maxdet
Aug 12, 04:06 PM
The official reason for the price drop was to meet dell prices or get close to them. To what extent could Apple have dropped their display prices to come back a little later with a new model with new features (built-in iSight, better specs or any new crazy thing like an integrated coffee machine) that would justify more expencive models.
I know it sounds crazy but it came to my mind and seemed quite possible after all.
your opinion?
I know it sounds crazy but it came to my mind and seemed quite possible after all.
your opinion?
xlight
Aug 1, 02:00 PM
First you bitch about MS then when Apple does the same thing it is not wrong.
Come on ...
Come on ...
gr8ful
Jan 9, 10:52 AM
My speculations from another thread:
I see Macworld shaping up to be all about portability, accessibility, & expanded functionality. So I expect to see:
Portability
- refresh of the mb pro laptops, possibly even a refresh of the macbooks
- iPod touch with 32gb
- the ultraportable announced and positioned in between the macbook and the mb pro
- multi-touch tablet with a 7 inch screen, 32gb ssd, wifi and bt, isight camera
- I believe Apple will wait till later in the year to announce the availability of a 3G iPhone which will come with 16gb
Accessibility
- iTunes movie rentals and expanded selection for purchase
- Ability to download movies, tv shows, podcasts, etc over wifi (iPhone, iPod touch, & tablet)
Expanded functionality
- iPhone/iPod touch update with all features that were leaked and few surprises like (ichat, copy & paste, finder w/coverflow, doc/e-book reader)
- Full preview of the SDK for the iPhone, iPod touch & new tablet
- Announcement of a number of third party apps for the iPhone & iPod touch available for download thru iTunes
- Ability to use 'back to my mac' feature with iPhone, iPod touch, & new tablet
Out-on-a-limb prediction: Announcement of iWork touch, a version of iWork for the iPhone, iPod touch, & new tablet with a reworked UI that works better with a touch interface.
I see Macworld shaping up to be all about portability, accessibility, & expanded functionality. So I expect to see:
Portability
- refresh of the mb pro laptops, possibly even a refresh of the macbooks
- iPod touch with 32gb
- the ultraportable announced and positioned in between the macbook and the mb pro
- multi-touch tablet with a 7 inch screen, 32gb ssd, wifi and bt, isight camera
- I believe Apple will wait till later in the year to announce the availability of a 3G iPhone which will come with 16gb
Accessibility
- iTunes movie rentals and expanded selection for purchase
- Ability to download movies, tv shows, podcasts, etc over wifi (iPhone, iPod touch, & tablet)
Expanded functionality
- iPhone/iPod touch update with all features that were leaked and few surprises like (ichat, copy & paste, finder w/coverflow, doc/e-book reader)
- Full preview of the SDK for the iPhone, iPod touch & new tablet
- Announcement of a number of third party apps for the iPhone & iPod touch available for download thru iTunes
- Ability to use 'back to my mac' feature with iPhone, iPod touch, & new tablet
Out-on-a-limb prediction: Announcement of iWork touch, a version of iWork for the iPhone, iPod touch, & new tablet with a reworked UI that works better with a touch interface.
JPark
May 3, 01:51 PM
I'm fine with the cell companies charging more for tethering. I'm also fine with them doing tiered data plans. Either one of those is okay in my book. Doing both, however, is robbery.
more...
Bo98
Apr 25, 12:05 PM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8B117 Safari/6531.22.7)
Despite the source of the image being not 100% trusted, this seems to be most accurate sounding rumour. Although I do not think that it will be called iPhone 4S as this will mess with the versioning numbers because the one after the 4S/5 would be 6.
Despite the source of the image being not 100% trusted, this seems to be most accurate sounding rumour. Although I do not think that it will be called iPhone 4S as this will mess with the versioning numbers because the one after the 4S/5 would be 6.
Shannighan
Apr 7, 06:25 AM
http://thedecorologist.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/toilet-coffee-mug-via-harrietcarter.jpg
That is too funny!
That is too funny!
more...
ten-oak-druid
Apr 29, 09:44 PM
As for this control panel issue with buttons versus sliders, why does Apple feel they need to group expose and spaces under one control panel anyway?
Why not just make them separate control panels?
Why not just make them separate control panels?
slosh
Nov 24, 09:24 AM
In store you should be able to get both discounts.
are you sure about that, or could someone else verify this? trying to decide if i should take a drive down to the mall today....
thanks!
are you sure about that, or could someone else verify this? trying to decide if i should take a drive down to the mall today....
thanks!
more...
slimbek
May 3, 10:30 PM
I want that voice-over guy to read me bedtime stories.
milo
Sep 12, 07:29 AM
If it's just Disney, then there's not much point. The reason iTMS succeeded from the start was that it was simple and it had the largest library from which you could purchase single songs. If the iTunes Movie store starts with just Disney movies, then it's dead in the water. Let's just hope that ThinkSecret is wrong again, as usual.
WRONG. The video (TV) store only had ABC when it first started, and it still sold a million videos in 20 days or so. Look at it now. And even the music store didn't have everything right away.
I wouldn't be surprised if it's just disney, or not much more. Virtually ALL the rumor sites are reporting this, ThinkSecret is just repeating what they hear elsewhere.
Maybe, but to impact the market, you need a critical mass. Didn't iTMS have 200,000-300,000 songs when it opened?
Who else is? Anyway, my point was more that if Disney is all the iTunes Movie Store has to offer, it will look like a huge marketing failure, and the media will feed on it... If it's true, expect predictions of Apple's pending demise on Wednesday...
See above. The TV store only started with ABC, and it's considered a big success. It's simple, if the Disney movies sell like hotcakes, the other studios will all jump on the bandwagon. Just like TV.
I believe that an airport extreme, or 802.11g is plenty fast to stream High-def Video, and shouldn't apple change the name of itunes at this point, since it is now a multimedia piece of software?
I think it's too late, it would be really stupid to throw away such strong branding.
New Nanos with SAME capacity?? - No, thanks...
What makes you think that? The rumors say no new features, but it would be pretty unthinkable not to bump capacity after so long.
WRONG. The video (TV) store only had ABC when it first started, and it still sold a million videos in 20 days or so. Look at it now. And even the music store didn't have everything right away.
I wouldn't be surprised if it's just disney, or not much more. Virtually ALL the rumor sites are reporting this, ThinkSecret is just repeating what they hear elsewhere.
Maybe, but to impact the market, you need a critical mass. Didn't iTMS have 200,000-300,000 songs when it opened?
Who else is? Anyway, my point was more that if Disney is all the iTunes Movie Store has to offer, it will look like a huge marketing failure, and the media will feed on it... If it's true, expect predictions of Apple's pending demise on Wednesday...
See above. The TV store only started with ABC, and it's considered a big success. It's simple, if the Disney movies sell like hotcakes, the other studios will all jump on the bandwagon. Just like TV.
I believe that an airport extreme, or 802.11g is plenty fast to stream High-def Video, and shouldn't apple change the name of itunes at this point, since it is now a multimedia piece of software?
I think it's too late, it would be really stupid to throw away such strong branding.
New Nanos with SAME capacity?? - No, thanks...
What makes you think that? The rumors say no new features, but it would be pretty unthinkable not to bump capacity after so long.
more...
OllyW
Mar 13, 08:18 AM
Tablets replacing servers? No way, no thank you.
Now that would be...
a massive paradigm-shift
:D
Now that would be...
a massive paradigm-shift
:D
maz94protege
Oct 29, 07:35 AM
AT&T drops a ton of calls in my area, but it's no different than when I used Verizon.
Same with me. its all about location. I have AT&T (iPhone) and Verizon (BB Storm), both drop calls, where i have coverage on one, i dont on the other and vice versa. So to say one has better coverage or not, its hard to point in the right direction. Really... As long as i can make a call im good, I had perfect coverage 2 days ago on the Storm and the network wasnt working, while my iPhone had 1 bar on 3G and no issues.
But its a cool commerical, I like how they are only talking about 3G coverage not over all service coverage, kind of makes Verizon look better. Then again...who is struggling for not having the iPhone?
Same with me. its all about location. I have AT&T (iPhone) and Verizon (BB Storm), both drop calls, where i have coverage on one, i dont on the other and vice versa. So to say one has better coverage or not, its hard to point in the right direction. Really... As long as i can make a call im good, I had perfect coverage 2 days ago on the Storm and the network wasnt working, while my iPhone had 1 bar on 3G and no issues.
But its a cool commerical, I like how they are only talking about 3G coverage not over all service coverage, kind of makes Verizon look better. Then again...who is struggling for not having the iPhone?
more...
ghostlines
Apr 6, 04:37 AM
My experience with iAds has been good, you sometimes see interesting stuff. But what I like about them most is that somehow they don't seem intrusive or annoying. They're just a a record in tableview that we can just easily flick pass.
Normal ads on website stick on the banner or sidebar if you don't have any adblock plugins installed, and that makes those so annoying.
Normal ads on website stick on the banner or sidebar if you don't have any adblock plugins installed, and that makes those so annoying.
arn
Apr 21, 01:40 PM
we've turned it off to make some tweaks.
It'll be back in a bit.
arn
It'll be back in a bit.
arn
more...
mrgreen4242
Sep 12, 08:43 AM
How you gonna burn it to DVD if it's Hi-Def?
You can burn HD video to DVD as long as you have something that can play it back, eg a Mac mini Media Edition. A DVD-R DL would hold a 2hr 1080p H.264 movie (with only stereo sound and a less than perfect, imo, bitrate). More better would be 720p with 5.1 and a very high bitrate on a DVD-R DL.
All new Macs have DL SD (well, all new Macs with SDs)... I know DVD-R DL blanks are still $1-2 a piece, but have you seen the price for a BR or HDDVD movie?
You can burn HD video to DVD as long as you have something that can play it back, eg a Mac mini Media Edition. A DVD-R DL would hold a 2hr 1080p H.264 movie (with only stereo sound and a less than perfect, imo, bitrate). More better would be 720p with 5.1 and a very high bitrate on a DVD-R DL.
All new Macs have DL SD (well, all new Macs with SDs)... I know DVD-R DL blanks are still $1-2 a piece, but have you seen the price for a BR or HDDVD movie?
Puck.
Jan 15, 01:33 PM
Pretty terrible honestly, it seemed as though there should have been at least one more major item. Let's hope that in 6 months we get more another major goodie.
more...
jaw04005
Apr 21, 09:57 PM
The biggest problem with Windows is Microsoft doesn't design Windows for consumers. The biggest chunk of their cash-cow comes from the enterprise. And the Windows desktop platform reflects that.
That didn't change with Windows 7. What's sad is they have a lot of innovative consumer-focused product teams (Media Center, Zune, XBOX, Live, Bing, Auto Collage, Windows Home Server, etc) that don't work together and don't have enough clout to make their projects prominent. They should let those guys develop the next consumer version of Windows instead of just throwing their different projects into Windows sporadically or in most cases optionally.
Take the Windows Live components:
Windows Live Family Safety - Should be integrated into 7's Parental Controls
Windows Live Mail, Mesh (Backup), Messenger, Movie Maker, Photo Gallery - Should be included on the default "home" version of 7
Windows Live Writer - Should be included as an optional install
http://explore.live.com/
Then you have the optional Zune jukebox, which should be the default media player in 7 instead of Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player in 7 has a really neat "remote media" feature (think Back to My Mac meets your iTunes library), but no one knows about it or how to use it. And it's not present in the optional Zune jukebox software and isn't compatible with Windows Phones or Zune devices (obvious oversight there).
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Stream-your-media-over-the-Internet-using-Windows-Media-Player
http://www.zune.com
Then there's Media Center, which really should be updated to use the newer Metro UI and adopted to be the front-end media experience on both the XBOX 360 (and I'm not talking RDP-like Media Center Extender functionality), PC (for DVD/Blu-ray playback, etc) and possibly tablet UI.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-media-center/get-started/default.aspx
There's Microsoft Research's Auto Collage, which should be included as a plug-in for Windows Live Gallery instead of a $20 separate program that no one knows about.
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/autocollage/
The "Drive Extender" technology that Microsoft recently pulled from Windows Home Server should have been how future versions of Windows handle hard drives (no more drive letters).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Server#Drive_Extender
Why Bing photos/themes aren't prominent in Windows 7 or the default wallpaper in 7 I'll never know.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/personalize/themes
Don't get me started on the lack of Security Essentials being pre-installed as part of the default "home" version of Windows.
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
The list is endless. It's like someone is asleep at the top. And the rest of Microsoft takes the attitude of "We make that? OK. Well, let's just throw it up on the Web site."
That didn't change with Windows 7. What's sad is they have a lot of innovative consumer-focused product teams (Media Center, Zune, XBOX, Live, Bing, Auto Collage, Windows Home Server, etc) that don't work together and don't have enough clout to make their projects prominent. They should let those guys develop the next consumer version of Windows instead of just throwing their different projects into Windows sporadically or in most cases optionally.
Take the Windows Live components:
Windows Live Family Safety - Should be integrated into 7's Parental Controls
Windows Live Mail, Mesh (Backup), Messenger, Movie Maker, Photo Gallery - Should be included on the default "home" version of 7
Windows Live Writer - Should be included as an optional install
http://explore.live.com/
Then you have the optional Zune jukebox, which should be the default media player in 7 instead of Windows Media Player. Windows Media Player in 7 has a really neat "remote media" feature (think Back to My Mac meets your iTunes library), but no one knows about it or how to use it. And it's not present in the optional Zune jukebox software and isn't compatible with Windows Phones or Zune devices (obvious oversight there).
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Stream-your-media-over-the-Internet-using-Windows-Media-Player
http://www.zune.com
Then there's Media Center, which really should be updated to use the newer Metro UI and adopted to be the front-end media experience on both the XBOX 360 (and I'm not talking RDP-like Media Center Extender functionality), PC (for DVD/Blu-ray playback, etc) and possibly tablet UI.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-media-center/get-started/default.aspx
There's Microsoft Research's Auto Collage, which should be included as a plug-in for Windows Live Gallery instead of a $20 separate program that no one knows about.
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/cambridge/projects/autocollage/
The "Drive Extender" technology that Microsoft recently pulled from Windows Home Server should have been how future versions of Windows handle hard drives (no more drive letters).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Server#Drive_Extender
Why Bing photos/themes aren't prominent in Windows 7 or the default wallpaper in 7 I'll never know.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/downloads/personalize/themes
Don't get me started on the lack of Security Essentials being pre-installed as part of the default "home" version of Windows.
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
The list is endless. It's like someone is asleep at the top. And the rest of Microsoft takes the attitude of "We make that? OK. Well, let's just throw it up on the Web site."
BBEmployee
Apr 8, 02:42 PM
I'm a current employee at Best Buy and thought I'd offer my two cents on a few issues.
First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.
That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.
In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.
I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:
1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.
Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.
Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.
Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...
2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.
So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.
All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.
Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.
As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.
Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.
But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.
At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.
Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.
I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.
First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.
That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.
In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.
I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:
1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.
Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.
Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.
Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...
2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.
So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.
All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.
Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.
As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.
Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.
But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.
At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.
Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.
I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.
logandzwon
Mar 17, 08:39 AM
KARMA DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!
Anyway, if you actually care about the morality of your action, (or technically lack of action,) only you can decide if you did the right thing or not. If you sleep soundly at night then it wasn't immoral.
Ethically, your probably going to heat if you tell people about it. Modern-day ethics say stealing form an individual by a corporation is fine. An individual stealing from a corporation is bad.
Eitherway, it will not come out of his paycheck. However, if he is new he might be fired. If he has done it multiple times he might be fired. Realistically, if it wasn't you it would have been someone else though. We all make mistakes, but apparently that isn't the correct job for him.
BTW... I love all the post by people suggesting that to "fix" the issue by going back and lying about what happened.
Anyway, if you actually care about the morality of your action, (or technically lack of action,) only you can decide if you did the right thing or not. If you sleep soundly at night then it wasn't immoral.
Ethically, your probably going to heat if you tell people about it. Modern-day ethics say stealing form an individual by a corporation is fine. An individual stealing from a corporation is bad.
Eitherway, it will not come out of his paycheck. However, if he is new he might be fired. If he has done it multiple times he might be fired. Realistically, if it wasn't you it would have been someone else though. We all make mistakes, but apparently that isn't the correct job for him.
BTW... I love all the post by people suggesting that to "fix" the issue by going back and lying about what happened.
white pilgrim
Nov 24, 11:07 AM
Let the sale go global! :p
I thought the Airport Express looks more excusable to own now. :D
I thought the Airport Express looks more excusable to own now. :D
QCassidy352
May 3, 10:57 PM
really good ad. This series in reminiscent of the "think different" ad campaign.
KnightWRX
Mar 25, 06:43 AM
<pedantry>
Is Finder an App per se or integral to the OS?
</pedantry>
Depends what you call an OS. In micro-computer parlance Finder is very much a File Manager, same as Nautilus, Dolphin, Norton Commander (or the Midnight Commander clone), ROX-Filer, Windows Explorer, DOSShell etc just to name a few.
It does very little to "operate" the system. It simply provides a user with a UI to manipulate the files found on a filesystem. Of course, an OS doesn't even need a filesystem per say as not all OSes use the file metaphor for storage.
The OS part of the any modern OS is all contained in the kernel, which can usually operate the system without any kind of assistance from userspace. Finder is a userspace app. You could replace it with any other File Manager and still achieve the same basic functionality.
I think your pedantry wasn't as big as mine (how's your Schwartz ?)
Is Finder an App per se or integral to the OS?
</pedantry>
Depends what you call an OS. In micro-computer parlance Finder is very much a File Manager, same as Nautilus, Dolphin, Norton Commander (or the Midnight Commander clone), ROX-Filer, Windows Explorer, DOSShell etc just to name a few.
It does very little to "operate" the system. It simply provides a user with a UI to manipulate the files found on a filesystem. Of course, an OS doesn't even need a filesystem per say as not all OSes use the file metaphor for storage.
The OS part of the any modern OS is all contained in the kernel, which can usually operate the system without any kind of assistance from userspace. Finder is a userspace app. You could replace it with any other File Manager and still achieve the same basic functionality.
I think your pedantry wasn't as big as mine (how's your Schwartz ?)
ctdonath
Oct 1, 04:12 PM
FTFY.
But England moreso than other regions. The notion has been fully internalized by the population at large.
You're just making history up. There is no allodial title to land in US law.
So what's your theory about why the American Colonists got so uppity? Yes, we do not have formal allodial title, but cultural attitude is that we do (or at least a close proximity), and insofar as we don't it's more a matter of "protection money" than "belongs to the government". Tell an American his government "owns" his property and he'll laugh at you.
There's enough space.
Not within 20 miles of 1 Infinite Loop.
But England moreso than other regions. The notion has been fully internalized by the population at large.
You're just making history up. There is no allodial title to land in US law.
So what's your theory about why the American Colonists got so uppity? Yes, we do not have formal allodial title, but cultural attitude is that we do (or at least a close proximity), and insofar as we don't it's more a matter of "protection money" than "belongs to the government". Tell an American his government "owns" his property and he'll laugh at you.
There's enough space.
Not within 20 miles of 1 Infinite Loop.
twoodcc
Jul 10, 05:55 PM
well after moving, i finally have my computers setup again. i just got internet access today, but it is looking terribly slow. i just started folding with 4 GPUs for right now. i'll see how this goes before i start with the big units
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