With so many hardware launches selling out in record time - how did the AMD 5000 Series launch compare?
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Did you manage to get your hands on one of the new AMD 5000 Series CPU last week? Well, if the answer is no – you’re not alone. Once again, we saw a hardware launch that simply wasn’t prepared for the consumer numbers it attracted. You would think they should know better by now. And look, while we understand that 2020 is the strangest of timelines and will definitely have big impacts on manufacturing processes – can we not have anything go right this year?
Now, you may remember us reporting that AMD’s very own Frank Azor claiming on Twitter, for the whole world to see, that the upcoming 6000 Series GPU launch will not be a paper launch. He, half-jokingly, responded to another tweet where someone was betting $10 that AMD’s GPU launch would be just as bad as rival Nvidia’s launch. Now, while we don’t expect Azor to actually cash in on this bet, it did lead to someone digging it up to discuss the latest CPU launch. They shared the tweet despairing that the CPU launch seemed to be just that – a paper launch. But, once again, Azor took to Twitter to hit back claiming that “There’s a big difference between a ‘paper launch’ and shipping tons of units but demand exceeds supply”. Hmmm.
While “paper launch” isn’t a term you’ll find in the dictionary, it is usually used to refer to product launches that come with very limited quantities just so they can claim that their product “launched”.
So, if what Frank Azor says is true, and they did in fact ship” tons of units” then it can’t be classed as a “paper launch” necessarily. But, why then, were so many consumers left with empty baskets come launch day? One of the biggest issues with Nvidia’s recent 30-series launch came in the form of bots eating up all the available stock within seconds of them going live. So, did AMD have a plan to battle this? Once again, Azor took to Twitter to explain, saying the following:
“Yes, we made a strong effort and succeeded in many cases. It’s a battle that is never completely won but I applaud our teams efforts and those of our partners during this round. We continue to learn and adapt with every launch. We want our products in the hands of their intended users”.
The road to Hell, am I right? Despite all his claims that the launch was filled with products and not with bots, a quick look on Reddit, Twitter, or your friendly PC gamer Discord groups shows that getting one was nearly impossible.
Who’s managed to get themselves an AMD 5000 series CPU then?
If not check here 👉https://t.co/X2tmzd6h8W
— WePC (@wepc) November 5, 2020
We can’t really discuss the success of a product launch without taking into account the all-consuming black hole that is COVID-19. This pandemic has swept across the globe affecting every business from neighborhood shops to the biggest brands in the world. And, as consumers, we’ve all upped our tolerance for launch delays and stock issues – even if it is extremely annoying. We know that for a lot of businesses – there’s simply nothing they can do. With the Coronavirus beginning in China, a country that plays a critical role in the electronics manufacturing industry, we knew it was going to have a huge impact on PC hardware right from the start.
But, we need to be careful that we’re extending too many allowances for bad product launches that aren’t solely bad because of the pandemic. Nvidia’s 30-series launch was bad because of the invasion of bot buyers, not COVID. In times like these, brands should be working harder than ever to mitigate any possible negatives for their product launches to help make sure that they go smoothly in spite of COVID.
We’ve had many discussions about the success of recent product launched compared to previous years here in the WePC office, most recently around the AMD 5000 Series launch. Last year, when AMD launched their 3000 series CPUs we saw so many of you come through us to get hold of the latest line – and you loved it. And then this year, while you turned out in similar numbers, only a handful of you were able to actually buy one of the new CPUs. Stock levels lasted for around five minutes tops until we were all left staring longingly at product pages that simply read “Out of Stock” once again.
The fact that this echoed everyone’s experience with the Nvidia 30-series GPU launch, as well as the difficulties people had trying to pre-order the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles at first – we may be seeing the start of a worrying new trend for product launches. Now, I’m happy to give companies something of a free pass this year because of, well, 2020. But, if this is a trend that continues once we’re on the other side of this pandemic, then consumers are not going to be happy with the new normal.
With AMD’s 6000 Series GPU launch on the horizon (November 18th for the RX 6800 and RX 6800XT, and December 2nd for the 6900XT – mark your calendars) Team Red may be able to buck the trend and make for some happy PC builders once again – but I’m not feeling confident.
How have you found the recent product launches? Have you been able to get hold of what you wanted? Let us know your launch day stories in the comments below!
