Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Demand?

On July 30th Apple launched the iPhone 4 in Canada at its retail stores, its carrier partner stores and some third party retailers such as Best Buy, Wireless Wave, etc. Obviously they knew there was going to be pent up demand for the product despite the perceived (or actual) antenna issues. Sure enough, there were long lineups on the 30th at any location that was selling the new phone.

It’s now 10 days later and not only are 99% of retail outlets out of stock with no idea when new inventory is coming in, but for the stores that do have the phone (seemingly limited entirely to Apple stores), there is still a line up that is many hours long. In fact, there are people lining up on the hope that stores will be receiving courier shipments later in the day.

As a tech fan, Apple fan, someone who is looking to get an iPhone 4 and a marketer, I’m wondering just how much is too much demand before it starts to backfire. Demand is great. Photos of long lines are a boon for the Apple PR people. But how long can that demand last before people (me) start getting frustrated with not being able to make the purchase they would like to make. Maybe given the demand from the US and other markets, Apple Canada should have made the decision to delay the launch until more product was in stock and demand could be met. For a company that prides itself on customer experience, has Apple crossed the fine line between creating hype and disappointing its customers?

Demand: How Much is Too Much?