Apple to Eliminate Retail Box Software Inventory

Not a good idea, not everyone has broadband.

sevimli said:

Not a good idea, not everyone has broadband.

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true, though i would expect apple to still offer boxed software via the online store...

Only a matter of time now until dvd drive gets axed.

Ambrose Chapel said:

sevimli said:

Not a good idea, not everyone has broadband.

Click to expand...

true, though i would expect apple to still offer boxed software via the online store...

Click to expand...

But how would they order it?

Bazinga.

aprofetto8 said:

Only a matter of time now until dvd drive gets axed.

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Not until everyone has access to broadband. Or even yet; unlimited broadband.

Oh... but those boxes are sooooo pretty!!

I'm guessing they will still sell OSX there though

Seems a bit dumb to me, not many computer stores sell Mac software, it's one of the only places to buy boxed software, why get rid of it? not everyone wants to use the download service, especially where storage etc is at a premium?

I want to get really upset about this, but it's hard. The Mac App Store is just THAT good. It'll be even better if Apple continues to reduce prices (like Aperture and Remote Desktop) on their major software packages.

However, I do wish they would offer some type of home Apple account sharing (similar to Amazon Prime's sharing) that would allow you to link 3-5 household Apple accounts to your "main" account. They could even require that the billing addresses remain the same or something of that nature.

My brother lives in the same household as me, but has a different Apple ID. Unless I want to add my Apple ID to his Mac, he can't use my software.

WiiDSmoker said:

Not until everyone has access to broadband. Or even yet; unlimited broadband.

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Some things are just inevitable.

the extra shelf space will undoubtedly be used for more overpriced third-party accessories.

i think this is just awesome the mac app store is just great and now when they discontinue retail boxes the prices will go down ( not now but in some time) and even if i personally don't care really care but for the green-hippies this is also great news.

That is certainly one way to help force your user base to upgrade.

I'm sure stores like Best Buy will still carry the boxed software so I doubt people's ability to get a physical copy will be hampered much. I mean, who actually has an Apple Store w/in driving distance but not a store like Best Buy?


Lethal

Daft idea. Not everyone has internet. Not everyone has internet good enough to download large amounts of software.

and what about the apps that you can find only in the retail box? (Like iDvd,...)

Speaking of Mac OS, How much will Mac OS lion cost? 29 dollars? 49 dollars? 79 dollars? 99 dollars?

Anyway, everything should come in just USB sticks, no more DVD.

Besides the broadband points...there's a lot to be said for sticking a cd/dvd into a drive and letting it automatically run.

There are a LOT of people out there that have no clue on a)where to download it to, b)how to unzip/unpackage it, and finally c)how to run the download.

There's also a lot to be said for buying something and having it physically on your desk forever if you ever need it again...unlike having to relocate the download, burn it to cd/dvd, etc. or of course if your computer gets nuked.

$15 software? Sure, download it. Stuff that's hundreds of bucks...I want the physical media and box for future use or proof.

Hopefully that won't happen. I love the boxed software appearance but I suppose with the software linked to your iTunes account there's no messing around with serial numbers and stuff like that.

While I agree on keeping physical media (CDs, DVDs, etc) available as downloading is not practical for everyone (in the real world, not on this forum) I am glad to see signs of Apple moving toward digital distribution before removing the optical drives from the most popular computers, notebooks.

It is more logical to do it in that order rather than remove the internal OD and still sell CDs and DVDs.

Seems like the logical progression, although they may loose a few sales it would be good if we see the continued trend of lower prices as we did with Aperture.

ETA: Another precursor to the removal of the optical drives too, could this be the last year or will they hang on a bit longer?

I'm just not comfortable with this idea, though I've been sitting here for a few minutes trying to figure out how to articulate why.

I mean, I guess digital downloads work just as well... and they're cheaper too...

One thing I do fear is that this might play further into the anti-Apple FUD. People already have these mistaken impressions that Macs can't use Office, you can only use Apple's own mouse and keyboard... now are people going to see the lack of boxed software in the Apple store and start the whole "Macs have no software" argument all over again?

It will also make it a bit more difficult to buy software for other people. But that's a pretty weak argument by itself

aprofetto8 said:

Only a matter of time now until dvd drive gets axed.

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I think Apple would love to get rid of as many moving parts as possible. Anything with a mechanical component is far more subject to failure -- and the SuperDrive is a such a candidate.

What is funny, is that the SuperDrive on my 1-year-old iMac already needed to be replaced. Apple took care of it, but it was a pain carrying the 27-inch beast into the store and sad having to leave it there for a couple of days.

I looked at the Mac Pro while there since I know I can service drives on that myself; however, the superdrive on the MacPro is the not the slot-loading model you get on the iMac, but rather the flimsy slide-out tray that has been the bane of every PC I have owned (e.g.: it typically jams up or the mechanism completely fails).

I would not be at all surprised if Apple just starts offering SuperDrive as a peripheral in the near future.

As for removing boxed software from their retail stores -- probably not a bad move. It takes up tons of space and with the number of people coming into my local Apple store they definitely need more demo stations (or just more Apple stores -- like one closer to my home).

ericinboston said:

Besides the broadband points...there's a lot to be said for sticking a cd/dvd into a drive and letting it automatically run.

There are a LOT of people out there that have no clue on a)where to download it to, b)how to unzip/unpackage it, and finally c)how to run the download.

There's also a lot to be said for buying something and having it physically on your desk forever if you ever need it again...unlike having to relocate the download, burn it to cd/dvd, etc. or of course if your computer gets nuked.

$15 software? Sure, download it. Stuff that's hundreds of bucks...I want the physical media and box for future use or proof.

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Have you used the Mac App Store? You can take a look at your purchase history and re-download anything you bought at any time.

Unless you're talking about software in general, in which case, I'm sure there will be external DVD drives for use for the 3 times people stick discs into them each year.

it will save them a lot of money for their pockets. those that want discs or physical media, can then be charged for it.

a few companies offer ISOs for download but if you need a disc they will send you one, normally free. i dont think apple will be going that route however.