and the iPhone will become even more mainstream...
...and what's wrong with that?
I've never heard of any business -- or artist, author, musician, etc, for that matter -- aim for permanent obscurity! If your creation is vastly different from the current zeitgeist, it is not a disgrace that the collective mindset rushes to accept yours. In fact, that is a GOOD THING.
You do know that the Mac OS is totally "mainstream," right? If they had written a particular NDA in the late 80's a little better, then Apple would be as big as Microsoft. What Windows did was to make the big idea of the Mac mainstream, and repudiate the conventional wisdom of DOS. Of course, Microsoft's execution of Windows has been clunky and fraught with problems, but the big picture is that Gates & Co. ditched their "creation", DOS, in favor of Apple's Mac Way.
AT&T is the one that should be nervous now that Apple is on board with the Grand Master of all pipelines.
AT&T makes their money from the 2 year service plan, not from the initial sale. In fact, the initial sale is painful for them. AT&T is paying a subsidy to Apple regardless of the point of sale, which they recover (and then some) over the life of the contract. So AT&T couldn't care less who gets the initial sale. The more the merrier, in the long run. (Hurts margins up front, though.)
WalMart has what, 3000+ locations in North America? Everyone is wandering around saying "what is Apple doing in WalMart?", but I would bet we haven't seen the product or strategy intended for it yet. While WalMart seems the antithesis to Apple's boutique retail strategy, they would be the ultimate launch vehicle for an all out assault on a weakening Wintel hegemony.
The inital post-Christmas iPhone launch fits neatly between Christmas and keynote/next iPhone iteration. Think of Applestore (250), BestBuys(838) and WalMart(3000) - all simultaneously distributing "something". Snow Leopard's seeming "anti-feature" approach, the iTunes/Appstore/TV model for software distribution, Apple's new relationships with alternative processor makers and talent - it all seems to point to a sea change/evolution in the way their industry would operate. The old OEM model is getting very long in the tooth. The no-margin netbook goldrush seems an early sign of its imminent demise.
Worst case, just as Apple has used Costco in the past to clear the channel of excess iPods, WalMart will be the uber-Costco, with the same goal in mind for the iPhone and other Apple products.
...if it's just the iPhone. As long as Macs are never sold there I'm fine with it. Obviously, I'm not a big WalMart fan...I think places like Target do a much better job than WalMart. But there is obviously a large portion of consumers that like WalMart and to each his/her own. Maybe if enough of them buy an iPhone only to shockingly find that it doesn't have MMS they will join in the complaining and Cupertino will finally have some programmer spend a couple hours adding the software OK, probably not, but I'm trying to look for some possible upside for consumers.
...if it's just the iPhone. As long as Macs are never sold there I'm fine with it. Obviously, I'm not a big WalMart fan...I think places like Target do a much better job than WalMart. But there is obviously a large portion of consumers that like WalMart and to each his/her own. Maybe if enough of them buy an iPhone only to shockingly find that it doesn't have MMS they will join in the complaining and Cupertino will finally have some programmer spend a couple hours adding the software OK, probably not, but I'm trying to look for some possible upside for consumers.
Oh, there might be a day when Mac minis or some other variation of Mac is sold at Walmart, after all they currently sell the AppleTV. I wouldn't discount the possibility of them selling Macs entirely (no pun intended).
access is what's its about, att wants to grow its market, verizon , sprint et al are putting their stuff in walmart, people do a lot of impulse purchasing. walmart gives them access. i'm glad for apple and att.
the more they sell the more likely new products will enter pipeline quicker---get away from competitor timelines....get away from the "noise" so people can hear your message
access to more iphone accessories ....which means i don't have to go to a best buy 25 miles away or an apple store 3 hours away
hey i like the availability of more iphone products
can't wait for june
this makes iphone more mainstream....BB Nokia, don't like this...they will try to put their highend units in fewer stores....kudo's to apple....RIM is nervous.
Oh, the misadventures of buying from WalMart. Today the wife and I went to WalMaart and we were shopping when I decided that I wanted to get a iPhone. I went to the counter and said I wanted the 16G phone. I talked to the guy there and we started up the process of getting the phone. It seems that WalMart had set up a non standard procedure of selling the phone and it was not standard to way they usually sell phones. The computer would not allow it to happen, what a joke.
To make matters worse the sales associate calls a 2nd store and the person there said she was going home and could not help. Well after 30 minutes the sales associate gave up and I headed for Best Buy.
I get in the local Best Buy and they had me set up with a white 16G phone in under 20 minutes. Sometimes it just it not worth the B.S. to save a few bucks.
the first week att sold iphones it was messy as well
BUT after all this time, walmart and att should have this buffed up slick, also they have limited people in the high volume electronics store. try to do anything with a cell phone purchase....not typical walmart fast, when i watch people buy a cell phone most soak up much of the salespersons time talking about features and calling plans regardless of the cell phone. that salesperson is locked up for about 15 minutes even if the customer doesn't buy a phone any phone
people should know the feature set of the iphone and walmart should have a slick computer interface. and you have to compete with after Christmas returns, super buys and buying an iphone...i'd wait till you can get someone to focus on you.
the big question is if the sales process is slow than the perceived volume apple wanted may not materialize.
they may need a separate info ladden poster....1...2....3....sold.
i wonder if its an att thing or a walmart start up thing..
also are their specially trained "iphone" associates ?
There is nothing wrong with buying an iPod, iPhone, or TV at WalMart. They carry top brands and they have the same warranties.
I trust Apple to not sell more cheaply made versions of their products at WalMart. That is not true for other "top brands".
Quote:
As you discovered, groceries are less expensive than supermarkets.
Some people are clearly not very aggressive in getting the best grocery prices, which is not at WalMart. Anybody who plans well would do better at a grocery store paying attention to their sale cycles and/or getting bulk items at Sam's Club or Costco. I wouldn't go to WalMart for their (so-called) "fresh" foods either. How is it possible for a bakery to screw up bread/rolls made the same day???.
I trust Apple to not sell more cheaply made versions of their products at WalMart. That is not true for other "top brands".
Some people are clearly not very aggressive in getting the best grocery prices, which is not at WalMart. Anybody who plans well would do better at a grocery store paying attention to their sale cycles and/or getting bulk items at Sam's Club or Costco. I wouldn't go to WalMart for their (so-called) "fresh" foods either.
I've never been to a Walmart before but I always imagined the stereotypical shopper who buy lots of chips and soda and the only Internet they've ever used being AOL. Perhaps iPhone will sell well there but it does seem to be a strange mismatch - an urban professional type device at a rural America store.
I've never been to a Walmart before but I always imagined the stereotypical shopper who buy lots of chips and soda and the only Internet they've ever used being AOL. Perhaps iPhone will sell well there but it does seem to be a strange mismatch - an urban professional type device at a rural America store.
Sure, there are a lot of lower income folks who go to Walmart, but there are also quite a few mid and upper income folks looking for bargains... probably more than you would imagine.
Sure, there are a lot of lower income folks who go to Walmart, but there are also quite a few mid and upper income folks looking for bargains... probably more than you would imagine.
I wasn't making any inference to their income level but rather their level of education/intelligence, although now that you've brought it up, there is obviously a direct correlation between education and income which may be why Walmarts are usually located in lower income areas. My point was simply that smart phones are for smart people and one would not expect to find such people in great abundance at Walmart.
I wasn't making any inference to their income level but rather their level of education/intelligence, although now that you've brought it up, there is obviously a direct correlation between education and income which may be why Walmarts are usually located in lower income areas..
That would be a big mistake in judgement. It's not axiomatic that intelligence is tied to high income. I've met a few "idiots" who were millionaires, and I'd bet there are fewer millionaires on AppleInsider although the intelligence level is quite daunting at times.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
My point was simply that smart phones are for smart people and one would not expect to find such people in great abundance at Walmart.
Are we talking about the same "smart phone" that has iFart™ as it's current best-selling app?
My point is that Walmart is a great chain for distribution of iPhones and other Apple products, so don't knock it.
I trust Apple to not sell more cheaply made versions of their products at WalMart. That is not true for other "top brands".
That's because you are getting only a $2 discount for the same version of iphone at Walmart.
As for other "top brands" (i.e. Sony tv's) who sell at walmart/sam's club/costco --- they are not "cheaply made" versions. They are more likely to be leaving out a couple of features (by way of hardware reduction or by firmware crippling) --- which the general public doesn't use anyway. No point of getting "deep color" if there is no content available in deep color in the foreseeable future. I might as well use the savings to buy a color calibration hardware to calibrate my sony walmart tv.
Think about how much iPhones Apple shipped to Wal-Mart! There is a Wal-Mart in almost every city and town in the US (more than 4000). Think about how many Apple initially shipped to each store and multiply it by the number of Wal-Mart stores. This will boost the iPhone sales figures for Macworld. Expect China next quarter and a major market the next to keep consistence iPhone sales growth until the next version is released.
is it just me, or is this a ploy by apple, to target the iPhone to mainstream america to make a cheap buck? personally, i love wal-mart. its not a store, its a LIFESTYLE is what i always say, however, it seems very PC minded to market an apple product to such high volumes of people.
Comments
But when I do shop at Walmart I don't find the prices on their computer peripherals very enticing at all...
and the iPhone will become even more mainstream...
...and what's wrong with that?
I've never heard of any business -- or artist, author, musician, etc, for that matter -- aim for permanent obscurity! If your creation is vastly different from the current zeitgeist, it is not a disgrace that the collective mindset rushes to accept yours. In fact, that is a GOOD THING.
You do know that the Mac OS is totally "mainstream," right? If they had written a particular NDA in the late 80's a little better, then Apple would be as big as Microsoft. What Windows did was to make the big idea of the Mac mainstream, and repudiate the conventional wisdom of DOS. Of course, Microsoft's execution of Windows has been clunky and fraught with problems, but the big picture is that Gates & Co. ditched their "creation", DOS, in favor of Apple's Mac Way.
OK that was a low blow, but the (american) consumer amazes me.
Walmart sells a lot TVs I believe - many seem quite junky, I think they also they also have good ones, at minimal discounts, as already pointed out
Most consumers will gladly accept mediocrity (or less).
AT&T is the one that should be nervous now that Apple is on board with the Grand Master of all pipelines.
AT&T makes their money from the 2 year service plan, not from the initial sale. In fact, the initial sale is painful for them. AT&T is paying a subsidy to Apple regardless of the point of sale, which they recover (and then some) over the life of the contract. So AT&T couldn't care less who gets the initial sale. The more the merrier, in the long run. (Hurts margins up front, though.)
Thompson
WalMart has what, 3000+ locations in North America? Everyone is wandering around saying "what is Apple doing in WalMart?", but I would bet we haven't seen the product or strategy intended for it yet. While WalMart seems the antithesis to Apple's boutique retail strategy, they would be the ultimate launch vehicle for an all out assault on a weakening Wintel hegemony.
The inital post-Christmas iPhone launch fits neatly between Christmas and keynote/next iPhone iteration. Think of Applestore (250), BestBuys(838) and WalMart(3000) - all simultaneously distributing "something". Snow Leopard's seeming "anti-feature" approach, the iTunes/Appstore/TV model for software distribution, Apple's new relationships with alternative processor makers and talent - it all seems to point to a sea change/evolution in the way their industry would operate. The old OEM model is getting very long in the tooth. The no-margin netbook goldrush seems an early sign of its imminent demise.
Worst case, just as Apple has used Costco in the past to clear the channel of excess iPods, WalMart will be the uber-Costco, with the same goal in mind for the iPhone and other Apple products.
/post christmas reverie
...if it's just the iPhone. As long as Macs are never sold there I'm fine with it. Obviously, I'm not a big WalMart fan...I think places like Target do a much better job than WalMart. But there is obviously a large portion of consumers that like WalMart and to each his/her own. Maybe if enough of them buy an iPhone only to shockingly find that it doesn't have MMS they will join in the complaining and Cupertino will finally have some programmer spend a couple hours adding the software
Oh, there might be a day when Mac minis or some other variation of Mac is sold at Walmart, after all they currently sell the AppleTV. I wouldn't discount the possibility of them selling Macs entirely (no pun intended).
the more they sell the more likely new products will enter pipeline quicker---get away from competitor timelines....get away from the "noise" so people can hear your message
access to more iphone accessories ....which means i don't have to go to a best buy 25 miles away or an apple store 3 hours away
hey i like the availability of more iphone products
can't wait for june
this makes iphone more mainstream....BB Nokia, don't like this...they will try to put their highend units in fewer stores....kudo's to apple....RIM is nervous.
To make matters worse the sales associate calls a 2nd store and the person there said she was going home and could not help. Well after 30 minutes the sales associate gave up and I headed for Best Buy.
I get in the local Best Buy and they had me set up with a white 16G phone in under 20 minutes. Sometimes it just it not worth the B.S. to save a few bucks.
BUT after all this time, walmart and att should have this buffed up slick, also they have limited people in the high volume electronics store. try to do anything with a cell phone purchase....not typical walmart fast, when i watch people buy a cell phone most soak up much of the salespersons time talking about features and calling plans regardless of the cell phone. that salesperson is locked up for about 15 minutes even if the customer doesn't buy a phone any phone
people should know the feature set of the iphone and walmart should have a slick computer interface. and you have to compete with after Christmas returns, super buys and buying an iphone...i'd wait till you can get someone to focus on you.
the big question is if the sales process is slow than the perceived volume apple wanted may not materialize.
they may need a separate info ladden poster....1...2....3....sold.
i wonder if its an att thing or a walmart start up thing..
also are their specially trained "iphone" associates ?
There is nothing wrong with buying an iPod, iPhone, or TV at WalMart. They carry top brands and they have the same warranties.
I trust Apple to not sell more cheaply made versions of their products at WalMart. That is not true for other "top brands".
As you discovered, groceries are less expensive than supermarkets.
Some people are clearly not very aggressive in getting the best grocery prices, which is not at WalMart. Anybody who plans well would do better at a grocery store paying attention to their sale cycles and/or getting bulk items at Sam's Club or Costco. I wouldn't go to WalMart for their (so-called) "fresh" foods either. How is it possible for a bakery to screw up bread/rolls made the same day???.
I trust Apple to not sell more cheaply made versions of their products at WalMart. That is not true for other "top brands".
Some people are clearly not very aggressive in getting the best grocery prices, which is not at WalMart. Anybody who plans well would do better at a grocery store paying attention to their sale cycles and/or getting bulk items at Sam's Club or Costco. I wouldn't go to WalMart for their (so-called) "fresh" foods either.
Two words: "farmer's market".
I've never been to a Walmart before but I always imagined the stereotypical shopper who buy lots of chips and soda and the only Internet they've ever used being AOL. Perhaps iPhone will sell well there but it does seem to be a strange mismatch - an urban professional type device at a rural America store.
Sure, there are a lot of lower income folks who go to Walmart, but there are also quite a few mid and upper income folks looking for bargains... probably more than you would imagine.
Sure, there are a lot of lower income folks who go to Walmart, but there are also quite a few mid and upper income folks looking for bargains... probably more than you would imagine.
I wasn't making any inference to their income level but rather their level of education/intelligence, although now that you've brought it up, there is obviously a direct correlation between education and income which may be why Walmarts are usually located in lower income areas. My point was simply that smart phones are for smart people and one would not expect to find such people in great abundance at Walmart.
I wasn't making any inference to their income level but rather their level of education/intelligence, although now that you've brought it up, there is obviously a direct correlation between education and income which may be why Walmarts are usually located in lower income areas..
That would be a big mistake in judgement. It's not axiomatic that intelligence is tied to high income. I've met a few "idiots" who were millionaires, and I'd bet there are fewer millionaires on AppleInsider although the intelligence level is quite daunting at times.
My point was simply that smart phones are for smart people and one would not expect to find such people in great abundance at Walmart.
Are we talking about the same "smart phone" that has iFart™ as it's current best-selling app?
My point is that Walmart is a great chain for distribution of iPhones and other Apple products, so don't knock it.
Are we talking about the same "smart phone" that has iFart? as it's current best-selling app?
Hahaha, excellent point.
I trust Apple to not sell more cheaply made versions of their products at WalMart. That is not true for other "top brands".
That's because you are getting only a $2 discount for the same version of iphone at Walmart.
As for other "top brands" (i.e. Sony tv's) who sell at walmart/sam's club/costco --- they are not "cheaply made" versions. They are more likely to be leaving out a couple of features (by way of hardware reduction or by firmware crippling) --- which the general public doesn't use anyway. No point of getting "deep color" if there is no content available in deep color in the foreseeable future. I might as well use the savings to buy a color calibration hardware to calibrate my sony walmart tv.