Several readers have written to let us know that Apple's Time Capsule is listed in the current Best Buy flyer. It is scheduled for a February release, so this could mean that we'll see it in stores this week.
If any TUAW readers visit a Best Buy this week, let us know if you find a Time Capsule on the shelves, and if you buy one!
Would you buy an Apple from Best Buy? Ian says the nearest Apple store is 15 miles away, so for actually buying and purchasing a Mac, I'd rather go to the Genius Bar. But of course this store isn't meant for me (even though I do buy games and electronics at Best Buy)-- it's meant for Windows folks coming in to get a new PC, and reconsidering for the purchase of an iMac.
The problem with that is that Apple doesn't compete on price, and Best Buy does (ironically enough, Ian points out that Best Buy's plans are actually more expensive than AppleCare). Apple competes on the pleasure of the UI and usability-- that's why Apple stores work so well, because the whole transaction is designed around using the item. Still, making their computers accessible and open like this even at Best Buy (as much as possible, anyway-- the place looks a little cramped) is a start at reaching the unwashed Windows masses and enticing them into a better world.
Canada's Best Buy* website has posted a page (littered with typographical and grammatical errors) that interested Canadian shoppers can use to sign up for email notification of iPhone availability. So, it looks like the iPhone will be available at Best Buy in Canada, once it launches.
Now someone get a copy editor on that ad, mmkay?
*Best Buy is a big box electronics store in the US and Canada.
A few weeks ago, we wrote about Apple's plan to expand their presence in Best Buy stores (Best Buy is a big box electronics store here in the US) in 2007. Now, some of these store-with-a-store "boutiques" are beginning to appear, and they look great. The Macs are prominently displayed on their own minimalist set up, all running and ready to go. PB | Central says of the setup:
"The makeover is so major that when you first come across it, you might think you took a wrong turn somewhere. Once you step foot into the new Apple section, you might think you were magically transported to a regular Apple Store..."
If you come across one of these, let us know. They look great.
First it was Best Buy, now AppleInsider is reporting that US retailer Target will become the next third party chain to sell the Apple TV. You can expect to see units in stores by the end of the month (you can currently get one online at Target's website), and a few locations will even feature full-blown demo setups.
It has been reported that Apple TV sales have been a bit slow at Best Buy, so who knows what will happen at Target. Let us know if you see any, especially a demo model.
Last week, we pointed out Apple's intention to extend its presence in Best Buy (Best Buy is a big box electronics store here in the US) to 200 locations in 2007. We noted some of the less-than-Mac-like experiences we've had at the hands of Best Buy employees, and some of you shared similar experiences. Today, there's good news.
MacNN is reporting that Apple may establish "boutiques" in these locations, sort of stores within the store. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said, "We believe Apple's store within a store at Best Buy will be much different compared to the current pilot store roll-out, which was a table with Apple products on it..." on Monday. Sounds good, and we're eager to see the setup.
About a year ago, there was a single Mac mini set up in my local Best Buy. It quietly disappeared, and I wondered if Apple was giving up on Best Buy. Today, I got my answer: No.
According to an article at MacNN, the Apple/Best Buy retail venture will grow to 200 stores in 2007, up from the current count of 50. That's great and all, but let's hope that the staff at these extra 150 stores aren't as blatantly anti-Mac as the employees I've encountered. I've actually seen staff steer interested shoppers away from the mini and towards some hulking PC. I only hope they bought virus protection software as well.
You should be able to buy an Apple TV at your local Apple Store very soon (I imagine if they don't have them today they'll be getting them over the weekend). What if you are one of the many folks who do not live near an Apple Store? According to CNet Best Buy has worked out a deal to get Apple TVs this Tuesday, a full 2 weeks before other retail outlets. Apple is only shipping them 3000 units, which will be spread out to over 800 Best Buy locations, but if you are jonesing for an Apple TV you might have to 'turn on the fun' at Best Buy.
Update: It looks like Best Buy might have been overly zealous with the whole 'exclusive' claim. They are still getting about 3000 Apple TVs though, so check it out if you're in the market.
This past Sunday, Best Buy ran the above insert in San Francisco-area newspapers (You can see a larger version here). And just a couple weeks after all the Vista ads...how fickle retailers are.
There aren't any Macs at my local Best Buy. There used to be one mini, but it has disappeared. Have any of you seen this flyer, and if so, where do you live?
The graphic with this post is a screenshot I captured while browsing Amazon's 'Year End Deals' section. Boy, they have a great deal on the 80 gig iPod, don't they? You save 99 cents! And despite my sarcasm, that actually is probably one of the best deal you're going to find on iPods this holiday season.
Why don't retailers price iPods more aggressively? I mean, iPods are pretty much the same price no matter where you get them, so there is very little reason to shop around for them (and stores want you to shop around).
Sean Cooper, writing for Slate, gets to the bottom of this mystery and finds that the answer is: MAP (minimum advertised price). This is a price which is set by Apple and if a vendor complies with this price they get some money to advertise their iPod wares from Apple. However, if they go below that price they can kiss that money goodbye. Why would Apple do this? Well, you might recall that Apple makes a good deal of money selling its own wares in the Apple stores. Imagine if a big box store (Best Buy or Circuit City) could undercut Apple's price. Everyone would be buying iPods from them and no one would be shopping at those nice Apple stores.
Have you heard the big news? Best Buy, RealNetworks and SanDisk have teamed up to launch a new digital music store, powered by Real's Rhapsody 4.0 - doing their part to save digital music everywhere from extinction.
To help kick things off, Puff DaddySean CombsSean Puffy CombsFuzzy WuzzyP. Diddy Diddy will be releasing an exclusive track from his new album for the launch, which is slated for October 15, 2006. Since you can't launch a digital music store without your own digital music player to play those freshly downloaded tracks on, the SanDisk Sansa e200R Rhapsody MP3 player (boy, that just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?) is optimized to work "seamlessly" with the Best Buy Digital Music Store.
Before you go thinking all this glorious music is free, let me fill you in on the pricing. You get a free 2-month subscription to the music store when you buy a SanDisk Sansa, which will set you back $139 for the 2gig model and $249 for the 8gig model. The subscription is for unlimited tunes. The catch? If you don't sign up for a not-free subscription after 2 months, you won't be able to listen to those songs anymore. The basic subscription service will normally be priced at $14.99/month but you can also just "buy" individual tracks for 99 cents each, just like iTunes.
I don't know about you, but I prefer my digital music services and devices to have names I can pronounce and easy acronyms for when I'm feeling particularly lazy, so BBDMS + Rhapsody 4.0 + SDSe200RRMP3(p) = headache, whereas Apple + iTS + iPod = the true Best Buy.
There are only two possible openers to this post: "It's about time," or "Oh, crap." I'm leaning towards the former; honestly, how bad can it be?
An article at ZDnet reports that Apple is expanding its product offerings at Best Buy. Apparently, several Best Buy locations are carrying the entire collection of Intel-based Macs, from MacBooks to MacBook Pros to iMacs. Sounds like a good plan to me: the Mac is finally mass-marketable, and now that there are Mac ads and the "iPod Halo Effect" and increased awareness, this is probably the right time to start putting the Mac where normal folks can actually buy one. Then again, there's always the possibility it will wind up like Best Buy's (and icky Fry's and CompUSA and Circuit City and...) previous Mac-selling experience: the machines get dirty and are under-maintained, the sales reps know diddly-squat about OS X, and people wind up getting turned away from the Mac because it looks like a cheap piece of filthy plastic that no one knows how to use and is orphaned in a corner....
MacBook Pros and Mac OS X are so three weeks ago. I'm all about getting a brand new PowerBook from Best Buy with
Windows 98. While the product
description says OS X ships on the PowerBook, its accompanying image certainly says otherwise.
While
this could easily be an Apple-hatin' designer or maybe just a design department goof, it's at least good for a snicker,
especially since it's Best Buy, of all places.
Several readers have written to let us know that Apple's Time Capsule is listed in the current Best Buy flyer. It is scheduled for a February release, so this could mean that we'll see it in stores this week. 
We've heard about them, and now Ian sends us his Flickr tour of the "Apple shop" inside a Best Buy. It's a weird combination-- Apple's elegance with Best Buy's garish discount electronics warehouse look-- but from what we've heard, it works.
Canada's Best Buy* website has posted a page (littered with typographical and grammatical errors) that interested Canadian shoppers can use to sign up for email notification of iPhone availability. So, it looks like the iPhone will be available at Best Buy in Canada, once it launches.
A few weeks ago, we wrote about Apple's plan to expand their presence in Best Buy stores (Best Buy is a big box electronics store here in the US) in 2007. Now, some of these store-with-a-store "boutiques" are beginning to appear, and they look great. The Macs are prominently displayed on their own minimalist set up, all running and ready to go. PB | Central says of the setup:
First it was Best Buy, now AppleInsider is reporting that US retailer Target will become the next third party chain to sell the Apple TV. You can expect to see units in stores by the end of the month (you can currently get one online at Target's website), and a few locations will even feature full-blown demo setups.
Last week, we pointed out Apple's intention to extend its presence in Best Buy (Best Buy is a big box electronics store here in the US) to 200 locations in 2007. We noted some of the less-than-Mac-like experiences we've had at the hands of Best Buy employees, and some of you shared similar experiences. Today, there's good news.
You should be able to buy an Apple TV at your local Apple Store very soon (I imagine if they don't have them today they'll be getting them over the weekend). What if you are one of the many folks who do not live near an Apple Store? According to CNet Best Buy has worked out a deal to get Apple TVs this Tuesday, a full 2 weeks before other retail outlets. Apple is only shipping them 3000 units, which will be spread out to over 800 Best Buy locations, but if you are jonesing for an Apple TV you might have to 'turn on the fun' at Best Buy.
The graphic with this post is a screenshot I captured while browsing Amazon's 'Year End Deals' section. Boy, they have a great deal on the 80 gig iPod, don't they? You save 99 cents! And despite my sarcasm, that actually is probably one of the best deal you're going to find on iPods this holiday season.
Have you heard the big news? Best Buy, RealNetworks and SanDisk have teamed up to launch a new digital music store, powered by Real's Rhapsody 4.0 - doing their part to save digital music everywhere from extinction. 
There are only two possible openers to this post: "It's about time," or "Oh, crap." I'm leaning towards the former; honestly, how bad can it be? 
