Macs at Best Buy Canada
Best Buy Canada has started to sell macs, a year after opening in canada. I saw an ibook, emac and powermac. iPods have been around for a while. While this appears to be a good thing on the surface, macs given more visibillity and distribution, this smacks of the old apple strategy. And we know how well that did. In a few months, the macs will be pushed to a corner of the store. The sales from Best Buy will be negligible. Why bother? Best Buy's sister company, Futureshop, sells a couple of macs. Didn't they learn?
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Since Computer City shut down, Canada doesn't have a big box CPU retailer like CompUSA in the U.S. Apple has a presence in the smaller Compusmart outlets, but they need a national player or to start up Apple Stores in the provincial capitals ASAP.
If Best Buy wants to do it right, all they need do is devote a single aisle to showcase Macs. On the shelf you'd have the iBook, iMac, Powerbook and Power Mac. Below the top shelf, a selection of the top 50 software products and Mac specific accessories on the end caps. Compact to save space, but still showing a committment to the platform.
If they won't do that, they shouldn't do it at all. Putting one iMac on display and no software on the shelves - a la Future Shop - is a recipe for disaster.
I live around the block from a Future Shop and when we purchased our last two Macs, I went to Mississauga and Scarborough dealers to check out prices.
Never even considered making such a large purchase from a store that obviously doesn't care.
More often than not, the iPods were broken at the Best Buys I visited. The iMacs at Future Shop were dirty and not working properly.
The lack of a good Apple presence in Canda begs the bigger question. What happened to the proposed Apple Stores opening up in Toronto?
On another note, Best Buy got rid of their appliances dept. Maybe things aren't as rosy as it appears. After a spectacular launch, maybe the ship sprung a few leaks. Bad timing on apple's part.
They don't sell macs anymore at futurecrap. I saw an eMac there awhile ago... and yeah, it was all broken and dirty. No one takes care of our poor little babies! damn them!
Originally posted by satchmo
Absolutely correct. I can't stand the way Apple products are treated and neglected at both Best Buy and Future Shops here in Toronto.
More often than not, the iPods were broken at the Best Buys I visited. The iMacs at Future Shop were dirty and not working properly.
The lack of a good Apple presence in Canda begs the bigger question. What happened to the proposed Apple Stores opening up in Toronto?
What's really odd about it is that considering our population size, Canada has one of the largest user bases for Apple.
Originally posted by Jim Paradise
What's really odd about it is that considering our population size, Canada has one of the largest user bases for Apple.
I've always wondered what Apple's marketshare is, here in Canada. Do you have any numbers?
I'd figure that to be a small signal that this store, at least, is interested in Mac sales. Hell, they were praising the Macs saying how glad they were to have them in their store.
Oh, and all of the CompuSmart's I've been to around here have comparitively worse selections of Macs and even less knowledgeable salespeople. Not to mention, some 90% of the time, their display models are _completely_ outdated - often by as much as a year.
The funny thing is there was a typo in the flyer for the Mac opening weekend. A 15" Superdrive Powerbook was advertised for CAN $2649, when the price is usually $3299. They did knock $100. off the eMac (to $999.), but I'm sure that was a typo for the Powerbook.
If I'd had the $2700. to spend, I would have tried to get it.
Originally posted by satchmo
I've always wondered what Apple's marketshare is, here in Canada. Do you have any numbers?
The only numbers I know are that there are more Mac users per capita IN Canada than the U.S.
So, Steve ....
WHERE'S OUR F*CKING, G*D DAMNED MUSIC STORE!??!!! FOR CHRISTS SAKE !!!!GET THE F*CKING BOAT SHOW SAILING ALREADY!!!!!! WHAT THE F*CK ARE YOU GUYS SITTING ON YOUR F*CKING *SSES FOR .... EHH?!?
HOLY F*CK DOES THIS PISS ME OFF!!!
JESUS
CHRIST
F*CK
But I digress.