I disagree. the only thing holding back the AppleTV is content. I'm not sure if it's the logical problem of adding 720p content to the iTunes Store when the iPod can't play them or if content providers are keeping it from happening (read: contracts regulating the resolution).
Either way, the HD content will come and the AppleTV will become more popular.
Great. But unless you have your own content or are willing to rip your own DVDs, there's no point in buying an AppleTV.
I'm reading a lot of comments that are blaming Target and Best Buy for a lack of Apple TV floor space and/or sales.. But the bottom line is that Target and Best Buy will give as much floor space as needed if there is a demand and customers are inquiring about the product..
Much like any retailer, the stores work on a dollar per square foot basis. It is not the responsibility of Target and Best Buy to generate interest in a product, it is Apple's job to do that.. Yes, the stores could set up displays and train employees on Apple tv, but what incentive is there for them to do this if say putting up a Nintendo Wii display is going to generate 5x the sales for them?
Quite honestly, Apple tv is off to a mediocre start, it's not a flop, but it is at the bottom of the top seller list even at Apple's very own on-line store..
If Apple does it's job correctly with advertisments and it turns out that there is consumer interest outside of Apple's customer base, the stores like BB and Target will dedicate the floor space accordingly.
I have an Apple TV, and I love it for music and photos, but like most others, I'm extremely dissappointed with the quality of content available at tje iTunes store.. Since Apple TV is a content playback device, I think that Apple really needs to focus on getting high quality content available and interest in Apple tv will take off.
Why even bother separating content from the hardware in the discussion about Apple TV?
Because there are too man comments saying the AppleTV is crap because they only saw an iTuens Store purchased movie. It's like me saying that your monitor is crap based on you showing me a YouTube video or me saying yout stero is crap because you played audio encoded as a 64-bit MP3.
Not all content is created equal. The iTunes Store is severely lacking right now. Once Apple gets that up the AppleTV will be much more successful.
As I've said before, there are two issues here. One is speculative and the other obvious. One speculates possible reason due to contracts with the media vendors and the other is logistical issues due to size and resolution limitations of Apple's most popular HW for watching iTunes Store video, the 5.5G iPod.
i worked with Best Buy and Target buyers for 9 years. i already stated what probably is the case back through these wild observations i am reading here. how you can think up all these merchandising ideas about retailing with these companies? It is just hilarious!
again.. the reason Best Buy rolled it out without even so much as a test in a few stores is because they want the phone. If a best buy clerk doesn't know the plan-o-gram location (it is is like biblical law if Best Buy or Target have a product in their stores) of the ITV then it is further proof that the product is not organized for re-sale yet. Every product in these store has a retail footprint. every product. Target runs tests in a few stores on all new product ideas. that is just the way it is done period.
handling the ITV at this time by either of these accounts is for other reasons. They want something else from Apple or they would not bother at this early stage of marketing the ITV. Target doesn't pioneer anything - and Best Buy only does if they gets enough seed money to make them interested. I say it is the Phone.. the phone the phone and more of the phone. both of these companies want the phone at the earliest possible moment they can get it. Both of these companies want to be on the bandwagon.
it is amazing how apple geeks read between the lines for an account like Target or Best Buy to take on a new product. the Marketing mix is genuinesly an intertwined miasma of marketing genius. one needs to take it all in before understanding something so Bizarre as Target putting the ITV into their retail stores.
i worked with Best Buy and Target buyers for 9 years. i already stated what probably is the case back through these wild observations i am reading here. how you can think up all these merchandising ideas about retailing with these companies? It is just hilarious!
again.. the reason Best Buy rolled it out without even so much as a test in a few stores is because they want the phone. If a best buy clerk doesn't know the plan-o-gram location (it is is like biblical law if Best Buy or Target have a product in their stores) of the ITV then it is further proof that the product is not organized for re-sale yet. Every product in these store has a retail footprint. every product. Target runs tests in a few stores on all new product ideas. that is just the way it is done period.
handling the ITV at this time by either of these accounts is for other reasons. They want something else from Apple or they would not bother at this early stage of marketing the ITV. Target doesn't pioneer anything - and Best Buy only does if they gets enough seed money to make them interested. I say it is the Phone.. the phone the phone and more of the phone. both of these companies want the phone at the earliest possible moment they can get it. Both of these companies want to be on the bandwagon.
it is amazing how apple geeks read between the lines for an account like Target or Best Buy to take on a new product. the Marketing mix is genuinesly an intertwined miasma of marketing genius. one needs to take it all in before understanding something so Bizarre as Target putting the ITV into their retail stores.
So you can explain why no one is ever in the electronics department at our local Target maybe?
So you can explain why no one is ever in the electronics department at our local Target maybe?
And why no one has any clue where the items I want are located despite Best Buy's website clearing stating that it is in store and carried at my local store?
The question is whether Apple will take advantage of their position and expand product lines into more branded and profitable accessory consumer electronics accessorey items. ... the next question is when will Apple start taking advantage of their potential to sell profitable accessory product categories and start capitolizing on the high margin/high volume accessory business that the mass market enjoys?
So true, I saw on the web that Best Buy carried "in most store" the Apple branded device that lets you drop your digital pictures from your camera directly onto your iPod. When you get home it uploads them to iPhoto. It's a $30 item I really wanted. I went to the local BB and searched the rows and rows of accessories, mostly non-Apple brands, and couldn't find it. I asked the clerk for help and he didn't know anything, we look online found the sku and he search and found no inventory in his store because they didn't stock that item. He search the entire region around and not a single store stocked it. Apple needs to get their products besides the iPod out there in the stores! I'm tired of having to buy things at the online stores, sometimes I'm in a hurray.
I'm glad to see Apple getting into all these new areas of technology, they have become the cool company to the youth. I've been using Macs since 87 and it's never been better.
So you can explain why no one is ever in the electronics department at our local Target maybe?
well sure i can. everything that is NOT under glass does not or should not require a sales person to assist you. products on gondola display are plan-o-grammed and every store has the exact same location for the exact same product. an ITV will be displayed with a TV of course and each store should have the same layout there too. but it would be only a test in a few stores - maybe one district for a two or three month period first.
if there is no-one behind a glass counter that is a problem. should the person behind glass know anything about what is on area shelves - probably not. by the time a product reaches those shelves it is already supposed to have a built in market demand. this is supplemented by the weekly advertisments if it is an item the will draw traffic to the department, the store and if the cost of the ad space is justified by either sales estimates or .. more likely vender support.
To all the financial geniuses who keep going on about how no one's going to buy an AppleTV as long as there's no HD content in iTunes: wake up. HD is not so pervasive yet. The majority of people watch 480p programming on their TVs. How many people do you know who run their sweet new 1080 TV with the wrong aspect ratio? To them, the picture quality on those AppleTV demo models at the Apple Store is awesome.
Remember how no one was going to pay to watch iPod-sized video? Now, remember how well that's been selling?
Keep your nitpicking to yourself. I've been watching TV shows, movies, video podcasts and photos in everything from 240 to 1080 on my AppleTV and it's a blast. A fun, easy, convenient blast. That's worth my money.
What part of an AppleTV demo is crap? The on;y thing I can see as a problem is if the content is from the iTunes Store. Besides that, the AppleTV should impress everyone with it's simple, iPod-like controls.
The Target and BestBuy employee treatment of the machine, makes it look like crap. I never said it was crap I said it gave the impression.
I'm curious as to what wrong impression you are referring to?
The way BestBuy employees and Target employees tell customers not to buy it to instead buy something else (better margins). The way they have no clue about the products, they way they keep it out of the floor. That is what makes it look bad
i worked with Best Buy and Target buyers for 9 years. i already stated what probably is the case back through these wild observations i am reading here. how you can think up all these merchandising ideas about retailing with these companies? It is just hilarious!
again.. the reason Best Buy rolled it out without even so much as a test in a few stores is because they want the phone. If a best buy clerk doesn't know the plan-o-gram location (it is is like biblical law if Best Buy or Target have a product in their stores) of the ITV then it is further proof that the product is not organized for re-sale yet. Every product in these store has a retail footprint. every product. Target runs tests in a few stores on all new product ideas. that is just the way it is done period.
handling the ITV at this time by either of these accounts is for other reasons. They want something else from Apple or they would not bother at this early stage of marketing the ITV. Target doesn't pioneer anything - and Best Buy only does if they gets enough seed money to make them interested. I say it is the Phone.. the phone the phone and more of the phone. both of these companies want the phone at the earliest possible moment they can get it. Both of these companies want to be on the bandwagon.
it is amazing how apple geeks read between the lines for an account like Target or Best Buy to take on a new product. the Marketing mix is genuinesly an intertwined miasma of marketing genius. one needs to take it all in before understanding something so Bizarre as Target putting the ITV into their retail stores.
Why the help, if you can find it never knows the product and guides people to the products they know?
You don't have to hack the thing to play non-iTunes Store content. Now you're just trolling.... again.
Maybe they should have. But the fact that iTunes Store doesn't currently carry HD content doesn't mean that AppleTV won't play HD content.
You are comparing your abilities and sofistication with that of the average customer. If you play a crappy video they see that and think it is the device because they don't know any better.
Apple should be demoing HD even if they don't sell it yet in iTunes. Without HD demos they are likely to be easily turned to another product.
Comments
"We did receive three Apple TV's, and still have the same three," said a contact within one Best Buy store. "Not selling too well at our store."
What you asked 10 seconds after they received them instead of waiting a day or two?
All 3 Best Buys by me sold out of their stocks twice already!
Here's some ideas:
1) Do research at MULTIPLE stores.
2) Find out when the stock came in, when it was put out on the floor and when and if any sold when they sold.
After you do this then maybe I'll listen to you. Until then this article should be completely re-written by someone willing to do actual "research".
But they do still have all the Zunes
I disagree. the only thing holding back the AppleTV is content. I'm not sure if it's the logical problem of adding 720p content to the iTunes Store when the iPod can't play them or if content providers are keeping it from happening (read: contracts regulating the resolution).
Either way, the HD content will come and the AppleTV will become more popular.
Great. But unless you have your own content or are willing to rip your own DVDs, there's no point in buying an AppleTV.
Much like any retailer, the stores work on a dollar per square foot basis. It is not the responsibility of Target and Best Buy to generate interest in a product, it is Apple's job to do that.. Yes, the stores could set up displays and train employees on Apple tv, but what incentive is there for them to do this if say putting up a Nintendo Wii display is going to generate 5x the sales for them?
Quite honestly, Apple tv is off to a mediocre start, it's not a flop, but it is at the bottom of the top seller list even at Apple's very own on-line store..
If Apple does it's job correctly with advertisments and it turns out that there is consumer interest outside of Apple's customer base, the stores like BB and Target will dedicate the floor space accordingly.
I have an Apple TV, and I love it for music and photos, but like most others, I'm extremely dissappointed with the quality of content available at tje iTunes store.. Since Apple TV is a content playback device, I think that Apple really needs to focus on getting high quality content available and interest in Apple tv will take off.
Why even bother separating content from the hardware in the discussion about Apple TV?
Because there are too man comments saying the AppleTV is crap because they only saw an iTuens Store purchased movie. It's like me saying that your monitor is crap based on you showing me a YouTube video or me saying yout stero is crap because you played audio encoded as a 64-bit MP3.
Not all content is created equal. The iTunes Store is severely lacking right now. Once Apple gets that up the AppleTV will be much more successful.
As I've said before, there are two issues here. One is speculative and the other obvious. One speculates possible reason due to contracts with the media vendors and the other is logistical issues due to size and resolution limitations of Apple's most popular HW for watching iTunes Store video, the 5.5G iPod.
But they do still have all the Zunes
I bought 2 of the new pink ones and one brown Zune. In other words, I got two in the pink and one in the stink.
Great. But unless you have your own content or are willing to rip your own DVDs, there's no point in buying an AppleTV.
We use ours endlessly for music from iTunes and photos from Aperture or iPhoto! Even if it could not play a movie I'd love it to bits
However, I am sure Apple will soon have a higher def movie solution soon.
again.. the reason Best Buy rolled it out without even so much as a test in a few stores is because they want the phone. If a best buy clerk doesn't know the plan-o-gram location (it is is like biblical law if Best Buy or Target have a product in their stores) of the ITV then it is further proof that the product is not organized for re-sale yet. Every product in these store has a retail footprint. every product. Target runs tests in a few stores on all new product ideas. that is just the way it is done period.
handling the ITV at this time by either of these accounts is for other reasons. They want something else from Apple or they would not bother at this early stage of marketing the ITV. Target doesn't pioneer anything - and Best Buy only does if they gets enough seed money to make them interested. I say it is the Phone.. the phone the phone and more of the phone. both of these companies want the phone at the earliest possible moment they can get it. Both of these companies want to be on the bandwagon.
it is amazing how apple geeks read between the lines for an account like Target or Best Buy to take on a new product. the Marketing mix is genuinesly an intertwined miasma of marketing genius. one needs to take it all in before understanding something so Bizarre as Target putting the ITV into their retail stores.
i worked with Best Buy and Target buyers for 9 years. i already stated what probably is the case back through these wild observations i am reading here. how you can think up all these merchandising ideas about retailing with these companies? It is just hilarious!
again.. the reason Best Buy rolled it out without even so much as a test in a few stores is because they want the phone. If a best buy clerk doesn't know the plan-o-gram location (it is is like biblical law if Best Buy or Target have a product in their stores) of the ITV then it is further proof that the product is not organized for re-sale yet. Every product in these store has a retail footprint. every product. Target runs tests in a few stores on all new product ideas. that is just the way it is done period.
handling the ITV at this time by either of these accounts is for other reasons. They want something else from Apple or they would not bother at this early stage of marketing the ITV. Target doesn't pioneer anything - and Best Buy only does if they gets enough seed money to make them interested. I say it is the Phone.. the phone the phone and more of the phone. both of these companies want the phone at the earliest possible moment they can get it. Both of these companies want to be on the bandwagon.
it is amazing how apple geeks read between the lines for an account like Target or Best Buy to take on a new product. the Marketing mix is genuinesly an intertwined miasma of marketing genius. one needs to take it all in before understanding something so Bizarre as Target putting the ITV into their retail stores.
So you can explain why no one is ever in the electronics department at our local Target maybe?
What part of an AppleTV demo is crap? The on;y thing I can see as a problem is if the content is from the iTunes Store.
And short of hacking the thing, what else are they supposed to watch on it?
The iTunes Store is severely lacking right now. Once Apple gets that up the AppleTV will be much more successful.
Maybe they should have waited until that time before launching this thing.
So you can explain why no one is ever in the electronics department at our local Target maybe?
And why no one has any clue where the items I want are located despite Best Buy's website clearing stating that it is in store and carried at my local store?
And short of hacking the thing, what else are they supposed to watch on it?
You don't have to hack the thing to play non-iTunes Store content. Now you're just trolling.... again.
Maybe they should have waited until that time before launching this thing.
Maybe they should have. But the fact that iTunes Store doesn't currently carry HD content doesn't mean that AppleTV won't play HD content.
The question is whether Apple will take advantage of their position and expand product lines into more branded and profitable accessory consumer electronics accessorey items. ... the next question is when will Apple start taking advantage of their potential to sell profitable accessory product categories and start capitolizing on the high margin/high volume accessory business that the mass market enjoys?
So true, I saw on the web that Best Buy carried "in most store" the Apple branded device that lets you drop your digital pictures from your camera directly onto your iPod. When you get home it uploads them to iPhoto. It's a $30 item I really wanted. I went to the local BB and searched the rows and rows of accessories, mostly non-Apple brands, and couldn't find it. I asked the clerk for help and he didn't know anything, we look online found the sku and he search and found no inventory in his store because they didn't stock that item. He search the entire region around and not a single store stocked it. Apple needs to get their products besides the iPod out there in the stores! I'm tired of having to buy things at the online stores, sometimes I'm in a hurray.
I'm glad to see Apple getting into all these new areas of technology, they have become the cool company to the youth. I've been using Macs since 87 and it's never been better.
You don't have to hack the thing to play non-iTunes Store content. Now you're just trolling.... again.
And you've got your nose up SJ's a**, again.
So you can explain why no one is ever in the electronics department at our local Target maybe?
well sure i can. everything that is NOT under glass does not or should not require a sales person to assist you. products on gondola display are plan-o-grammed and every store has the exact same location for the exact same product. an ITV will be displayed with a TV of course and each store should have the same layout there too. but it would be only a test in a few stores - maybe one district for a two or three month period first.
if there is no-one behind a glass counter that is a problem. should the person behind glass know anything about what is on area shelves - probably not. by the time a product reaches those shelves it is already supposed to have a built in market demand. this is supplemented by the weekly advertisments if it is an item the will draw traffic to the department, the store and if the cost of the ad space is justified by either sales estimates or .. more likely vender support.
Remember how no one was going to pay to watch iPod-sized video? Now, remember how well that's been selling?
Keep your nitpicking to yourself. I've been watching TV shows, movies, video podcasts and photos in everything from 240 to 1080 on my AppleTV and it's a blast. A fun, easy, convenient blast. That's worth my money.
What part of an AppleTV demo is crap? The on;y thing I can see as a problem is if the content is from the iTunes Store. Besides that, the AppleTV should impress everyone with it's simple, iPod-like controls.
The Target and BestBuy employee treatment of the machine, makes it look like crap. I never said it was crap I said it gave the impression.
I'm curious as to what wrong impression you are referring to?
The way BestBuy employees and Target employees tell customers not to buy it to instead buy something else (better margins). The way they have no clue about the products, they way they keep it out of the floor. That is what makes it look bad
i worked with Best Buy and Target buyers for 9 years. i already stated what probably is the case back through these wild observations i am reading here. how you can think up all these merchandising ideas about retailing with these companies? It is just hilarious!
again.. the reason Best Buy rolled it out without even so much as a test in a few stores is because they want the phone. If a best buy clerk doesn't know the plan-o-gram location (it is is like biblical law if Best Buy or Target have a product in their stores) of the ITV then it is further proof that the product is not organized for re-sale yet. Every product in these store has a retail footprint. every product. Target runs tests in a few stores on all new product ideas. that is just the way it is done period.
handling the ITV at this time by either of these accounts is for other reasons. They want something else from Apple or they would not bother at this early stage of marketing the ITV. Target doesn't pioneer anything - and Best Buy only does if they gets enough seed money to make them interested. I say it is the Phone.. the phone the phone and more of the phone. both of these companies want the phone at the earliest possible moment they can get it. Both of these companies want to be on the bandwagon.
it is amazing how apple geeks read between the lines for an account like Target or Best Buy to take on a new product. the Marketing mix is genuinesly an intertwined miasma of marketing genius. one needs to take it all in before understanding something so Bizarre as Target putting the ITV into their retail stores.
Why the help, if you can find it never knows the product and guides people to the products they know?
You don't have to hack the thing to play non-iTunes Store content. Now you're just trolling.... again.
Maybe they should have. But the fact that iTunes Store doesn't currently carry HD content doesn't mean that AppleTV won't play HD content.
You are comparing your abilities and sofistication with that of the average customer. If you play a crappy video they see that and think it is the device because they don't know any better.
Apple should be demoing HD even if they don't sell it yet in iTunes. Without HD demos they are likely to be easily turned to another product.