For years, Apple suffered from chronic supply shortages that sabotaged their lead in new markets. Steve Jobs was a master of demonstrating products that were ahead of their time only to see others catch up by the time Apple had produced an adequate supply of product to meet demand.
Times have changed under the leadership of Tim Cook. Apple's recent announcement of the iPhone 4S might have seemed pedestrian compared to the technical rabbits Steve Jobs pulled out of hats when he was on-stage. But, subsequent financial performance and stock price show the benefit of making retail availability a core competency.
