Research Firm: Best Buy Trying Out Expanded Mac Sales
TMO Reports - Research Firm: Best Buy Trying Out Expanded Mac Sales
by , 7:25 PM EDT, June 1st, 2006
Research firm Current Analysis on Thursday sent a report to its clients noting that Best Buy retail stores in southern California have greatly expanded their Mac offerings, complete with large signs heralding the new products. The company previously sold the Mac mini, as well as the iPod and assorted accessories, but Current Analysis director of research Samir Bhavnani told The Mac Observer that this effort goes beyond that to include all of Apple's other computers, except for the Xserve. Software such as iLife and iWork are also for sale.
"This is huge for Apple, with back to school, which is a huge shopping season, coming up," he said. He explained that his firm has teams who scout retail stores for new trends, and last week they reported that Best Buy had started the trial run at its Los Angeles and San Diego locations. "It makes sense for them to expand their relationship with Apple," he added.
While Apple's share of the overall computer market continues to remain in the low-single digits -- a recent Gartner report said that it fell from 2.2% to 2% worldwide last quarter, AppleInsider reported on Thursday -- Mr. Bhavnani said that was to be expected as consumers wait for new Intel-based computers. "It's not a big deal," he noted of the recent slip. "Another couple of quarters and we'll see that change."
He said that his firm's research shows that the iPod's success is a major driver in new Mac sales. "We've seen that there's greater interest in Macs than there was a year ago," he commented.
Observer Comments
Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:30 pm Subject: Where's the Apple Death Knell Counter?
if Jobs wants better market share, he should reduce prices... but he doesn't give a crap about market share... and, no, it's not the same as BMW... (and, no, I'm NOT a windows fan... I LOVE the Mac and HATE windowzs... BUT... Macs are still too expensive and way too limited in choice... the only "consumer Mac" that Jobs sees fit to produce has NO EXPANSION capability... that sucks! and nobody in their mind would pay what he wants for "a toaster"... (his words, not mine)
this was bound to happen at some point. in the old days, Apple was in Best Buy, Curcuit City, Wal-Mart, etc. But that was the Performa days, when steve returned, all those channels where closed down.
Now, it's time once again to increase market awareness and "widen" the channel and Best Buy is better than most.
If all goes well, Macs will be sold everywhere iPods are sold. This is EXACTLY what Apple needs to do before it can hit 20% in the coming years.
Friends of mine went to best buy to buy an iPod. The geek there told them that they should buy the iriver because the nano was not rechargeable. Can you believe that, and the lemmings beleived him! When I laughed they said "why would someone tell me that if it wasn't true"?
These places are where the worst mac FUDs get started. The illiterate people they infect then go out with unabashed confidence to relay their new "facts" to all the other lemmings.
I just don't see best buy being a place that's Apple friendly.
Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:34 am Subject: Re: low single digits
QuoteGuest wrote:
if Jobs wants better market share, he should reduce prices... but he doesn't give a crap about market share... and, no, it's not the same as BMW... (and, no, I'm NOT a windows fan... I LOVE the Mac and HATE windowzs... BUT... Macs are still too expensive and way too limited in choice... the only "consumer Mac" that Jobs sees fit to produce has NO EXPANSION capability... that sucks! and nobody in their mind would pay what he wants for "a toaster"... (his words, not mine)
It's hard to know where to start with this ill-thought-out rant.
First, when you look at the price, you have to compare the Macs to a truly comparable Windows PC. Try building a Dell desktop that has what an iMac has--not counting the iLife software. Go out and do your homework.
Apple doesn't sell bottom-of-the-line computers. Neither does HP, but are you blustering about HP's prices? How about Sony and IBM laptops? In order to cut the price, Apple will have to cut out something.
A colleague recently went to buy a "cheap" PC for his daughter. The salesman (at a big chain store that shall be nameless) showed him the $500 PC that was advertised, then proceded to move him away to another one at $800. He pointed out that the cheap PC had a cheap sound card, cheap graphics card, etc., while the more expensive PC had better components. As they talked, the daughter said that she wanted to play games. Now, I sincerely doubt that she's playing 3-D shooter games--she's 11, but the salesman said, "Oh, then you need THIS PC," which was $1100. Then, he said that they needed to upgrade the monitor, the printer, the WiFi card (he also tried to sell them a wireless router, which they don't need), max out the RAM, add a DVD burner and Bluetooth (they don't have any Bluetooth devices), and on and on--ending up at nearly $1800. The kid was delighted, but Dad drew the line. He went back to the $500 PC and said, "I want this one." The girl was upset, but that's what they walked out with. Few people would have had the b*lls to do what he did. (The kid uses the PC mostly for email and IM'ing.)
OK, just what expansion capability do you want/need? (Oh, yeah: there are actually two "consumer" Mac lines--the Mac Mini and the iMac.) Consumer Reports keeps bashing the Macs for lack of expansion capabiity, but they can't come up with data showing that many people actually "expand" their PCs. Computer geeks do, of course, but they might represent 2% of the users. Businesses almost never "expand" a basic PC, unless it's for high-powered graphics or video use.
What are you going to "expand"? The HD? UPgrade the video card? (Talk to Windows users about putting in new video cards. It's not fun.) Wifi? Bluetooth? FireWire (often an "expansion" for a PC that takes up one slot)? Gigabit Ethernet?
Also, you can expand the Mac Mini and the iMac with external HDs, CD-RW and dual-layer DVD burners, a second monitor (try that with most PCs), etc. If you want video capture, get EyeTV.
If you're a real power user and need PCI cards, go buy a PowerMac G5.
Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:07 am Subject: Best Buy's attempt to sell Macs really died 7 years ago
At least here in Laurel Maryland. Their staff would chide me whenever I visited them for looking for Mac compatible hardware. Even claimed that Apple would one day return after they didn't like selling the fruity Mac. Worse yet, their sales people engage in bait and switch on regular sales items like dishwashers. I went to buy one 2 years ago, and all was peachy, until up at the register they refused to sell it to me without a $25 accessory pack. This was even if my existing dishwasher had all the right cables. If Best Buy wants to sell Macs, they will have to stop engaging in activities that no Mac user would want to deal with. Respect us Mac users. Respect your sales clients. I'd rather see Sears get back into the Mac act over Best Buy. And this even though they continued to try to telemarket me after I asked them not to.
QuoteI guess these statements cancel each other out. So no need to address this.Guest wrote:
if Jobs wants better market share, he should reduce prices... but he doesn't give a crap about market share...
QuoteThat was very insightful. Both have boatloads of cash. Both innovate in their respective industries. Both have a great public image. Both are top selling brands among the "luxury" end of their respective industries. Both have limited marketshare yet still have a rather large overall user base. I own both. Seems like a good analogy to me.Guest wrote:
and, no, it's not the same as BMW...
QuoteLOL. Ah the classic computer geek projecting his needs onto the other 99.9999% of the public. Sorry man, business is a numbers game. You are in the extreme minority. It sounds more like you are just upset you can't afford a higher end Mac. Get a better job or something. That's how the rest of us geeks afford them. Your average Joe does not expand his computer.Guest wrote:
Macs are still too expensive and way too limited in choice... the only "consumer Mac" that Jobs sees fit to produce has NO EXPANSION capability... that sucks!
QuoteNow when you say nobody... does that include the 1,112,000 people who bought Macs last quarter? Oh did you mean just the Mac mini? Sorry I don't have that number for you, but I think it might be > 0.Guest wrote:
and nobody in their mind would pay what he wants for "a toaster"... (his words, not mine)
Oh and speaking from first hand experience, the Mini is a sweet little machine. It meets the average person's needs in it's sleep. Even the old G4 ones. You can't argue with that statement since you have proven you do not know what the average person's needs are. Oh and guess what?!? The average person is exactly who the mini is for! Crazy Steve Jobs!
QuoteLOL. Ah the classic computer geek projecting his needs onto the other 99.9999% of the public. Sorry man, business is a numbers game. You are in the extreme minority. It sounds more like you are just upset you can't afford a higher end Mac. Get a better job or something. That's how the rest of us geeks afford them.Guest wrote:
Macs are still too expensive and way too limited in choice... the only "consumer Mac" that Jobs sees fit to produce has NO EXPANSION capability... that sucks!
That's the funny part, if he actually used his supposed computing knowledge and got a job working or supporting a Mac, he could afford to buy more expensive things like Macs and Beemers. Instead, he is sitting at home building the ultimate gaming machine for cheap and playing games all day long.
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