iMac lcd rumour at yourdailymac

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
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YourDailyMac.com,



I am a sales rep that works for Apple and I must say that you are doing a great job with your site. This is my first time writing to a news/rumor site so bear with me. OK, in our meeting last week at Cupertino we filled Steve in on the progress of our trying to sell the new iMac to 3 major chains. Right now we have sent 1 production version of the new flat panel iMac to: WalMart, BestBuy (used to be a Apple Re-Seller but now is thinking about rejoining since the new iMac doesn't come in colors) and OfficeMax (Apple is planning on purchasing store space so that when the Gateway Country's contract runs out they can have condensed Apple Stores within each store) So far we have been able to make deals with BestBuy and OfficeMax but we are having problems with Wal-Mart because they are unsure of the new iMac. But we do plan to make a deal with them after they see how much of a huge success this thing is."

___________________________________

from

<a href="http://www.phasedreality.com/yourdailymac/"; target="_blank">http://www.phasedreality.com/yourdailymac/</a>;



anybody have problems with this rumour??? i question the bestbuy tie in just because i have two in my city and neither even carries any mac software, let alone hardware....the couple of times i have looked and asked for anything mac related, i get a hard time from the young and silly salesperson of the day...sort of the rant of, "why would you use a mac, they suck..." which i always just walk away and stop at the front and mention to the manager that i will spend my money elsewhere and that the staff should work harder on their manners...even if they don't sell mac stuff, i, as a customer, may want to buy a camcorder or tv or stereo or mini-system for the children (all i did this christmas--none bought at bestbuy)...

i can maybe see an office max/apple venture, but i doubt bestbuy and i can't begin to see WalMart...hope i'm wrong....g



p.s. the ipod rumor is cool



[ 12-22-2001: Message edited by: thegelding ]</p>

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    I think it's all BS. Yourdailymac is a horrible rumor site from what i've seen.
  • Reply 2 of 12
    I think there are a couple of obvious reasons that this would be BS. The first is that Apple has no reason to show the new iMac to anyone who might talk before its introduction. I have a feeling they're going to be so backlogged with orders anyway that the need to get units into additional retail outlets isn't going to be pressing enough to just show around such a coveted and secretive project before its announcement.



    The second reason is that Apple has put a lot of money into building its own retail chain specifically so that they DON'T have to put their computers in places like Best Buy and OfficeMax (don't even get me started on how awful the staff would be at a Wal-Mart trying to sell iMacs). Hell, the staff at OfficeMax's Gateway stores don't even know anything about the PC's they are selling...imagine them trying to do Mac. The only one who knows anything about the Macs at my local Circuit City is the Apple Rep who comes in once a week to drop off more pamphlets and make sure nothing's locked up during the week past.



    Apple HATES all this and it has driven them to open their own stores, which are absolutely fantastic. Why on earth would they expand and perpetuate the nonsense that's gone on prior to that?



    -S
  • Reply 3 of 12
    jccbinjccbin Posts: 476member
    Ok, here's the deal for those who think that LA and New York are the only places in the U.S.:



    The great majority of consumers who have problems with computers live in what cityfolk call "flyover" country.



    We Don't have DSL or Cable Modems (in some cases, not even cable!). We still use 56K modems - out of necessity.



    I'mnot trying to be unsympathetic, but 27 or 72 Apple stores is still not going to put on within 3 hours of me or of many people.



    I'm glad Apple is standing up for its brand. And the Apple Store's will make great training centers for the staffs of Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Office Max - and will lower the cost of that training tremendously.



    Apple cannot grow marketshare without being in mass market retail. An iMac in every Wal-Mart would be wonderful, especially if Apple put some sales folk on the road traveling from store to store to keep the little wonders performing as they should.



    Apple is indeed helping its brand with its new stores, but the volume will only come from mass marketers. It's simply a matter of access.



    Merry Christmas!
  • Reply 4 of 12
    I think iMac at Wal-mart would be horrible. They would all be crashed or not even turned on, and with the tons of software they sell, (all PC), I am sure a lot of people would go in , buy the iMac and take some games or what not along to the checkout line only to be told that they are not compatible. Besides it would be a hard sell, most Wal-Mart employees are dumb PC using drones anyway and would say somethign to the effect of: "Why buy this? It costs $1300, is half the megahertz of this Hewlet Packard here, and all the software is for PC." I know this is the case in most other stores, but isn;t that why Apple pulled out of Sears and BB? Dumb sales people who didn;t know anything about Macs and didn;t care? I think the "Marts" would be the WORST placve to sell Apple...Yeah they get a lot of traffic, but mostly people how don;t care about ease-of-use, design, etc.
  • Reply 5 of 12
    jrcjrc Posts: 817member
    I love sam's and like Wal-Mart. They'd get a hundred times more traffic than at Circuit city, compusa, and apple stores combined.



    You'd think even if 1% of those extra hundred people walking by buys, it'd be worth it to the brand.
  • Reply 6 of 12
    enderender Posts: 353member
    You have to consider the type of people and the reasons those people visit the Wal-mart, Sam's club type stores.



    These people aren't looking to spend $1200-$1500 on a computer, regardless of actual capabilities. It would be a wasted effort on Apple's part to try to sell upper-end consumer level computers at these stores.



    Wal-mart is where you go when you are looking for $8 DVDs for the kiddies...



    That said, I would love it if Apple came to the Wal-mart near me (but it would be better if they put an Apple store in downtown Savannah...).



    -Ender
  • Reply 7 of 12
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    If I had to choose, I'd MUCH rather see iMacs and an Apple presence in Target as opposed to Wal-Mart.



    They're a bit hipper and slick to begin with, have nicer stuff, aren't as junky and low-rent, etc.



    Everytime I've been to a Wal-Mart, it looks like hell, shit's all over the floor, haphazardly stacked everywhere, crowded aisles, sloppy displays, SLOW gabby checkout employees (I've never been in a line at Wal-Mart that didn't keep me in it for less than 10 minutes...even if there were only two people in front of me) and just an overall sense of "cheap".



    Target carries some good stuff (those Michael Graves' designed kitchenware and electronics are pretty nifty) and they just seem to be a little more modern, fresh and so forth. Their graphics and hanging banners over the clothing section feature cool, hip, borderlin-funky looking people with cool haircuts/makeup/clothing, whereas Wal-Mart looks like the old lady across the street.







    Target actually features a Titanium PowerBook in a prominent poster/instore display and I just saw it again tonight on the front door.



    Yes, I wouldn't rely on actual Target salespeople to know or give two damns about Apple stuff, but perhaps Apple can implement some sort of program where Demo Days types of people come in on weekends or whatever (peak shopping/busy times) to demonstrate and show them off.



    Although, I'd simply like to see there be enough Apple retail stores eventually so that just about anyone could get to one in a reasonable amount of time.



    But that's a long shot and isn't going to be feasible for a LONG, long time.



    It's not that I mind Apple stuff being in places like Sears, Wal-Mark, OfficeMax, etc., but history has shown, time and time again, that if you don't support and back up that move with compentent, knowledgeable staff who'll do the brand justice and contribute more good than harm, it's a total waste.



    Apple should only place their stuff in non-Apple retail stores where they have some sort of say-so or guarantee that the stuff will be displayed, demonstrated and promoted competently and not left to wither and sit with missing keys, blinking question mark icons and idiot salespeople spouting the standard, untrue bullshit myths ("Macs don't have no software", "Apple's going out of business", "Microsoft bought Apple because they don't do the Internet", "Macs are kinda like toys or something...they aren't 'real' computers...", etc.).



    One misinformed (or outright malicious) idiot salesperson can do more damage in one hour than Apple can reverse in six months.



  • Reply 8 of 12
    I think a better idea would be to have a travelling apple winnebago that put on big demonstrations, and let people get their hands on the machines and burn a cd, make a movie, etc.



    then there could be apple salespeople with the products, not lame-ass wal-mart losers



    C.pres
  • Reply 9 of 12
    iMacs at any 'mart would only hurt Apple sales. They would be improperly maintained, and thus whenever people looked at them, they would be frozen or crashed, never working right. People would be turned off.





    I don't believe Apple is interested in selling the iMac at any of the places mentioned in this rumor. And if they were going to sell at these places, they would make a contract for selling Macs, not just the iMac. At least the "consumer" macs. And no, Apple would not cart a secret prototype around the country trolling for places interested in buying it. That's a dumb idea.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    [quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

    <strong>





    I don't believe Apple is interested in selling the iMac at any of the places mentioned in this rumor. And if they were going to sell at these places, they would make a contract for selling Macs, not just the iMac. At least the "consumer" macs. And no, Apple would not cart a secret prototype around the country trolling for places interested in buying it. That's a dumb idea.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Good point.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    An Apple in Wal-Mart is like a queen in the town stocks. The market is just too different for salability in Wal-Mart. here look at how they market products:











    [ 12-23-2001: Message edited by: Gigawire ]</p>
  • Reply 12 of 12
    cobracobra Posts: 253member
    Apple computers in Walmart.



    Thats freakin scary! :eek:





    Good thing it won't happen. Circuit City bites the big one too.



    Only a few places that are decent to buy a Mac. Fry's is not too bad. Microcenter is good. Crap USA is okay. Pretty good at the one by me but thats because an actual Apple rep runs the Mac section at that one so it is set up pretty nice.





    Anyways, I seriously doubt Apple is parading the new iMac around. Steve is keeping the doors tightly shut on this one.



    I would say that there are probably no more than a handful outside the company that have seen it. Heck, just a tiny amount of people at Apple have probably seen it.





    Cobra



    [ 12-23-2001: Message edited by: Cobra ]</p>
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