of items in the proper place. LotRO's Vault 3.0 is far more customizable, can auto-sort items, and even offers tabs to allow players to switch between the vault, wardrobe and shared storage within the same interface. On the European front, it seems as if there's finally movement toward the promised free-to-play launch with a new preview event. Starting next Monday, October 25th, EU players are invited to hop on to the test server and give it a whirl. As a reward for participating, Codemasters will be gifting 500 points toward the store to all testers. Interested parties may trek over to the preview sign-up page to be a part of this momentous occasion.
