“Best Buy, North America’s largest consumer electronics retailer, and Apple are flogging the new MacBook units, as well as the MacBook Pro, Mac Mini and iMac systems, said Samir Bhavnani, an analyst with Current Analysis. The Mac maker has prominent displays and units available in several Best Buy stores throughout the United States, he said,” Tom Krazit reports for CNET News.
Krazit reports, “Best Buy has been selling Apple’s popular iPod music players and Mac Minis for some time, but the latest move represents a major expansion of Apple’s retail efforts with Best Buy, as well as those outside of its own retail stores, Bhavnani said.”
“The move should help Apple get ready for the back-to-school shopping season, which is generally considered to be the second-busiest period of the year for the PC industry, Bhavnani said. The move also shows that Apple is very confident about the inventory situation regarding its new Intel-based products, he said,” Krazit reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “NeverFade” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: We can’t wait to start hearing Best Buy Mac anecdotes again.
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Apple Mac mini now available at 671 Best Buy retail stores – April 06, 2005
It’s official: Apple acknowledges Best Buy to carry Mac mini models – April 05, 2005
When I buy mine, I’ll probably go to the Apple Store. The purchasing experience is much better. Still, if you buy from Best Buy, you are encouraging them to sell, right?
I think the only important thing about Best Buy (and CompUSA) is that they have stores where Apple doesn’t. So Apple can get a little mindshare without having to establish it’s own store.
This should be interesting…
How quickly things change.
Just last week a clerk at the local Best Buy retailer (about 15 miles away from me)told me they didn’t carry Apple products other than iPods, and didn’t seem to know much about them.
It should be interesting to see Best Buy’s newspaper flier this Sunday.
The nearest Apple Stores are about an hour and a half away from where I live, so Best Buy is the closest place to actually go see the computers, although I’m sure it doesn’t offer the same experience.
I notice all flavors of Macbooks/Macbook Pros also are on the Best Buy Web site now, too.
Delivering product to channels like CompUSA, Best, etc. is only part of the battle.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the “sales” people at these windblows centric big box stores don’t have a fsking clue about why someone should consider a Mac vs. say a Hell. I mean, they are totally clueless.
Apple will have to rely on their own marketing effort to get people only use these Best Buy sales reps as “order takers” and certainly not as “sales consultants”.
Rock on Steve!
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Yikes. I bought a digital piano in Atlanta from “Best” Buy only because of the sale price. The service was abominable. This may not be good. I would rather buy online next time.
As successful as the Apple Stores are, there are still far more Best Buys around North America than there will ever be Apple Stores.
Sales channels are only one part of the issue. I’ve heard crappy sales guys know nothing, but hold sway because they where a blue polo shirt. Distribution is good, but people are still too unsure of what Apple’s computers are. I know many who think M$ started computing.
Ugh, just typing that made me want to throttle someone.
wonder if you’ll be able to get a decent warranty from Best Buy, Apple’s is relatively conditional. An Apple Army needs to make sure Best Buy employee’s are schooled properly in all things Mac.
Ok ALL!! Remember when you take a trip to Best Buy. Help Apple out by cleaning up the messy desktops and add programs to the Dock so the average PC buyer or new to Apple buyer sees there are a TON of programs on the Mac. A fresh reboot wouldn’t hurt too.
CompUSA has Mac sales guys daily so their Apples are cleaned up and working on a regular basis.
Supposedly, the Geek Squad experts who are headquartered in Best Buy stores also work on and are familiar with Macs (at least that’s what a clerk told me), but the sales staff members definitely are geared toward PCs.
In fact, unless you go in the store with an idea of exactly what you want in a PC, I’ve observed they often tend to steer you toward certain brands.
“As successful as the Apple Stores are, there are still far more Best Buys around North America than there will ever be Apple Stores.”
Flashback to Performas (as crappy as they were) in Sears stores. Non-functioning demo models and enormously dense salespeople.
I would LOVE to be optimistic.
I just convinced one of our sales guys to buy a new Intel iMac who was die-hard Window just today. He went to an Apple Store in Michigan and was “blown away” (his words) by the new Macs. He thought it was cool that he could run Windows if he needed to. Like I said, it’s a gateway drug.
Maybe the incredibly bright Best Buy employees could tell people that the MacBook is an “iPod Laptop”? Thanks to MacMania for that.
A companion concern relating to Apple computer product sales in Best Buy stories is that they don’t stock any Mac software/programs. Not even Microsoft Office for Mac, according to the Best Buy clerk last week.
One would think that should change, considering the “Get a Mac” advertising running now specifically mentions that Macs run MS Office.
What’s this, round ten of the BestBuy/Apple on again, off again game.
But, ya never know, with BootCamp, maybe the BBY sales weenies will feel right at home.
I’ve been spreading the Mac word to many PC friends and with some success and the Best Buy thing helps because some people don’t want to drive 40 minutes just to check out a Macbook or iMac.
Me myself, I would drive hours if I have to. My house started with one iPod mini, then iBook and now we have a Powerbook G4 and several iPods.
Keep climbing Apple…
http://www.djkirklive.com
CompUSA has Mac sales guys daily so their Apples are cleaned up and working on a regular basis.
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Not the CompUSA in Anaheim, Ca. I was there last week to pick up a new keyboard (spilled coffee and lost the space bar,) No Macbooks yet, and the dual G5 Powermac had 512 RAM and was running 10.4.2 and still had iLife 05 installed..
People, I believe the article said “SEVERAL” stores, not all stores.
I’m very curious as to how this will end up. I’ve worked at Best Buy for a few years, and Mac’s we’re not the sales staff’s favorite computers (neither were the customers though). I will only purchase Mac’s myself. Anyways, about a year ago, we carried the Mac Mini (original 256mb RAM) and sold a good 2 or 3 the entire time. Although Mac’s have got all new great things going with them, I fear they will once again end up ditched from Best Buy’s shelves. If we don’t carry Mac software (and prep our staff), I don’t think they will last.
Not sure if this is a spoof or not, but they claim these are actual requested laser engravings for iPods that were formally rejected by Apple. They also show some pics and have a list of some that were accepted (The one about George Bush looks PS’ed to me, but I could be wrong) have a look for yourself:
http://www.methodshop.com/mp3/articles/rejectedengraving/
^^^ didn’t realize how old that was when I came across it…..Oh well. If you havent seen it, I suppose it’s a chuckle.
MDN can censor this at their discretion. A little tutorial on how to capture those YouTube streams:
http://www.methodshop.com/mp3/tutorials/youtuberip/
All they have to do is make sure the displays are rolling all the Mac TV ads…
They’ll do a better job than any PC salesman.
Nobody in computer retail knows their arse from their elbow. Otherwise they’d have a real tech job.
You can bet most computer sales people in Best Buy, Comp USA or an Apple store have trouble spelling PC letalone understanding too much about the differences between any particular PC models.
I was just at the Best Buy here in Philly on Chemical Road (yeah, I know, great name for a road – real appealing) just last week. Not a single Mac to be found, nor has there ever been. Maybe there will be some soon.