Just thinking out loud...

[tharmsen]

So Apple sold some 750,000 iPhones the first week. How long ago do you think they started producing them? A year? I ran some quick numbers:

Assuming they started production X ago, this is how many they produced a day:

1 year = 2,054 a day
6 months = 4,120 a day

Do you think it's possible for a factory in China to crank out 2,000 of these bad boys a day? But wait, they have to produce more than 2,000 of them a day... that, or they started building them well before a year ago.

Apple claims they have plans to put 10,000,000 of these on the street by 2008. If they produced 1,000,000 already and have yet to produce the remaining 9,000,000 (which seams unlikely) then they have to produce 60,000 units a day until 2008 arrives. That's not possible.

So, what's your best guess? How many units a day is Apple cranking out? No matter how you slice it, they are producing these things at a dizzying pace.

 

[Lips2000]

Just a bit of clarification:

Jobs said they wanted to have 10,000,000 sold by the *end* of 2008.

Makes the math a little more plausible.

Mark

 

[ccr78]

It actually isn't that far fetched to put together thousands of these a day. Think about it, all the components get made at different locations, then shipped to multiple assembly plants. All the people at those plants do is slap the parts together and throw them in a box. It isn't *that* hard.

 

[tharmsen]

Just a bit of clarification:

Jobs said they wanted to have 10,000,000 sold by the *end* of 2008.

Makes the math a little more plausible.

Mark

Oh, by the end of 2008... yeah, that's better. I didn't catch that. I thought he implied by 2008... huge difference.

 

[xoulo]

with the child labor in china nothing is impossible LOL I'm kidding idk they prob have the conveyor line of robots doing if

 

[TrippalHealicks]

It actually isn't that far fetched to put together thousands of these a day. Think about it, all the components get made at different locations, then shipped to multiple assembly plants. All the people at those plants do is slap the parts together and throw them in a box. It isn't *that* hard.

Exactly what I was going to reply with.....I think i heard there were at least 3 different large factories where "parts" came from, just in Asia.

 

[tharmsen]

Even if we give Apple until the end of 2008 that's still 17,475 units a day if we start counting units rolling off the line today.

Impressive... they had to be building them either more quickly than 2,000 units a day or they've been building them for more than a year already and storing them.

 

[tharmsen]

Just thinking about it is awesome. I wish I could see the production line. It's incredible we can mass produce a complex device like this so quickly and with an amazing level of quality (at least in my experience).

 

[509vistablue]

They couldnt have started production too long ago. didn't Apple change the front glass at the last minute. I quess they could have change the screen on previously made phones but that would have been a huge task after they have already been packaged.

 

[joe]

They couldnt have started production too long ago. didn't Apple change the front glass at the last minute. I quess they could have change the screen on previously made phones but that would have been a huge task after they have already been packaged.

I don't think they changed the screen, just announced what it was. I doubt they did any mass production before a couple weeks before the launch. Since they were selling 100 iPods per minute I think they can muster 2K iPhones in a day.

 

[thedwp]

That would also explain all of the hardware complaints...when you infuse a product in the marketplace as quick as they did the chances of faulty hardware is much greater.

 

[joe]

That would also explain all of the hardware complaints...when you infuse a product in the marketplace as quick as they did the chances of faulty hardware is much greater.

What hardware complaints? This thing is rock solid. It's beautifully crafted and well put together, hardware and software. I'm very pleased with it as a 1st gen product.

 

[vansouza]

Can be done...

Do not underestimate the Chinese... imagine a factory line with 100 people, they only need to make 10 per day... they work 12 hour days. Now make that 200 people in the line. Seems easy to do to me. Especially after seeing a production line for bangles for New Orleans parades...