“Apple now selling the $499 computer at Best Buy, the second big retailer to carry the little PC,” Reuters reports. “Apple Computer Inc. has started selling its Mac mini computer at retailer Best Buy Co. Inc. stores, the second large electronics retailer to carry the slim $499 PC, the company said Tuesday. Apple rolled out the Mac mini, which is sold without a monitor, keyboard or computer mouse, in January, taking solid aim at making its products more affordable for the masses. It’s the cheapest Macintosh to date.”
“Privately held CompUSA Inc. also sells the Mac mini. Best Buy also sells iPods and iPod accessories in its stores, but no other Macintosh computers than the mini, Best Buy spokesman Kevin Cockett said. The mini is now available at the retailer’s 671 U.S. stores,” Reuters reports. “Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said in a statement that it was ‘pleased to offer’ the Mac mini at Best Buy. Shares of Apple rose 2 percent Tuesday to close at $41.89 on Nasdaq. After more than tripling in 2004, Apple shares have risen 30 percent so far this year.”
Full article here.
Now Bestbuy just needs an Apple software section. I was there yesterday looking for Doom 3 and those morons were like “duhhh check and see if the pc version is also mac compatible duhhh”.
Just HOPE the sales people are knowledgable. I remember talking to a salesperson when the first iMac was sold there (way back!) and the salesperson said, and I quote “the Apple iMac is the worst computer ever made… we should stop carrying them…” needless to say I gave him a piece of my mind.
Here’s to hope!
It may not have been so daft to suggest checking the PC box. It might have been that the CD was dual format. If the Mac can read a PC disk, and the software (as opposed to the data – textures, maps, etc, which would be the same) is small, then it might make sense to ship a dual format game.
OK. It’s a long shot, but not impossible.
Firefox’s new pop-up blocker is working smashingly. I haven’t had an annoying pop-up in a while and even MacDailyNews’ ad was blocked again. whoopie
Prediction: Gone from Best Buy by end of year.
Reason: Apple does not promote, Apple does not Market, Apple does not Advertise it´s computers or OS. (And if they did, they do it ineffectively – lots of loopy feel good stuff, with no facts.)
All of Apple´s marketing budget is allocated to making the Apple stores (more) profitable on paper.
Job´s is praying for a grassroots hip/cool in social movement like he got with the iPod. The macmini is not an ipod.
I still have no clue why they won’t spend a little bit and have a TV/Print advertising campaign for the Mac mini either…
We can only hope that Apple will finally start marketing its OS with Tiger. A few quick images of Dashboard, Spotlight, Fast User Switching and Expose should speak for themselves.
Personally, I would never consider buying anything from Best Buy. After experiencing their incredibly poor support first hand, I’m surprised they are still in business.
In regards to Apple advertising the mini, I’m all for it. It seems many believe that Apple is waiting for Tiger or the next revision of the mini. Whatever is is, I commented on that about a month ago and was met with some grumpy feedback on the subject:
http://schwarztech.us/articles/mailbag1.shtml
(sorry if this is viewed as a plug – I just wanted to weigh in on the advertising aspect)
Best regards,
Eric
RC who knows.. cannibalization maybe..
The Apple Stores themselves ARE the advertising… people go in the buy ipods.. so macs.. etc etc..
The key is… Apple’s big problem has always been distribution.. with backordered Mac minis.. and now this deal… it’s a huge step towards great distribution..
RC – When demand is outstripping supply, there’s no need to advertise on TV. The print ads Apple does in targeted magazines is very effective.
There’s a big thread on this subject over on MacRumors.com. Several BestBuy employees have commented that they are receiving tech and sales training on the mini and are excited about it. I guess we’ll soon see whether the training and excitement filters down to all the blue shirts on the floor or not.
bestbuy = no interest for 18 months…make the system $650 out the door..dvide that by 18 months…that’s $35 a month….a great deal, people!
PS – Best Buy will also promote the mini in the Sunday circulars. As you may or may not know, manufacturers usually pay the sellers for these such promotions.
When supply catches up with demand, and as sales continue to grow, it may again make sense for Apple to spend money on TV ads.
1 more PS –
The Best Buy Geek Squad is also getting training on adding RAM, BlueTooth, etc to the minis. Apple’s training packets included putty knifes and sandpaper!
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Hey Hywel, the reason it wouldn’t be in the same box is because Doom 3 for the PC is done by ID_Software, while for the Mac it’s done by Aspyr. The only time they are in the same box is when they are done by the same company, a good example of this is World of Warcraft.
This Best Buy thing is a bad idea… you’re gonna get a bunch of people going in there asking,
“How many FPS does it get on shooter games?”
“Is it compatible with Napster?”
Best Buy stores tend to get a lot of the phony macho types… Neon lighted computers, etc… The Apple Mini isn’t that… it doesn’t have a loud speaker system included… it doesn’t have any bling to it at all, other than being cute… and that’s why it won’t sell at a Best Buy, despite being a better product.
I say it’s gone by the end of the year, unless Apple really makes an effort to make it look good, and not like some forgotten piece of hardware in the corner… That’s Apple’s responsiblity. Best Buy doesn’t give a flying….
Eric can you answer your own questions please.
(I’m not being a smart ass. I’m curious to answers.)
How many FPS on shooters?
Is is compatible with Napster?
I have shown 50 people our mac mini. Maybe two of them had heard of the product. I think Apple’s advertising sucks, again.
Particular insights into “demand vs. supply” are interesting, but there is obviously no shortage, hence the best buy hookup. If the idea is to expand market share, encourage software development, and sell to previous wintel owners, it isn’t working, yet.
FPS on shooters? Your mileage may vary… but just try setting the detail to high and that 32MB ATI will just slog along…
It’s also not compatible with Napster… which I make mention of because of how Best Buy is taking mucho Napster dollars to promote Napster.
I don’t think whether a product is compatible or not with Napster should dictate whether or not Best Buy should carry it.
The mini works with the iTunes and iPods and there is speculation that Apple may launch a subscription based service. Previous rumors indicate that Napster is working on Mac client software (has this changed?).
I know Best Buy sucks and Apple may decide not to use them as a reseller again in the future. But the truth is Best Buy sells a lot of product.
If you decide to buy in Best Buy something electronic, you have to be ready to live a nightmare if for any reason you need support from the Management or the Geek Squad.
I do go to best buy,but I do research before I buy a product.When I ever do ask a question in a tech store,I do it to see how much they know compared to someone pretty young in his years..For example:Went to Circut City.I was taking a “gander” at the new PCs.Then I asked a question about using an ibook through school.He said something like if I’m preferably into the “artistic” field,macs are the way to go.I said,”aren’t they good for other things?”He said,”well,sure,but they’re best for graphic design.”Honestly,he seemed like he didn’t know much about macs except what he’d heard from doubters.
Just out of curiousity I stopped by the local BB after work yesterday to see what was up. And lo, there was a Mac Mini. And the worst fears of some of the people where were NOT realized.
First, they had the Mini hooked up to BIGGEST LCD TV/Monitor they had – the contrast between the monitor and the Mini was so weird! You actually lost the Mini on the desk. It was like a peripheral or something.
While I was standing there, two BB “sales drones” came up. The first was a rather cute girl, who basically blurted out “Isn’t it the coolest thing? Wow!” and tore off after another customer when I said I didn’t need help. The other was the typical BB “surfer dude” (though what surfer is doing in Northern Alabama is anybody’s clue) who talked to me about it. He couldn’t believe Apple packed that much performance into that small a package. He mentioned that “once you go Apple you never go back,” I replied that I started with a Mac II in 1987, when a 40 Mb hard drive was big news…which got an eye-opener out of him.
On the down side, neither one seemed to know much about the platform itself, or what it could do, or even if they had any in stock – but there was no outright hostility toward the platform.