Thank god you explained what Big Buy was.

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Because they lack moderately intelligent employees, clean stores, and genius bar, I'm gonna say I won't feel magically transported.

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These have been in San Diego for months.

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I saw a setup in a BestBuy like the photo above in December. While its better than nothing, its far from a "store-in-a-store".

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Yeah, my Best Buy in West LA has had this for several months now. It's pretty nice, but the computers aren't connected to the internet, like in a real Apple store. They still, however, give casual buyers a real opportunity to see that the Mac is a real option when buying a new computer.

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I wonder if Apple's "Genius" ad conflicts with this goal. It's driving sales to its own stores, not to all sellers.

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Once again though, the customer will be the one that gets screwed since half of the employees will pitch the computer as a 'trend' and to come over to windows world., and the other half will show how great a mac really is.

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Will they carry more software? Only mac software I saw in best buy was apple branded stuff.

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Very cool. I hope they put one in my Best Buy, so I can work there without puking.

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"Thank god you explained what Big Buy was" - well, we don't all live in the US, do we? US-based blogs sometimes do a fairly poor job of acknowledging that their readers could potentially come from anywhere in the world - TUAW tends to be an exception to this, in my opinion (e.g. the "iTunes Free Wednesdays" posts featuring singles from iTunes stores across the world being a case in point). So keep up the good work, guys!

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Yes, I agree. Thanks for not being parochial. Reading your blog from here in the UK I wouldn't have known what Best Buy was (well, I could probably have made an accurate guess though...).

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I always have to think back to the days when Best Buy did carry Macs. I went to look at them one day and the guy said, "You should look at a real computer". I responded, "You should get a real job". I also could have said (at least back in that day), "Oh, I didn't know you carried Sun". That wouldn't have been effective, however, since the guy probably had no idea what that was.

I remember another time, again way back, when I went to CompUSA to buy OS 9 and the guy at the register said, "I didn't know they were still beating that dead horse". To which I said (being that it was around that time, "Windows 95 had to come from somewhere".

I am just so thankful that if I want to go somewhere and look at Macs, I can go to the Apple store. You will probably never convince me to step foot inside of Best Buy for a Mac even though they are right next door and the Apple Store is almost 20 miles away. Actually, I never go to the store for a Mac anyway, I just get it online.

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Dan Oblak: You've nearly inspired me to go to the local Best Buy, look at the Macs if they have them, and wait to here a gem like that myself. I used to explore the CompUSA Mac section, but since I am not a woman, the kids there would never talk to me.

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hey, they have Best Buy in Canada as well! and since they don't have any apple stores in Winnipeg, I can almost see myself going to Best Buy to see new apple products. in fact, the nearest apple store is almost 7 hours away in Minneapolis! I think I can even overlook the dismal product knowledge of the average Best Buy employee for the priviledge of laying my hands on that white gold.

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Actually, I was working at Best Buy for a little while and I'd have to say, I was one of the few employees that really knew their stuff. Anyways, for our Apple section in our store, a Apple Representative from I think the Apple Store would come in and work that station, not the Best Buy employees themselves.

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I really would like to believe that an Apple-provided and Apple-trained person will be in the store full-time; but I've heard the 'they're really serious this time!' mantra through so many iterations (going back to 1995, I think) that I'm still feeling 'guilty until proven innocent' (or, bad idea before proven good).

Keep in mind that all of the above was said with me standing *right there*, in my Apple polo shirt, within range of a well-aimed glare... however we were hired by Apple (through a marketing company), and were not allowed to make the salespeople look bad by contradicting them (the salespeople had no imperative to follow our directions or ask our advice). So after the customer was out of earshot, we were able to approach the salesperson with a bright, professional smile and offer to shed some light on the situation. Usually, we were gladly accepted and these same people would bring customers right to us to have a 'three-way', hence making a sale where none might have been. Quite a few would just sneer at us and bolt, though -- they knew EXACTLY what they were doing, and found it quite entertaining to steer away a Mac customer that might instead be buying a PC with their in-store extended warranty (where the real money gets made).

I guess the tell-all for me will be whether AppleCare will be sold to new Mac owners, rather than the in-store warranty. Not eveybody needs AppleCare -- but for those who do, the direction the money flows and the consistency of quality for a service plan are good indicators of how true to the Apple Way the retailer is leaning.

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For those of us who have spend years assisting retailers like Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, etc. with the 'Demo Days' promotions (where Friday evenings, and all day Saturday and Sunday through the last three months of the year, we would hang out in the stores to answer customers' questions and give 'tours' to the unMac'd salespeople) -- it's the exception, not the rule, when an in-store salesperson answers customers' questions CORRECTLY and provides them all the information they need to make a good buying decision. I don't care how you dress it up; in a store not controlled by Apple -- people come in, checkbook in hand, and ask, 'Where is your Mac display?', and the PC bigots tell them things like:

1) "You don't want one of those things; they don't have MMX! Let me show you one that *does*!" (Best Buy)

2) "You can't get on the internet with one of those -- they never were designed to network well. Now, these down *this* row all come with the internet hardware and software *built*right*in*, so you'll be up and running in just a few minutes!" (CompUSA)

3) "If you aren't looking for an out-of-the-box solution for editing video, the iMacs aren't going to help you. They don't do much of the 'normal stuff' well. (short pause) What kind of things do you want to be able to do on a new computer?" (Best Buy)

4) "None of the printers, mice, keyboards, or software that we sell are compatible with the Macs... but they do come with a nifty utility for sorting photos!" (Circuit City)

5) Store Manager: "Get out of my store. Now. I didn't invite you, and I don't want you here." (Circuit City)

6) "Apple is going out of business -- Microsoft bought them out a few years ago because they felt sorry for them, but no one really uses them any more." (Best Buy)

7) (Existing Mac customer asked whether they could connect the laser printer they already had at home with a new Mac; they even knew that their printer had an ethernet port, a Mac serial port, and a parallel port) "No, Macs don't use ethernet -- you'll have to buy a new laser printer with USB if you get another Mac. So it's probably cheaper to get a PC that will work with your old printer." (Best Buy)

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(Why is one of my posts here twice? Am I stuttering again?)

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So, a customer can go to Best Buy and here PC biggots(WTF?) push them towards a Windows machine, or go to a Mac store where a Mac Zealot will push them towards a Mac, instead of Finding people knowledgeable enough to give the consumer what they ACTUALLY need.

Bias is Bias.... and Windows PCs have familiarity, something Macs don't have. It's not a conspiracy against Apple, it's... at it's worst, misinformation. But.. seeing as it's against you preferd platform, you're sure to find consipiacy theories.

Personally, I'd slap em either way. A Mac does not make a good gaming PC.... Macs have compatability issues with many consumer based hardware.. because most of them are written with WinXP in mind (Go, try and buy a Webcam that clips on a laptop LCD for under $50. It's gotta work out of the box, and with iChat) Macs also become obsolete faster, since most of the time you cant get the newest mac features w/o buying a brand new computer. Macs Excel, though, at Basic PC use. Email, web... advanced basic use, Simple Website design, blogging, audio, and video blogging. And finally Professional Video and image editing. PCs excel in gameing, hardware compatability, and user base. They fail in the terms of stability, and ease of use. PCs excel at being upgradeable, and value.

Being biased or a Zealot in either direction is bad for consumers. an Apple rep would not give me an informed view of my options, in the same way these, PC zealots you allude to won't. The Apple guy wants to sell me an Apple, My true needs be dammned. These other guys want to sell me a PC, my true needs be damned. Get some neutral, informed unbiased employees in a best buy, then we'll talk.

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Before you blast these stores with negative preconceptions, be aware that many of them are to be manned with full time Apple employees, Apple Solution Consultants. Apple and Best Buy are very serious about this new relationship!

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