Apple Inc. (AAPL): Apple Pencil Hyped but Understocked in Stores

Apple Santa Monica Store

When Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)launched the iPad Pro, it created a lot of buzz about the Apple Pencil, claiming that it is one of the best features. However, the company has shipped out very few units of the gadget.

Many users of the iPad Pro have been unable to get their hands on the Apple Pencil as shipping delays continue. Most of the stores that have been selling the device claim that they have been receiving the gadget in limited numbers. In fact, most of the stores have run out of the stocked product due to high demand coupled with low supply.

The current shipments are expected to take four to six weeks. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that supply will improve once the company’s engineers tackle the problems associated with the device. It has been less than two weeks since the first batch of Apple Pencils were shipped, so the product is still new to the market.

Most products receive a lot of attention when they are launched, but Apple can still manage to pull a good crowd, weeks after launching the Pencil.

Kuo also stated that the company has experienced good sales for the Apple Pro since it was launched. Many analysts feel that Apple’s decision to include a stylus is interesting especially because of how Steve Jobs felt about the stylus. Steve Jobs once stated that the company will lose its direction if it ever includes a stylus. The company’s current CEO, Tim Cook clearly disagrees with Jobs’ sentiment.

Apple claims that the Apple Pencil particularly targets those who understand design aspects of the iPad Pro. The Apple pencil also has very different functionalities from finger touch functionalities, meaning the stylus will not be a replacement for regular touch features. The stylus, in this case, is more oriented towards making marks on the device.

The very fact that there are features that are optimized for the Apple Pencil might be a compelling reason the company has managed to rise above the statement that Mr. Jobs made about the Stylus. However, the only way to fully feel the difference is to have a feel of the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil.

Sources: cultofmac, macrumors