According to two unconfirmed reports, electronics retailer Best Buy is preparing to sell the Mac mini in stores,” MacRumors reports.
“Training materials on both selling and servicing the Mac mini have been distributed to the sales & service employees, with an anticipated rollout within the next few weeks,” MacRumors reports. “The Mac mini was first rumored to be sold in the brick-and-mortar Best Buy stores January 30; it is already available for purchase from BestBuy.com.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: On again, off again, on again, off… Let’s hope that this one sticks (if this rumor proves to be true) and that both Best Buy and Apple are simultaneously happy (for once). Speaking of “on again, off again,” let’s also hope that this rumor doesn’t start any new ones that mention the name that usually precedes Roebuck.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Report: Best Buy to sell Mac mini, could accelerate ‘iPod Halo Effect’ – January 28, 2005
Apple dips toe into Best Buy Stores again; retail trial in progress – August 16, 2003
Best Buy confims addition of Apple products to selected stores – July 31, 2003
Apple to launch Best Buy ‘Store Within a Store’ pilot program next month – July 30, 2003
Macs to return to Best Buy again? – July 29, 2003
Apple in talks with Best Buy about becoming Apple reseller again – June 12, 2003
Best Buy tries to clone PowerBook with help from Porsche – October 24, 2002
Apple’s iPod prominent feature of Best Buy website – October 06, 2002
Best Buy employees do not know anything about Apples, and therefore do not want anyone to buy one.
And I don’t think Apple will hire anyone just to sell the mini’s in the stores…
Cool I hope they sell millions of them.
Ever since Best Buy added the Mac Mini to their online selection in January, the Store Availability section of the item listing has said “Coming Soon – Please check back later”.
A quick glance today shows that it now states “Available at most stores”, although my area doesn’t have them quite yet.
They already have Macs, and minis specifically at the BestBuys in Canada. Unfortunately, the employees know little to nothing about Macs. (actually, they don’t know that much more about he PCs either)
A Store-within-a-store or an Apple-employee is the way to go.
The Blue Shirt Orcs or their store managers can’t be trusted.
Best Buy is the kind of store where you need to know more than the employee / drone trying to sell you something. Admittedly, that’s not hard — but what the hell is it going to do for Apple’s image if these ignorant “salespeople” either talk down the Mac or push the customer toward something else for a bigger kickback?
I guess we’ll just have to hope that a fire will grow for the Mac mini that will simply see people waltzing into the stores and demanding them, because I can’t see the typical Best Buy minimum-wager (who probably owns a PC) caring that much.
hehe.. sounds like they have a great rep..
no seriously.. more distribution is awesome …
let’s just hope the resellers dont get mad about.. competing with other resellers.. *groan
Just this last weekend I went into a local BestBuy (119th st, Olathe KS) and noticed that they had Apple keyboards and mice both bluetooth and usb. Why in the heck would they carry Apple keyboards and mice if they aren’t selling the computers in-house?
I hope if this happens, BestBuy properly trains all employees on the Mac and OS X thoroughly this time.
>I hope if this happens, BestBuy properly trains all >employees on the Mac and OS X thoroughly this time.
Why would they? Their employees aren’t trained on anything else in store.
Great, another place that won´t have any in stock!
It’s true that Best Buy does not train its employees. The best of them will skim owner’s manuals so they don’t sound completely lost.
I wonder about the effect of thousands of 256 meg mini’s out there. Sounds like a good way to get a reputation for being slow.
The only way Best Buy knows technology is when it bites them on the bum.
It’s the revenue and market share stupid
– that is all Apple want to get out of the deal.
I wonder what percentage of iPods are sold by 3rd party dealers. My guess is a lot. Apple want to replicate this for the Mac. If they get to sell a million extra macs a quarter that way they’ll be rolling in dough.
Apple are going for the kill and they can’t do it with cute boutiques alone. They need a lot of outlets.
About 2 weeks ago I walked into a Best Buy (Watertown, MA) and wanted to return my sisters ill-advised purchase of a gateway laptop (insert jokes here). well my wife asked the guy if they sell macs, and he replied with the typical/obvious answer “… no…” but then he said something I have only read on mac sites “… but we will start selling them next month…” I though, a bit odd, but this kid doesnt know what hes talking about… looks like he may have been right.
Soon to be most asked question at Best Buy:
Customer: “Where is the Mac software?….”
BB: “We don’t have any – I think it already bundled with the Mac mini”
or “You have to download the latest service pack to get it”
or “If you want software you might consider a pc…”
or “We have a left over copy of Heavy Metal FAKK2 in the back”
“[…] the name that usually precedes Roebuck.”
Kmart?
They won’t sell – the employees don’t care. I worked at BB for years… the guys selling the computer equip – were all PC geeks and couldn’t give a rats tush about Apple.
Management pushing Apple? – that’s a pipe dream.
i agree with Drool Tunes. My experience with Best Buy salespeople have shown them to be quite ignorant about what’s really important. My feeling is that they will more likely propagate the negative Mac myths. They will say that the Mini isn’t expandable enough, that it isn’t a good gaming computer, and that there isn’t any software for it. The people that work there are the ones that swear by their Windows PCs and are clueless about what consumers actually want (sounds kind of like analysts).
I was with someone that wanted to buy the computer advertised on a flyer, but the salesperson essentially said that the computer they were advertising is no good, and that they would have to spend an extra several hundred dollars to purchase a “usable” computer. I also overheard one of their “experts” tell someone why they shouldn’t get an iPod.
Since it seems like many people shop at Best Buy and listen to the advice they receive there, I think this is going to damage Apple’s image. My guess is that Best Buy wants to display the Mac Mini to get people in the store and then will end up selling them their Gateways and Compaqs.
First of all let me say that bashing all Best Buy employee’s is just wrong.
“Best Buy employees do not know anything about Apples.” JJ
” the employees don’t care.” Cooderbrown
“My experience with Best Buy salespeople have shown them to be quite ignorant about what’s really important.” King_alvarez.
Those are only a few of you bashing Best Buy employees. Yes, I agree that some do not know very much, especially about apple but I work for Best Buy. I own 3 Mac’s and I’m about to buy a new power book. Bashing everyone in general is just flat out rude. We do get training at Best Buy. The training is general and those of us who know more than others is because it interests us. I’m just appalled by how many of you would just generalize like that. I’m sorry that you had a bad experience and if it had been me that helped you I would have done it all right the first time. I’ve been selling computers, etc. for many years.
On another note, YES Best Buy WILL be carrying the Mac Mini. We have already received keyboards and mice from apple and tags for the systems. They already have places on the planograms (Layout in the department). So I look forward to selling them to people and helping them out.
Please, as I said before, bashing all employee’s is just rude. It’s prejudging everyone. If you had a bad experience it’s the fault of that employee, not the company, or the rest of the associates. Thanks!
I was just in BB this weekeend and asked if they sold macs. The sales rep said Not yet, but in about a month. (nothing discussed specific to mini)
(Of note 1: A customer asked one of the other reps if they sold Dells, he thought they did but checked with my sales guy to confirm. Of course they don’t)
(Of Note 2: I was there because I switched my in-laws from a cancerous IBM to a mini and discovered their printer was parallel and not USB so had to get a new one. So far they are thrilled.)
Hey Chris – what does the planogram say about what type of monitor/display is going to be hooked up to the Mac mini?
MDN Magic Word: black – as in “BestBuy selling Macs is going to help keep apple in the “black”!”
Please Apple, if you are going to sell these in Best Buy, do two things for me:
1)Wait until 10.4 is preloaded and 512MB RAM is standard.
2)Have an Apple rep there at least once a week (preferably Sat/Sun) to answer questions and stop the spread of FUD and misinformation.
I think #1 will prevent customers from complaining about having in immediately upgrade memory or an OS. I think that once the Best Buy employees hear the ‘right’ answers to people’s Mac questions, then they’ll repeat them in the Apple rep’s absence.
Actually, though I’ve never bought a computer at Best Buy, I’ve bought plenty of other electronic equipment there and have found that most of the employees are quite knowledgeable and very courteous (Dodge St, Omaha, NE). Especially the Tarantino-wannabee film geeks in the DVD department.
My only worry is, as another person pointed out, that by selling the $499 base model with only 256MB of RAM, people might be disappointed in the Mini’s speed.
I wish that ‘Chris of BestBuy’ would have let us know which store he works at so that we all can visit ‘him’.
It would be swell if we all could get the great and knowledgeable service that he provides for ‘his’ customers. Because unfortunately, the three BB stores in my area of the world, all employ the type of person that has been ‘generalized’ by others.
I went to the second closest store yesterday to pick up a NGC game, and thought I’d see what ‘their’ ‘Mac dept.’ was like.
I stood there for 15 mins sorting a garbled iMac. Not a single of the -what, 50 or more- employees asked if I needed help or what I was doing for that matter. My wife asked twice if they could move one of those big-ass rollaway ladders from in front of an iBook she wanted to look at.
Huh! And you think you can chastise MDNers for rudeness?
We left. Empty-handed, I might add.
Unfortunately, Apple needs to learn the hard way. This won’t work, yet again.
–
BTW, it was the exact same display of apathy at the furthest store even after I already paid for a ‘hard-to-find’ DS game my kid wanted, and again after I already paid for a NEEDED printer cart at the closest store.
Three bad examples locally. Is this endemic of ‘Best’Buy? Apparently so.
Oh, and what’s with making you fill out some 14″-long application form when you want to return an ‘unopened’ item that clearly indicates on the receipt that you paid CASH for?!
MW: Am I ‘through’ with BestBuy?
I’m praying that Apple will give us a Rep. to be there at least once a week. That makes perfect sense. I want to apply for the position.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” /> It would be perfect for me. As to the monitor that is supposed to go with it I’m unsure. I’ll try to remember to check tomorrow for you. I also agree that waiting until 512mb is standard with 10.4 would be great. As to the guy that mentioned that an associate thought that Best Buy carried Dell; he and whoever hired him should be fired. lol. Remember, judge the person if you must but don’t assume it’s everyone!:)