Can someone clear up some confusion for me please.

When they pitch to business about their products and secure orders, are the orders actually fulfilled or is it all theoretical orders?

What I don't get, is that if it's all to do with the number of orders, why don't they just let the retailers pay tuppence for the product thereby letting them have huge net profit, which will lead them to ordering thousands of them.

They are theoretical orders for theoretical products. The pitching (and ordering) process is designed to illustrate how these things would work with real products.

Thank you !

(explains why I've never seen any of the products).

They could, but it's not realistic. Neither the buyers or Lord Sugar would be impressed and I am sure Lord Sugar would simply say 'not impressed, let's judge this on revenue rather than units ordered, shall we?'

The problem is I reckon these tasks are easy to rig. For example....

Sugar finds out about the products, picks the one he likes (the rather naff compostor bin) and then tells the the companies to make more orders for the one he likes. As these products never get marketed it doesn't matter if the companies lie about the orders.

In the past at least one of the products done on The Apprentice has gone to market. I can't remember which one but it certainly didn't go to market within a few days of pitching! Products can take months or even years to get right. The guy on Your Fired said his invention/product took four years to sell a million units. It was a long slog. On The Apprentice they give the illusion companies make instant orders. "Sure, we'll buy your bin with a hole at the bottom!" I doubt that is remotely realistic.

I just remembered the mobile phone app task they did. Was that real too? as in did real people download it?

All fake! All the candidates are actors too.

DA DA DAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Except for Stella who is suing Sugar for all his fortune. Good for her!

The Bodyrocka was brought to market by Phil "Pantsman" Taylor - it did take well over a year as you say.
Shame that we (well me at least) remember him as "Pantsman" and not "Mr Bodyrocka"

Yep - revenue is only really included to see if the contestants can understand maths and profit margins etc. The point of the exercise itself is all about learning who is best at corporate pitches, and who is best at designs and so on.

I really doubt Jedi Jim's biscuits from the last series actually made it to shelves *chuckle*

"When they pitch to business about their products and secure orders, are the orders actually fulfilled or is it all theoretical orders?"

Theoretical orders. Based on the quality of the pitch and the product's *potential*, theoretical orders are made. As mentioned on the other thread, Philip Taylor's Body Rocka product was featured in the 2009 series and got orders. However, it took Taylor two years to get the product to market so the orders made in the actual episode were made-up.

If it is their own products, it's make-believe. If they are pitching another company's products, it can be real (and mistakes can be more serious, eg giving exclusivity when they don't have the rights to.)

Yes, because that was the measure of success, ie they had to get real people to download them. They were both unspeakably awful imo.

Now where did I put those emergency biscuits?

That one did make me laugh!