gugy
Aug 8, 02:14 PM
I think the new specs and price cuts are good. I'm so tempted in buying one 23" with a new Mac Pro..
But somehow I think that Apple will come up with a new Mac Pro (new case enclosure) with new lineup of Apple Cinema Display in Spring 2007. Does anyone agree with me?..
Boy..I really don't know what to do now..
If you really need it now, buy it.
I don't think any major cosmetic design on the enclosure is happening anytime soon as well as the displays. The current designs are just beautiful. Plus the extra space now for hard drives and optical drive just make me think Apple will keep the same look for awhile.
Only in 2008 maybe they will update IMHO.
But somehow I think that Apple will come up with a new Mac Pro (new case enclosure) with new lineup of Apple Cinema Display in Spring 2007. Does anyone agree with me?..
Boy..I really don't know what to do now..
If you really need it now, buy it.
I don't think any major cosmetic design on the enclosure is happening anytime soon as well as the displays. The current designs are just beautiful. Plus the extra space now for hard drives and optical drive just make me think Apple will keep the same look for awhile.
Only in 2008 maybe they will update IMHO.
-hh
Oct 19, 10:16 AM
The market share (and Princeton report) are favorable news for the Mac platform and for Apple.
But it is interesting to read this from Gartner, in the light that this very same Company is also in the news right now for their "Macs should be made by Dell" splash (actual paper was "Apple Should License the Mac to Dell")
In conjunction with this articles observation that Dell's PC marketshare has been sliding (lost worldwide #1 to HP, etc), along with business reports that aren't rosey on Dell's margins (nor their get well plan, which isn't working), the newsfolk who picked up on Gartner really got their headline wrong. It really should have been IMO:
"Dell sliding bad - needs rescue in form of Mac licence from Apple".
In said report (the other one, not this one) Gartner suggested that 'Apple should concentrate on what it does best - create software - and make use of Dell's production and distribution infrastructure.' In this report, there's not a peep of such 'black clouds on the horizon' for Apple ... must be two different guys in the Gartner shop :)
Quite interesting, since the bottom line right now is that the Mac Pro is known to be less expensive than the Dell equivalent, for what does that suggest about expertise in cutting deals with Intel, and efficiently running production & distrubution?
The reality is that Apple generally contracts out much of their manufacturing, true. However, so does Dell. As such, why should Apple bother to pay to go through Dell? That's called using a "Middle Man" and this intermediate step would increase costs, which would then either lower Apple's unit profits, or force them to raise prices ... which hearkens the 'Macs cost more' paradigm.
This is why Gartner's suggestion seems to be more aimed to help Dell through their current fiscal troubles but does not help Apple in any meaningful way at this time.
Perhaps Apple will need Dell for access to Dell's assemblers, but that would only occur when Apple's total market share gets huge - say exceeds 33%. Barring a Vista-catastrophy, at the current rate of market share growth, we're still more than a year or two away from having to cross that bridge, which ironically gives Michael Dell plenty of time to become more retrospective and apologetic about inflammatory comments he has made of Apple in the past.
-hh
PS: if you look more closely at Apple's 3Q numbers, you'll see that desktop sales were relatively flat: the growth was in laptops.
But it is interesting to read this from Gartner, in the light that this very same Company is also in the news right now for their "Macs should be made by Dell" splash (actual paper was "Apple Should License the Mac to Dell")
In conjunction with this articles observation that Dell's PC marketshare has been sliding (lost worldwide #1 to HP, etc), along with business reports that aren't rosey on Dell's margins (nor their get well plan, which isn't working), the newsfolk who picked up on Gartner really got their headline wrong. It really should have been IMO:
"Dell sliding bad - needs rescue in form of Mac licence from Apple".
In said report (the other one, not this one) Gartner suggested that 'Apple should concentrate on what it does best - create software - and make use of Dell's production and distribution infrastructure.' In this report, there's not a peep of such 'black clouds on the horizon' for Apple ... must be two different guys in the Gartner shop :)
Quite interesting, since the bottom line right now is that the Mac Pro is known to be less expensive than the Dell equivalent, for what does that suggest about expertise in cutting deals with Intel, and efficiently running production & distrubution?
The reality is that Apple generally contracts out much of their manufacturing, true. However, so does Dell. As such, why should Apple bother to pay to go through Dell? That's called using a "Middle Man" and this intermediate step would increase costs, which would then either lower Apple's unit profits, or force them to raise prices ... which hearkens the 'Macs cost more' paradigm.
This is why Gartner's suggestion seems to be more aimed to help Dell through their current fiscal troubles but does not help Apple in any meaningful way at this time.
Perhaps Apple will need Dell for access to Dell's assemblers, but that would only occur when Apple's total market share gets huge - say exceeds 33%. Barring a Vista-catastrophy, at the current rate of market share growth, we're still more than a year or two away from having to cross that bridge, which ironically gives Michael Dell plenty of time to become more retrospective and apologetic about inflammatory comments he has made of Apple in the past.
-hh
PS: if you look more closely at Apple's 3Q numbers, you'll see that desktop sales were relatively flat: the growth was in laptops.
ipedro
Sep 25, 11:29 AM
I suppose there could be a bit of news here for non-photographers.
As I understand it, Aperture uses OS X's built-in RAW image processing. If I remember rightly, the last Aperture update accompanied an OS X update. So it's possible 10.4.8 could be just around the corner (i.e. sometime this week?)
It's a Photography show .... It baffles my mind that people make far out unfounded predictions and then are disappointed and curse Apple when they don't come true.
The best example of that was the "One More Thing" event where the iPod Hi-Fi and Intel Mac Mini were shown. This event wasn't meant for the general public, so much that it wasn't broadcast to the public.
Now here's another example which Apple doesn't hype about to the public and "darn, all they do is show an update to a photography pro tool at a photography convention... Apple stock will surely fall with this news"
I for one am real happy with the offline feature. I've been using a workaround to save my giant library off my MacBook Pro. The iLife connectivity and Flickr plugin are also very welcome.
Now I'm just hoping that this version of Aperture is a little snappier because even on a fully loaded MBP, I get beachballs all the time.
As I understand it, Aperture uses OS X's built-in RAW image processing. If I remember rightly, the last Aperture update accompanied an OS X update. So it's possible 10.4.8 could be just around the corner (i.e. sometime this week?)
It's a Photography show .... It baffles my mind that people make far out unfounded predictions and then are disappointed and curse Apple when they don't come true.
The best example of that was the "One More Thing" event where the iPod Hi-Fi and Intel Mac Mini were shown. This event wasn't meant for the general public, so much that it wasn't broadcast to the public.
Now here's another example which Apple doesn't hype about to the public and "darn, all they do is show an update to a photography pro tool at a photography convention... Apple stock will surely fall with this news"
I for one am real happy with the offline feature. I've been using a workaround to save my giant library off my MacBook Pro. The iLife connectivity and Flickr plugin are also very welcome.
Now I'm just hoping that this version of Aperture is a little snappier because even on a fully loaded MBP, I get beachballs all the time.
caspersoong
Apr 6, 05:44 AM
Not available in my country... *sigh*
lmalave
Oct 20, 09:59 AM
When will we see these numbers broken out into business/enterprise vs. consumer?
Seriously, Apple is pretty much a non-factor in the enterprise. There simply is no integration, no large-scale server application use other than web, and few enterprise-ready applications. There's no Biztalk/Websphere/SQL/Oracle running on Apple outside of a few educational institutions. Microsoft and IBM own the enterprise and considering Apple in an enterprise outside of some limited marketing/advertising/media/audio verticals is absurd. I personally deal with 130 companies that have 500-250k computers and Apple is simply not a factor at all.
However, in the consumer world it's a very different story. Apple has the potential to continue making huge inroads into the consumer/home user/SOHO segments where the lack of enterprise applications means little if anything.
I'd like to see the numbers of how Apple compares in the home segment rather than just the overall. Why can't we see this broken out?
Hmm...well another thread mentioned a survey that something like 18% of consumers are considering buying a Mac. I'll bet in the lasest quarter, Apple broke 10% in the consumer market. This is a good strategy for Apple. Macs have a chance to make inroads in the consumer market, whereas they have no chance in the corporate market. Even things like XServe and XRaid are marketed to industries where the Apple is still relatively strong (e.g. video production, scientific research).
Seriously, Apple is pretty much a non-factor in the enterprise. There simply is no integration, no large-scale server application use other than web, and few enterprise-ready applications. There's no Biztalk/Websphere/SQL/Oracle running on Apple outside of a few educational institutions. Microsoft and IBM own the enterprise and considering Apple in an enterprise outside of some limited marketing/advertising/media/audio verticals is absurd. I personally deal with 130 companies that have 500-250k computers and Apple is simply not a factor at all.
However, in the consumer world it's a very different story. Apple has the potential to continue making huge inroads into the consumer/home user/SOHO segments where the lack of enterprise applications means little if anything.
I'd like to see the numbers of how Apple compares in the home segment rather than just the overall. Why can't we see this broken out?
Hmm...well another thread mentioned a survey that something like 18% of consumers are considering buying a Mac. I'll bet in the lasest quarter, Apple broke 10% in the consumer market. This is a good strategy for Apple. Macs have a chance to make inroads in the consumer market, whereas they have no chance in the corporate market. Even things like XServe and XRaid are marketed to industries where the Apple is still relatively strong (e.g. video production, scientific research).
fyrefly
Apr 29, 02:19 PM
And people kept telling me that OSX and iOS weren't going to merge in any meaningful manner for years ahead, if ever. Yeah right. I'd bet the one after this has them nearly fully merged and I mean towards iOS for the most part. OSX will be dumbed down to the lowest common brain cell and you won't be able to get free/open software anymore. It'll have to come through the App Store or not at all. Wait and see. That is the point I'll be moving on.
Yep, you are 100% right. Apple will turn us all into 1984 mindless drones and force us to suckle at their App Store teet.
http://urbanflyventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Its-A-Conspiracy.jpg
Yep, you are 100% right. Apple will turn us all into 1984 mindless drones and force us to suckle at their App Store teet.
http://urbanflyventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Its-A-Conspiracy.jpg
twoodcc
Dec 10, 11:27 AM
Ohhh, nice. 922s are nice for medium sized builds...
yeah it was on sale, so i went ahead and got it. i'm on a budget these days. but still an upgrade from my previous case.
so i got it on, and the cooler as well. so far not that great. running at 3.7 ghz, the temps are in the low 80's C. not good. we'll see how it goes
yeah it was on sale, so i went ahead and got it. i'm on a budget these days. but still an upgrade from my previous case.
so i got it on, and the cooler as well. so far not that great. running at 3.7 ghz, the temps are in the low 80's C. not good. we'll see how it goes
geoffism
Dec 13, 03:26 PM
We've all be wrong before.
its interesting that Fortune picked up the story as well. The internet is the new home of the written truth.
It would be cool if it happens, but I'm not holding my breath.
its interesting that Fortune picked up the story as well. The internet is the new home of the written truth.
It would be cool if it happens, but I'm not holding my breath.
LucasRoebuck
Jul 21, 11:46 AM
What he said.
Call me crazy, but my iPhone 4 works great. The minority consisting of me and the other 98.6% of iPhone 4 users probably just hasn't seen the problem yet, right?
I agree.
However, I disagree with your signature quote... at least you have taken it out of context.
"...those who live by mystery & charlatanerie, fearing you would render them useless by simplifying the Christian philosophy, the most sublime & benevolent, but most perverted system that ever shone on man, endeavored to crush your well earnt, & well deserved fame." - Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Priestley, Washington, 21 March 1801
If you are going to quote Jefferson, get it right.
Source: http://wiki.monticello.org/mediawiki/index.php/Christianity_is_the_most_perverted_system_that_ever_shone_on_man
Call me crazy, but my iPhone 4 works great. The minority consisting of me and the other 98.6% of iPhone 4 users probably just hasn't seen the problem yet, right?
I agree.
However, I disagree with your signature quote... at least you have taken it out of context.
"...those who live by mystery & charlatanerie, fearing you would render them useless by simplifying the Christian philosophy, the most sublime & benevolent, but most perverted system that ever shone on man, endeavored to crush your well earnt, & well deserved fame." - Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Priestley, Washington, 21 March 1801
If you are going to quote Jefferson, get it right.
Source: http://wiki.monticello.org/mediawiki/index.php/Christianity_is_the_most_perverted_system_that_ever_shone_on_man
Peace
Apr 15, 12:30 PM
Using aluminum would hinder the cellular reception wouldn't it ?
klaus
Aug 12, 04:37 PM
Someone over at the Display forum at Apple's discussion boards mentioned he had a chat with someone from Apple Support and that he told him the specs were already in circulation from April but that they were only now updated on the webpages.
There is also no way of telling if you have a display with the newer specs or not, since there isn't another product code for this.
There is also no way of telling if you have a display with the newer specs or not, since there isn't another product code for this.
Cagle
Apr 5, 03:22 PM
Am I the only one not finding this on the App Store?
no, but you're the only one looking...
no, but you're the only one looking...
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.
MacRumors
Sep 28, 11:49 AM
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kuwisdelu
Apr 12, 06:07 PM
All the Windows 7 I use are campus installs, so since they're not configurable, I haven't really looked around the settings. Does Windows have virtual desktops yet?
Chundles
Sep 12, 04:17 AM
At about 2am try downloading itunes manually from the itunes page. It will still say 6.x but it may very well be 7. That should keep you occupied for a bit :D Twice i have noticed they upload the new version but keep the previous version number on the page until its announced. I had a play with 5 and 6 about half an hour before they were officially released. :D
Noted.
Also, the Aussie Apple website doesn't slow down nearly as much as the US/UK ones when the products come back on. It's very handy.
Noted.
Also, the Aussie Apple website doesn't slow down nearly as much as the US/UK ones when the products come back on. It's very handy.
skunk
Apr 18, 08:58 AM
History, while interesting, has always struck me as unimportant in educating Children for essential workforce skills.An extraordinary position: members of the "essential workforce" are also usually voting citizens. Don't you think that a balanced knowledge of history is valuable in making political judgements?
Reventon
Apr 10, 09:15 PM
Pre-ordered the Duke Nukem Collector's Edition for PS3.
http://www.platformnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Duke-Nukem-Forever-Balls-Of-Steel-Collectors-Edition.jpg
Always bet on the Duke! :cool:
http://www.platformnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Duke-Nukem-Forever-Balls-Of-Steel-Collectors-Edition.jpg
Always bet on the Duke! :cool:
belvdr
Mar 16, 10:43 AM
Which is the entire problem with Android. And which is why you will never, ever, see any single Android device outsell the iPhone.
What difference does it make if one Android device outsells the iPhone? Many of the features are in the OS, not the hardware.
What difference does it make if one Android device outsells the iPhone? Many of the features are in the OS, not the hardware.
docgraham
Jan 5, 08:58 PM
I've been wanting to do this for a few years now. Thanks! ! !
spencers
Apr 8, 02:10 PM
^^ Yup, in the E30! That's why I bought it after all: a cheap(er) easy to fix car that is predictable and balanced at its limit, even though that is relatively low compared to more modern suspension.
Oh darn, no preregister for you? If that didn't happen here, we'd have much too full of a day and less than 14 runs that we usually get. What are you going to bring to your event? Your 325Ci again? I LOVE the E46s....
Just curious though, can you go unstaggered wheel setup with the same size stock rears in the front? That's the only thing I don't care for on the E46.
Yes, my 325Ci. The car came with a square setup. 17x8" :) Guess I'm lucky!
14 runs is a lot!
Oh darn, no preregister for you? If that didn't happen here, we'd have much too full of a day and less than 14 runs that we usually get. What are you going to bring to your event? Your 325Ci again? I LOVE the E46s....
Just curious though, can you go unstaggered wheel setup with the same size stock rears in the front? That's the only thing I don't care for on the E46.
Yes, my 325Ci. The car came with a square setup. 17x8" :) Guess I'm lucky!
14 runs is a lot!
mahonmeister
Oct 19, 02:45 PM
How does one go about buying stock? Never done it before, except in Economics class and I lost a bunch of fake stock. :p
I was thinking of buying a couple hundred bucks worth. Any advice? I just want to get my feet wet here and have some fun watching it go.
I was thinking of buying a couple hundred bucks worth. Any advice? I just want to get my feet wet here and have some fun watching it go.
apfhex
Jan 7, 07:00 PM
We're incorporating near-real time photos in this year's MacRumors coverage... so it shuold be pretty enjoyable.... barring any unforseen circumstances. :)
Sounds AWESOME. I usually follow MR plus one or two other popular news or blog sites. I think I recall last year Engadget or one of them has some photos online before the end of the keynote, which was nice.
Well, there are some benefits to being in California where the event is happening.
Still, when the keynote stream first goes online it can be very difficult to watch, probably even if you live in SF. I usually don't end up getting to see the whole thing until later in the afternoon.
Is it possible to download the entire keynote file (.avi) to my hard disk instead of viewing it streamed? Is it possible at all with Safari, or do I need Firefox and some extension/plugin?
No (and it's not an AVI, it's a H.264 encoded MOV). You're going to have to wait for someone to capture the stream and post it somewhere as a downloadable file.
Sounds AWESOME. I usually follow MR plus one or two other popular news or blog sites. I think I recall last year Engadget or one of them has some photos online before the end of the keynote, which was nice.
Well, there are some benefits to being in California where the event is happening.
Still, when the keynote stream first goes online it can be very difficult to watch, probably even if you live in SF. I usually don't end up getting to see the whole thing until later in the afternoon.
Is it possible to download the entire keynote file (.avi) to my hard disk instead of viewing it streamed? Is it possible at all with Safari, or do I need Firefox and some extension/plugin?
No (and it's not an AVI, it's a H.264 encoded MOV). You're going to have to wait for someone to capture the stream and post it somewhere as a downloadable file.
Al Coholic
Apr 5, 03:31 PM
The version that doesn't nag for ratings is $1.00.
