Apple is cutting a deal with the devil...ask all of those compaines that were in a rush to get in bed with Wal*Mart because wow if we had Wal*Mart...and in the end...Wal*Mart owned them or threw them out!
Apple is cutting a deal with the devil...ask all of those compaines that were in a rush to get in bed with Wal*Mart because wow if we had Wal*Mart...and in the end...Wal*Mart owned them or threw them out!
I agree...the might have talked with MasterLock and Vlasic before making this move. But we'll see.
Perhaps living too close to a nuclear-free zone skews my reasoning, but I have always paid amounts higher (sometimes way higher) than all my PC buds to own macs. It didn't bother me.
I figure, I'm Apple's base. I don't just buy Mac Mini's and ipod shuffles- I buy Powerbooks and G5 Powermacs, Cinema Displays. . . and I talk my bosses into the same. As I drive around in my (somewhat) environmentally correct vehicle, my Apple sticker sits happily next to the flying cardboard box Calvin/Hobbes on the rear window.
Apple was cool, they did the R&D thing while Bill & Co. did the reverse engineering gig. Man, I never had to think about Apple scr@wing anyone before. . .
But now. . . now I'm supposed to feel good with the concept that, wow, I can pay less for my mac products and know thousands of hard working Americans selling them to me (increasing the almighty Apple marketshare!) can't afford to bring their kids to the doctor? Steve, how about it? Can you imagine what it would be like not to have health insurance for you and your family?
I want to feel good about the things I buy. If Apple's new statement is "we need more marketshare, and we'll do anything to get it? then I don?t feel too warm and comfy buying an Apple. Heck, I may as well just buy an HP and discuss the shortfalls of the American educational system with Carly.
Although this post has received some negative responses, I have to agree with it. It's not about being snobby or putting lower-income people down, it's about raising the standard of living, the value of goods, and the value of the people behind the goods.
The facts are simple. It's the Wal-Marts of the world devaluing the world while increasing the amount of junk filling our landfills.
It is [used to be?] the Apples of the world that challenged the status quo, putting love and compassion back into the materials we build our life on.
Most people don't realize that "goods" are always free. Mother Earth gives us *everything* for free. Any time we purchase a product, we are paying the *people* behind that product, and the less we pay, the less we put into their pocket, and what goes around, comes around. We get less in our pocket. The whole concept of "saving money by buying cheaper" doesn't do anybody any good.
I want to feel good about the things I buy. If Apple's new statement is "we need more marketshare, and we'll do anything to get it? then I don?t feel too warm and comfy buying an Apple. Heck, I may as well just buy an HP and discuss the shortfalls of the American educational system with Carly.
Ok, I really don't know the answer to this so I'm not going after you, but your post made me wonder; What are the working conditions in the Taiwan factories where our PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs, etc are made?
I think this is a good thing. I hope Wal-Mart also starts carrying iTMS prepaid cards, hopefully at a discount from face value. I could also very easily see Apple attempting to maintain pricing by bundling. Rather than letting Wal-Mart or Sams Club offer the Shuffle much cheaper, I bet (at least in Sams anyway) that there will be a bundle of an iPod shuffle and an iTMS card.
We have two kids and I?ve always tried to raise them to be cognizant of the items that we buy- who makes them, are their employees paid appropriately, do they hurt the environment, etc.
I remember my son and I in a sporting goods store a few years back. I refused to buy him Nikes. At $79, I figured the actual work was being done by someone making pennies, and refused to ante up that amount to line the already bulging pocketbook of someone who didn?t need it. I told him he needed to find a pair that were made somewhere where poorly treated workers weren?t making sweatshop wages. He did, a New Balance pair, made by union workers in Massachusetts, that cost $20 more. Which, we bought. He thought I was nuts at the time (older now, though, he buys his own stuff, and I note, he still looks for those New Balance sneakers- which are harder and harder to find).
I don?t know the conditions of the factories that create Apple?s items. I always assumed (not a good thing, I know) that Taiwan, a democratic republic
would be better than some of the ones you?d read about in Indonesia. But I do know, for sure, that Walmart, here in the US, is not known for being sensitive to their employee?s needs.
In the end, though, everyone has their opinions and the way they choose to live their lives. If Apple chooses to do business with a company whose business practices I don?t approve of, as a consumer, I can choose not to buy their products. Even if it hurts. . .
I probably wanted a new Powerbook way more than my son ever wanted those Nikes. . .
Wrong. Acording to the Department of Labor and the UFCW Walmart only pays about 8.00 an hour. And the average employee works 32 hours a week. That comes to and average of 13,000 a year. Before Taxes. And that is below poverty.
[QUOTE]I think that it is safe to say that Walmart pays it employees
much better than McDonalds[QUOTE]
This is true except McDonalds employees have insurance, access to workers compensation, profit sharing programs, continuing education programs and many more benifits.
Sense one has to work 40 hours a week to be considered a full time worker. Walmart technically does not have any full time workers. Therefore they do not have to provide things like insurance and workser compensation or unemployment beniftis.
In the end, though, everyone has their opinions and the way they choose to live their lives. If Apple chooses to do business with a company whose business practices I don?t approve of, as a consumer, I can choose not to buy their products. Even if it hurts. . .
I probably wanted a new Powerbook way more than my son ever wanted those Nikes. . .
That's your choice. Good for you. Luckily for Apple, I'm sure they will make up MANY times the loss of a few fana...ahem..."concerned" users....with the extra sales from Walmart. So as an AAPL investor I'm happy
Sense one has to work 40 hours a week to be considered a full time worker. Walmart technically does not have any full time workers. Therefore they do not have to provide things like insurance and workser compensation or unemployment beniftis.
The government sets this 40-hour threshold - just vote for somebody that will lower that threshold to 30 hours, or possibly trigger a special clause if a company has too big of a part-time/full-time ratio.
"Don't hate the player, hate the game" -> the government sets the rules of the game, Wal-mart just trys to make as much money as possible in that game.
The $9.98 figure is from the Wal-mart website - but maybe it includes the executive pay (each $1.2 million in pay would raise the average by $1).
What I think is an interesting conflict here is that Walmart has its own online music store, and it won't work with iPods. Walmart will be selling a product that helps give more business to Apple's online music business.
Maybe Walmart's online store is doing so little business that this is only a minor consideration.
I, for one, am very glad that Apple products are one again coming to a Wal-Mart near me. To be more precise, coming to My Wal-Mart. Yes, I implied two ideas there that seem to be in sharp contrast to the general view, and I would like the oportunity to clear up a few issues, though I know I will be flamed, and then ignored.
First, Apple is not as new of an addition to Wal-Mart as people would like to think. Some on this forum have mentioned that people should get their history right about Wal-Mart, and that is true, but let's look at the relationship with Apple as well. I bought my first 'family' Mac from Wal-Mart. When Apple first decided to go after the lower-priced range (albiet at a lower performance), they sold their Performa line at Wal-Mart. Also at Sears, and several other retailers who were, at the time, the popular places you would go to get a computer. Of these places, Sears was the 'best'. Wal-Mart only stopped offering Apple products because Wal-Mart's philosophy of finding ways to lower it's COGS meant that Apple's royalty for being an Apple Authorized Reseller (then $10,000 per operating unit) was unacceptable.
Second, Wal-Mart's defense. Since I have mentioned the policy of continually lowering costs, it should be noted that the end goal of this is to supply a product at a lower cost to the consumer. Not only does Wal-Mart provide a means for it's customers to have a greater purchasing power, Wal-Mart often makes less of a profit (many times even a loss) per item than most of it's competitors when selling the exact same item. I am not talking about the supposed 'Remanufactured' items that Wal-Mart is always rumored to sell (not true, BTW), but I mean the identical items, from the same suppliers, with the same UPC.
As for Wal-Mart's wages. This is an issue that the media has simply blown out of proportion for years. The figure of $8 as an average is understated. Yes, I do work for Wal-Mart. I have for the past 7 years. My wife has also been there 7 years. We work in the smallest Wal-Mart Supercenter, with the smallest market, and thus the lowest pay of any other in the country. Check it if you like, Store# 1131, Taylorsville, NC. 109,000 sq. ft. The 'normal' size for a Wal-Mart Supercenter is generally 153,000 sq. ft. and up. My first 5 years with Wal-Mart, I worked at Store #1662, which was, at the time, the largest Supercenter on the east coast. When I talk about Wal-Mart, I speak from experience. Even the 'official' figure of $9.82 that Wal-Mart claims is seen, in my store, as a joke. My store employees 300 people, and the average wage is definately higher than that, for anyone that has been with the company over 1 year. The problem with statistics concerning wages, is that they do not generally take into consideration a company's turnover. Because Wal-Mart is seen by many as an after school job, or a first job, turnover is high. Of course starting wages are not as high as this average, though they are still well above minimum wage.
About Full Time employement and benefits. The guideline of 28hrs./week as being considered Full Time is the single biggest benefit at Wal-Mart. This guideline is not at all what the media has made it seem. They would have people believe that the most a person can work at a Wal-Mart store is 28hrs, and therefore not eligible for full time benefits. This couldn't be farther from the truth. I cannot remember the last week that I was scheduled less than 38 hours. That is more than most other stores in retail give their employees at this time of year, and this is also Wal-Mart's last month of the fiscal year, when expenditure control for things like payroll are a top priority. What the 28 hour guideline says is that, should my hours drop, by either low sales (how often does Wal-Mart have that!) or a change in my availability due to family commitments or what have you, I will still be considered a Full Time associate as long as my time does not dip below 28hrs for more than 3 consecutive weeks. If I decide to work 3 half days in the summer to be able to spend time with my kids, I do not lose my full time status.
I would like to get in to other things that seem to be miscommunicated about Wal-Mart, such as their Profit Sharing and 401(k) plans, the company paid life insurance, percentage matched stock purchase plans, and the dozen other benefits that Wal-Mart pays that make an associates 'wage' much more than their take-home pay, but I fear I have taken up enough space in this forum so far. For those saying, if you don't like your job, leave, you are exactly right. But please do not imply that education level is what keeps people at Wal-Mart. I have 6 years of higher education. For those who place stock in such things, which I do not, I have a considerably high I.Q. I choose to stay at Wal-Mart, though, because of their treatment of their associates. I have a low-end job at Wal-Mart. I work on the shipping/receiving docks. Yet I often have talks with my store management, and district manager about how I feel things are being done in the company. I do feel like I am treated as a partner, an associate, an equal with those in 'higher' positions at Wal-Mart. I am never treated as a subordinate.
The concerns that most people have with Wal-Mart are typical of those brought about toward any company as large and powerful as Wal-Mart has become. These myths about the company have been allowed to perpetuate largely because of Wal-Mart's long stance against self-praise. In defense, Wal-Mart has had to relax these policies. For 2 decades, Wal-Mart has not tried to 'blow it's own horn' for the media. The idea that one can try to be a better servant to the community and people will take notice has failed. Wal-Mart's competitors display huge signs in the front of their store touting their charitable contributions, trying to pull at the heartstrings of their patrons. These contributions are usually paltry in comparison to Wal-Mart's, but Wal-Mart does not advertise on these. I find that to be an admirable quality.
As for the Apple products, I have been using them for 20 years, and I cannot wait to see them finally have the public exposure they deserve.
I agree...the might have talked with MasterLock and Vlasic before making this move. But we'll see.
Also, RCA, those 200$ 27 inch TVs didnt come from a law of volume, look at their internal components and the over all build quality vs the same brand 10 years ago, hell, why do you think that RadioShack is phaseing out RCA in favor of Magnavox and Sony...sad... Lets hope that the ipod shuffle is the beginning and the end of this relationship.
But If Apple dictates the terms, this could be good - and if walmart tries to pull one on them, apple can "take their ball can go home" so to speak, Apple has their own retail gig going and growing strong, unlike vlassic or master, they dont need outlets like wallmart to get their goods out, but just a few months of the ipod and - dare i say the mac mini in wal mart would espose it to a whole new crowd for osx - and can you think of a better place to sell ipod and maybe mac mini+ilife than the #1 cd/dvd retailer in the nation?
First, Apple is not as new of an addition to Wal-Mart as people would like to think. Some on this forum have mentioned that people should get their history right about Wal-Mart, and that is true, but let's look at the relationship with Apple as well. I bought my first 'family' Mac from Wal-Mart. When Apple first decided to go after the lower-priced range (albiet at a lower performance), they sold their Performa line at Wal-Mart. Also at Sears, and several other retailers who were, at the time, the popular places you would go to get a computer. Of these places, Sears was the 'best'. Wal-Mart only stopped offering Apple products because Wal-Mart's philosophy of finding ways to lower it's COGS meant that Apple's royalty for being an Apple Authorized Reseller (then $10,000 per operating unit) was unacceptable.
The mid 90s were the dark ages of apple, and the only Macs in Walmarts that I saw were low to mid range Proformas! (YUCK)
Hell, I heard some people regect the original iMac saying "Apple? Didnt they used to sell those shitty proforma things at walmart?"
Comments
Originally posted by kemck
Apple is cutting a deal with the devil...ask all of those compaines that were in a rush to get in bed with Wal*Mart because wow if we had Wal*Mart...and in the end...Wal*Mart owned them or threw them out!
I agree...the might have talked with MasterLock and Vlasic before making this move. But we'll see.
Originally posted by sheilae
Perhaps living too close to a nuclear-free zone skews my reasoning, but I have always paid amounts higher (sometimes way higher) than all my PC buds to own macs. It didn't bother me.
I figure, I'm Apple's base. I don't just buy Mac Mini's and ipod shuffles- I buy Powerbooks and G5 Powermacs, Cinema Displays. . . and I talk my bosses into the same. As I drive around in my (somewhat) environmentally correct vehicle, my Apple sticker sits happily next to the flying cardboard box Calvin/Hobbes on the rear window.
Apple was cool, they did the R&D thing while Bill & Co. did the reverse engineering gig. Man, I never had to think about Apple scr@wing anyone before. . .
But now. . . now I'm supposed to feel good with the concept that, wow, I can pay less for my mac products and know thousands of hard working Americans selling them to me (increasing the almighty Apple marketshare!) can't afford to bring their kids to the doctor? Steve, how about it? Can you imagine what it would be like not to have health insurance for you and your family?
I want to feel good about the things I buy. If Apple's new statement is "we need more marketshare, and we'll do anything to get it? then I don?t feel too warm and comfy buying an Apple. Heck, I may as well just buy an HP and discuss the shortfalls of the American educational system with Carly.
Although this post has received some negative responses, I have to agree with it. It's not about being snobby or putting lower-income people down, it's about raising the standard of living, the value of goods, and the value of the people behind the goods.
The facts are simple. It's the Wal-Marts of the world devaluing the world while increasing the amount of junk filling our landfills.
It is [used to be?] the Apples of the world that challenged the status quo, putting love and compassion back into the materials we build our life on.
Most people don't realize that "goods" are always free. Mother Earth gives us *everything* for free. Any time we purchase a product, we are paying the *people* behind that product, and the less we pay, the less we put into their pocket, and what goes around, comes around. We get less in our pocket. The whole concept of "saving money by buying cheaper" doesn't do anybody any good.
Originally posted by sheilae
I want to feel good about the things I buy. If Apple's new statement is "we need more marketshare, and we'll do anything to get it? then I don?t feel too warm and comfy buying an Apple. Heck, I may as well just buy an HP and discuss the shortfalls of the American educational system with Carly.
Ok, I really don't know the answer to this so I'm not going after you, but your post made me wonder; What are the working conditions in the Taiwan factories where our PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs, etc are made?
Originally posted by Chris Cuilla
And, conveniently, maintains this (growing?) target market as well.
Agreed. The best quote I read about Wal-Mart's effect on the marketplace went something like "Americans are shopping their way to unemployment".
1.2 Million
Average wage of wal-mart employee:
$9.98 (= $20,000 per year)
Number of walmart shoppers:
100 million
Number of people living under the poverty line in the US:
35 million
I think that it is safe to say that Walmart pays it employees
much better than McDonalds, for example. I don't think that
walmart is under-paying its employees - and it is a very safe
bet that Walmart makes life a whole lot better for those
35 million people in poverty.
Not only that, but what about the people in China? The more
jobs you send over there, the higher the competetion for
people, and the higher the standard of living.
I have been to China, and it is amazing. 90% of the economy
is off the books - cash only. In 20 or 30 years, China will
have the same standard of living that we do now, thanks to
Walmart and other companies like that.
Originally posted by Cisco_Kid
Wal-Mart dose not like Canada anymore , the Unions have taken over!!! YAY Canada Put Wal-Mart in it's place, and make em pay
Well, they are mostly making their own people pay -
Their businesses pay more for goods, and cannot compete
with US business that buy from Walmart. The people
that run inefficient businesses in Canada get a subsidy
at the expense of the general public.
But there is good news. If the strike goes on long enough,
then the US Hockey fans will ditch the sport and it will go back
to Canada and Russia where it belongs.
I wish I still lived on the coast of BC. sigh.
I remember my son and I in a sporting goods store a few years back. I refused to buy him Nikes. At $79, I figured the actual work was being done by someone making pennies, and refused to ante up that amount to line the already bulging pocketbook of someone who didn?t need it. I told him he needed to find a pair that were made somewhere where poorly treated workers weren?t making sweatshop wages. He did, a New Balance pair, made by union workers in Massachusetts, that cost $20 more. Which, we bought. He thought I was nuts at the time (older now, though, he buys his own stuff, and I note, he still looks for those New Balance sneakers- which are harder and harder to find).
I don?t know the conditions of the factories that create Apple?s items. I always assumed (not a good thing, I know) that Taiwan, a democratic republic
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/...k/geos/tw.html
would be better than some of the ones you?d read about in Indonesia. But I do know, for sure, that Walmart, here in the US, is not known for being sensitive to their employee?s needs.
In the end, though, everyone has their opinions and the way they choose to live their lives. If Apple chooses to do business with a company whose business practices I don?t approve of, as a consumer, I can choose not to buy their products. Even if it hurts. . .
I probably wanted a new Powerbook way more than my son ever wanted those Nikes. . .
[B]
Average wage of wal-mart employee:
$9.98 (= $20,000 per year)[QUOTE]
Wrong. Acording to the Department of Labor and the UFCW Walmart only pays about 8.00 an hour. And the average employee works 32 hours a week. That comes to and average of 13,000 a year. Before Taxes. And that is below poverty.
[QUOTE]I think that it is safe to say that Walmart pays it employees
much better than McDonalds[QUOTE]
This is true except McDonalds employees have insurance, access to workers compensation, profit sharing programs, continuing education programs and many more benifits.
Sense one has to work 40 hours a week to be considered a full time worker. Walmart technically does not have any full time workers. Therefore they do not have to provide things like insurance and workser compensation or unemployment beniftis.
Originally posted by sheilae
In the end, though, everyone has their opinions and the way they choose to live their lives. If Apple chooses to do business with a company whose business practices I don?t approve of, as a consumer, I can choose not to buy their products. Even if it hurts. . .
I probably wanted a new Powerbook way more than my son ever wanted those Nikes. . .
That's your choice. Good for you. Luckily for Apple, I'm sure they will make up MANY times the loss of a few fana...ahem..."concerned" users....with the extra sales from Walmart. So as an AAPL investor I'm happy
MUhahaaaaa
Sense one has to work 40 hours a week to be considered a full time worker. Walmart technically does not have any full time workers. Therefore they do not have to provide things like insurance and workser compensation or unemployment beniftis.
The government sets this 40-hour threshold - just vote for somebody that will lower that threshold to 30 hours, or possibly trigger a special clause if a company has too big of a part-time/full-time ratio.
"Don't hate the player, hate the game" -> the government sets the rules of the game, Wal-mart just trys to make as much money as possible in that game.
The $9.98 figure is from the Wal-mart website - but maybe it includes the executive pay (each $1.2 million in pay would raise the average by $1).
Maybe Walmart's online store is doing so little business that this is only a minor consideration.
First, Apple is not as new of an addition to Wal-Mart as people would like to think. Some on this forum have mentioned that people should get their history right about Wal-Mart, and that is true, but let's look at the relationship with Apple as well. I bought my first 'family' Mac from Wal-Mart. When Apple first decided to go after the lower-priced range (albiet at a lower performance), they sold their Performa line at Wal-Mart. Also at Sears, and several other retailers who were, at the time, the popular places you would go to get a computer. Of these places, Sears was the 'best'. Wal-Mart only stopped offering Apple products because Wal-Mart's philosophy of finding ways to lower it's COGS meant that Apple's royalty for being an Apple Authorized Reseller (then $10,000 per operating unit) was unacceptable.
Second, Wal-Mart's defense. Since I have mentioned the policy of continually lowering costs, it should be noted that the end goal of this is to supply a product at a lower cost to the consumer. Not only does Wal-Mart provide a means for it's customers to have a greater purchasing power, Wal-Mart often makes less of a profit (many times even a loss) per item than most of it's competitors when selling the exact same item. I am not talking about the supposed 'Remanufactured' items that Wal-Mart is always rumored to sell (not true, BTW), but I mean the identical items, from the same suppliers, with the same UPC.
As for Wal-Mart's wages. This is an issue that the media has simply blown out of proportion for years. The figure of $8 as an average is understated. Yes, I do work for Wal-Mart. I have for the past 7 years. My wife has also been there 7 years. We work in the smallest Wal-Mart Supercenter, with the smallest market, and thus the lowest pay of any other in the country. Check it if you like, Store# 1131, Taylorsville, NC. 109,000 sq. ft. The 'normal' size for a Wal-Mart Supercenter is generally 153,000 sq. ft. and up. My first 5 years with Wal-Mart, I worked at Store #1662, which was, at the time, the largest Supercenter on the east coast. When I talk about Wal-Mart, I speak from experience. Even the 'official' figure of $9.82 that Wal-Mart claims is seen, in my store, as a joke. My store employees 300 people, and the average wage is definately higher than that, for anyone that has been with the company over 1 year. The problem with statistics concerning wages, is that they do not generally take into consideration a company's turnover. Because Wal-Mart is seen by many as an after school job, or a first job, turnover is high. Of course starting wages are not as high as this average, though they are still well above minimum wage.
About Full Time employement and benefits. The guideline of 28hrs./week as being considered Full Time is the single biggest benefit at Wal-Mart. This guideline is not at all what the media has made it seem. They would have people believe that the most a person can work at a Wal-Mart store is 28hrs, and therefore not eligible for full time benefits. This couldn't be farther from the truth. I cannot remember the last week that I was scheduled less than 38 hours. That is more than most other stores in retail give their employees at this time of year, and this is also Wal-Mart's last month of the fiscal year, when expenditure control for things like payroll are a top priority. What the 28 hour guideline says is that, should my hours drop, by either low sales (how often does Wal-Mart have that!) or a change in my availability due to family commitments or what have you, I will still be considered a Full Time associate as long as my time does not dip below 28hrs for more than 3 consecutive weeks. If I decide to work 3 half days in the summer to be able to spend time with my kids, I do not lose my full time status.
I would like to get in to other things that seem to be miscommunicated about Wal-Mart, such as their Profit Sharing and 401(k) plans, the company paid life insurance, percentage matched stock purchase plans, and the dozen other benefits that Wal-Mart pays that make an associates 'wage' much more than their take-home pay, but I fear I have taken up enough space in this forum so far. For those saying, if you don't like your job, leave, you are exactly right. But please do not imply that education level is what keeps people at Wal-Mart. I have 6 years of higher education. For those who place stock in such things, which I do not, I have a considerably high I.Q. I choose to stay at Wal-Mart, though, because of their treatment of their associates. I have a low-end job at Wal-Mart. I work on the shipping/receiving docks. Yet I often have talks with my store management, and district manager about how I feel things are being done in the company. I do feel like I am treated as a partner, an associate, an equal with those in 'higher' positions at Wal-Mart. I am never treated as a subordinate.
The concerns that most people have with Wal-Mart are typical of those brought about toward any company as large and powerful as Wal-Mart has become. These myths about the company have been allowed to perpetuate largely because of Wal-Mart's long stance against self-praise. In defense, Wal-Mart has had to relax these policies. For 2 decades, Wal-Mart has not tried to 'blow it's own horn' for the media. The idea that one can try to be a better servant to the community and people will take notice has failed. Wal-Mart's competitors display huge signs in the front of their store touting their charitable contributions, trying to pull at the heartstrings of their patrons. These contributions are usually paltry in comparison to Wal-Mart's, but Wal-Mart does not advertise on these. I find that to be an admirable quality.
As for the Apple products, I have been using them for 20 years, and I cannot wait to see them finally have the public exposure they deserve.
Originally posted by Chris Cuilla
I agree...the might have talked with MasterLock and Vlasic before making this move. But we'll see.
Also, RCA, those 200$ 27 inch TVs didnt come from a law of volume, look at their internal components and the over all build quality vs the same brand 10 years ago, hell, why do you think that RadioShack is phaseing out RCA in favor of Magnavox and Sony...sad... Lets hope that the ipod shuffle is the beginning and the end of this relationship.
But If Apple dictates the terms, this could be good - and if walmart tries to pull one on them, apple can "take their ball can go home" so to speak, Apple has their own retail gig going and growing strong, unlike vlassic or master, they dont need outlets like wallmart to get their goods out, but just a few months of the ipod and - dare i say the mac mini in wal mart would espose it to a whole new crowd for osx - and can you think of a better place to sell ipod and maybe mac mini+ilife than the #1 cd/dvd retailer in the nation?
Originally posted by Munimula
First, Apple is not as new of an addition to Wal-Mart as people would like to think. Some on this forum have mentioned that people should get their history right about Wal-Mart, and that is true, but let's look at the relationship with Apple as well. I bought my first 'family' Mac from Wal-Mart. When Apple first decided to go after the lower-priced range (albiet at a lower performance), they sold their Performa line at Wal-Mart. Also at Sears, and several other retailers who were, at the time, the popular places you would go to get a computer. Of these places, Sears was the 'best'. Wal-Mart only stopped offering Apple products because Wal-Mart's philosophy of finding ways to lower it's COGS meant that Apple's royalty for being an Apple Authorized Reseller (then $10,000 per operating unit) was unacceptable.
The mid 90s were the dark ages of apple, and the only Macs in Walmarts that I saw were low to mid range Proformas! (YUCK)
Hell, I heard some people regect the original iMac saying "Apple? Didnt they used to sell those shitty proforma things at walmart?"
Originally posted by a_greer
The mid 90s were the dark ages of apple, and the only Macs in Walmarts that I saw were low to mid range Proformas! (YUCK)
Hell, I heard some people regect the original iMac saying "Apple? Didnt they used to sell those shitty proforma things at walmart?"
I had a Performa (not Proforma - I think that is a legal term). A
number of Engineers I know also had one - it was a good computer,
roughly the equivelant of the new mac mini. Mine had a 25 MHz
68040.
I also had a 9500/120 that I bought at the same time - cost about $10,000
including all the extras ($2000 for 64 MB or ram - ouch!). There were differences in features, but not (as far as I could tell) quality.
Also - Minimula, good post, good info - hopefully it will sink in.