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Apple and Wal-Mart Partnership?
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This is exactly what I thought.artifex said:
It would have been ballsy of the studios to get together and have them all tell WM to shove it up their ass. Let the DVD racks go bare. Its not like the same people wont go over to BB, CC, whatever and buy them there. Except for the impulse market, the movie studios wouldnt have lost much, and WM would have lost more on the impulse buys folks make when they come in to buy the newest release. WM had more to lose than the studios, yet the studios caved first. Bunch of wimps.
extraextra said:
Except maybe for the fact that WalMart is a US company, and Target is a French company, also anti-community, anti-Christian, and generally hey employ a bunch of stupid morons to work for them, plus security guards that look either obese or anemic and could be flattened by striking them with a feather duster.
Disclaimer: I am not saying that the WalMart company is comprised of angels, just that Target is a foreign owned company here in the US and should be horse whipped.
BTW .... Yes .... I don't care for Target....just in case you haven't figured that out.
mcarnes said:
Wal Mart is not creative. Movie studios would definetly not cross walmart just so that they can provide apple with movies to give to their customers at inferior quality. 100 million is a rounding error to walmart. It would probably cost the heirs of walmart to count 100 million (it's too little). Actually, walmat probably makes as much money per month that apple does yearly (just kidding, don't firebomb me).
mashny said:
Well lets not have the kettle call the pot black shall we?. The ipod/itunes is a monopoly. Walmart has a monopoly in sales. Just two monopolies getting along.
Personally, i believe power is useless unless exercised. Walmart flexed its muscles and apple acknowledged who's the boss in this area. I hope your memories are not too short to remember how many times apple flexed it's muscles with itunes/ipod. Microsoft flexes it's muscles with Windows, Exxon with oil and if you really want to get grandiose, the US vis a vis Iraq (being the only superpower left, that's a monopoly).
squirrellydw said:
Not if they have a signed contract.
But here is the thing - What on EARTH does Apple gain from this? Time and technology are on Jobs' side. Once studio execs see how well the sales of downloaded movies are going they will tell Walmart to shove it.
Remember - studios can sign deals with whoever they want to. Walmart can be cut out at any point.
The only reason I see Apple doing this is so Walmart doesn't align with Microsoft and their Zune. MS is coming late to the market, but let's not forget what they did to Netscape with IE.
mdntcallr said:
Yeah, I'd guess that IF they're exerting this kind of pressure, it's leveled at studios considering ANY online distribution.
Frankly, if Walmart is coming to some terms with Apple (or vice versa) it can only be a net benefit for Apple. I'd guess that there's a decent percentage of Walmart shoppers not yet on the iTunes/iPod bandwagon who might start buying if they're exposed to the product through Walmart.
I'm no fan of mega-retailers, but I don't think Apple should be faulted for partnering with as many of them as possible.
artifex said:
At least I am not the only one seeing this for what it is:
EXTORSION!
Granted, the idea of a coupon, pre-paid or gift card (essientially what we are talking about here) is not new and certainly not extorsion. However, if you are compelled to over such an item or suffer the consquences of not having inventory - how is this different from the "protection" "offered" by the mafia?
It is simply extorsion and I can not believe it is happening. For those who say it is capitalism, no, try again. It is corupt capitalism. I am all for free markets and letting the market take care of itself. The problem is other forces that interfere with the market (read: gov't) and thus it can't correct itself naturally.
Reverend Wally said:Except maybe for the fact that WalMart is a US company, and Target is a French company, also anti-community, anti-Christian, and generally hey employ a bunch of stupid morons to work for them, plus security guards that look either obese or anemic and could be flattened by striking them with a feather duster.
Disclaimer: I am not saying that the WalMart company is comprised of angels, just that Target is a foreign owned company here in the US and should be horse whipped.
BTW .... Yes .... I don't care for Target....just in case you haven't figured that out.
If you are so concerned about Target's being "anti-community, anti-Christian..." you need to take a better look at how Wal-Mart decimates communities, receives staggering tax credits to the detriment of local business and government, crushes any hope for fair wages, violates the supposed American ideal of fair business practices (the essence of this thread)...
Here are a few links:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic...ive/2004/08/03/BUGH081LMP1.DTL&type=printable
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=135292
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20031208/levine
http://khon.com/khon/display.cfm?storyID=8575&sid=1152
Just because a company is based in America doesn't mean it adheres to fair business practices. As a matter of fact, Wal-Mart probably treats its employees worse than most companies operating in the Unites States.
In these days of multinational corporations, there is no such thing as a purely "US company." Chances are the car you drive, the toaster you use, and the television you watch has parts that were made in one country from materials mined in a second country by a company based in a third country before being shipped and sold here in the United States. Wal-Mart itself operates in many countries, making it a foreign company in most of the world.
Before you bash a company for being "foreign," please do your reseach: there's a chasm between sound reasoning and jingoism.
mashny
You do realize that most of the people who make money off of Target are not foreign? The CEO isn't even French and most of the employees are American, not to mention the shareholders. I seriously hope you would rather shop at Target than at Walmart simply for the fact that it isn't crowded and you can actually find things.Reverend Wally said:Except maybe for the fact that WalMart is a US company, and Target is a French company, also anti-community, anti-Christian, and generally hey employ a bunch of stupid morons to work for them, plus security guards that look either obese or anemic and could be flattened by striking them with a feather duster.
Disclaimer: I am not saying that the WalMart company is comprised of angels, just that Target is a foreign owned company here in the US and should be horse whipped.
BTW .... Yes .... I don't care for Target....just in case you haven't figured that out.
Anit-Community!? They give millions of dollars away each year to communities specifically. They even encourage their employees to give to the United Way.
Oh wait, one more thing, Target ISN'T French owned! I'm so sick of hearing that lie. Try doing some research before you believe something next time.
snopes.com said:
As for Apple and Wal*mart, that's pretty low on ethics. Nice one Walmart, why don't you provide decent benefits and wages for your employees now not to mention decent management.
It is interesting that a company, such as Apple, which attempts to be socially responsible would ever fathom a partnership with an unethical and immoral company such as Wal-Mart. I certainly hope this is not the case; I have to say I would reconsider any loyalties that I have to Apple if they began any partnership with Wal-Mart. Sometimes social responsibility must speak louder than dollars; and, in turn, social responsibility can bring the best in the long term. I hope this is only a rumor and does not materialize into anything.
Little Harm
Look at it this way - if somebody buys one movie download coupon at Wal*Mart, goes home, fires up iTunes, types in the code, downloads the movie, and then ever thinks again that he needs to go back to Wal*Mart for another iTunes movie - this is good for Apple; this guy isn't bright enough to get onto iTunes without the coupon in the first place.
99.7% of the people will never buy a second Wal*Mart/iTunes movie coupon. So, no harm no foul.
What it could do is offer a good number of in-store 'gift-certificate' type sales to Apple that would have otherwise gone into a singing wall-mounted fish.
I don't see any downsides here for Apple, other than moral disappointment from its customers who see themselves as elite.
Look at it this way - if somebody buys one movie download coupon at Wal*Mart, goes home, fires up iTunes, types in the code, downloads the movie, and then ever thinks again that he needs to go back to Wal*Mart for another iTunes movie - this is good for Apple; this guy isn't bright enough to get onto iTunes without the coupon in the first place.
99.7% of the people will never buy a second Wal*Mart/iTunes movie coupon. So, no harm no foul.
What it could do is offer a good number of in-store 'gift-certificate' type sales to Apple that would have otherwise gone into a singing wall-mounted fish.
I don't see any downsides here for Apple, other than moral disappointment from its customers who see themselves as elite.
Reverend Wally said:
I know it has already been pointed out that Target is based out of Minneapolis, the capital of France, but the whole "American-owned" company stuff is BS. Like when Budweiser ran those ads showing working class people while George Clooney talked about how AB was the only American-owned Macrobrewery. When Miller merged with a South African company, it's not like all of a sudden they stopped paying their American employees or contributing to the American economy. Who cares whether August Busch or a South African is the one getting rich? They're creating jobs and paying taxes to America. Ask people in one of the many towns in the US where Honda or Toyota provide most of the jobs whether it is more patriotic to buy and American-built, Japanese owned car or a hencho en Mexico GM car?
And on topic, yes, this deal is good for Apple, for exactly the reasons in the post directly above this one.
Walmart should be wiped off the face of this earth and the half the family's funds should be nationalized.
It's not just that there are so many informal studies done showing how problematic the company is, UC Berkeley research shows Walmart _COSTS_ Califorian tax payers millions of dollars a year just for it to exist in California.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/08/02_walmart.shtml
Companies that align with the Walmart brand are making serious ethical mistakes.
It's not just that there are so many informal studies done showing how problematic the company is, UC Berkeley research shows Walmart _COSTS_ Califorian tax payers millions of dollars a year just for it to exist in California.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/08/02_walmart.shtml
Companies that align with the Walmart brand are making serious ethical mistakes.
Reverend Wally said:Except maybe for the fact that WalMart is a US company, and Target is a French company, also anti-community, anti-Christian, and generally hey employ a bunch of stupid morons to work for them, plus security guards that look either obese or anemic and could be flattened by striking them with a feather duster.
Disclaimer: I am not saying that the WalMart company is comprised of angels, just that Target is a foreign owned company here in the US and should be horse whipped.
BTW .... Yes .... I don't care for Target....just in case you haven't figured that out.
Target is not a French corporation - that is a myth. It has been headquarted in Minneapolis, Minnesota since day 1.
Also it's shares are publicly traded here in the US. I guess that makes it and thousands of other companies, including Wal-Mart French too following the same logic.
On Wal-Mart, I hardly shop there. Target is usually a more pleasent shopping experience and it's always empty compared to Wal-Mart .
However, as a company they are truely amazing. When you look at how their operation, information and distribution systems work and are integrated you cannot be but awestruck.
They also have a mass of information on purchasing habits which translates into product placement at their stores. When a hurricane is about to hit, they know to ship maundane products like Pop-Tarts to possibly affected locations becuase people snap them up.
Target has similar programs I'm sure, but they are nothing on the scale and complexity of Wal-Mart.
. However, as a company they are truely amazing. When you look at how their operation, information and distribution systems work and are integrated you cannot be but awestruck.
They also have a mass of information on purchasing habits which translates into product placement at their stores. When a hurricane is about to hit, they know to ship maundane products like Pop-Tarts to possibly affected locations becuase people snap them up.
Target has similar programs I'm sure, but they are nothing on the scale and complexity of Wal-Mart.
I would guess that the majority of CD and DVD sales in the US happen inside WalMarts. It doesn't surprise me then that WalMart has the upperhand in bullying music and movie studios. I'm sure they have some deal with Apple regarding iTunes and now they have a deal with Apple regarding movie downloads. iTunes probably didn't seem much of a threat four years ago to WalMart but now I'm sure iTunes is cutting into some of WalMarts CD sales. WalMart is wise to threaten movie studios which eventually lead to a deal with Apple and their movie downloads because if the movie downloads becomes a huge hit like the iTunes music downloads, then WalMart could suffer a little.
Yes I think it's wrong, it does feel like WalMart is the mafia when it comes to movies and music, but they're doing it because no one is powerful enough to stand up to them. I'm surprised WalMart never jumped at developing their own online music and movie download site but I guess they don't have to if they're getting some of the cut from Apple.
Yes I think it's wrong, it does feel like WalMart is the mafia when it comes to movies and music, but they're doing it because no one is powerful enough to stand up to them. I'm surprised WalMart never jumped at developing their own online music and movie download site but I guess they don't have to if they're getting some of the cut from Apple.