Best Buy to Begin Selling Apple Watch on August 7

[bevsb2]

People in Pennsylvania are still trying to figure out how to use electricity.

Pennsylvania is a big state. I live in Pittsburgh and have 3 Apple stores close by.

 

[HopefulHumanist]

Should have just sold them there in the beginning.

More places to buy when people actually wanted them = win for Apple, win for the small minority that wants it

They didn't have the stock... Hence why it took over a month for the preorders to be completely filled.

 

[JerryGarciaBandFan]

Man, it runs Apples own apps on the watch, they provide enough functionality to be worth while.
Apple announced last year that native apps would come later in the year; so it is not like people that bought the watch would be surprised either.

The initial Iphone had no real apps, only web apps (and those were a lot worse than those remote bluetooth apps). The remote apps are mostly slow AT LAUNCH (and were not talking unbearably slow here, how much it annoys is relative to the app and the person using it).

The reason Apple did it this way is to make sure app dev could very easily make compatible apps at launch (with little investment) for a product with initially a very small user base; the apps on the watch are on fact extensions of the apps on the phone. Apps must make money for their makers, otherwise developers won't be making any more.

Apple also wanted to make sure bad apps would not mar the launch of the product (by restricting the on watch apps to Apple apps only); if a third party app running native bogs dog the watch, people would not blame the apps, but Apple.

Keira
Do you work Apple? You seem to know a lot about their business plans for the watch.

The slow opening apps would drive me crazy. Apple products typically work flawlessly.

 

[a.gomez]

I guess the entire, high end fashion thing went down the toilet. Not it is what it is, an expensive gadget made in china.

 

[BIRDinho]

Depending what model you purchase, you can finance the watch for 0% 18 or 36 months

 

[itguy06]

I'm sure that's it- there are way more Best Buy's in remote areas (think places like Pennsylvania for example... where most people with iPad and iPhones have never even been inside an Apple store) than Apple stores, and this will increase (by a lot) the number of people who can go see one in the stores.

As a PA resident we are actually quite well represented. Philly has quite a few stores, as does Pittsburgh. Allentown is represented well. For those in Central PA there's Lancaster which is a destination for a day trip. About the only places not represented are Harrisburg, State College, and Scranton/Wilkes Barre.

That being said I'm quite excited about this development as Best Buy is closer than the Apple Store.

 

[SirCheese]

Keira
Do you work Apple? You seem to know a lot about their business plans for the watch.

The slow opening apps would drive me crazy. Apple products typically work flawlessly.

They tend to make up a lot of things.

 

[Rogifan]

I guess the entire, high end fashion thing went down the toilet. Not it is what it is, an expensive gadget made in china.

Oh? I wasn't aware Apple stopped selling the Watch at Maxfields and others. Do tell...

 

[ericgtr12]

To this day, I've never seen anyone other than myself wearing one in the wild. Hopefully this will change that.

 

[KPOM]

I'm a bit surprised they went with Best Buy over a department store. It makes it sound techie. Perhaps they got some internal sales data that suggests the tech angle is a better market, at least for the Sport. Maybe we'll see some additional retail outlets by the end of the year.

 

[Rogifan]

I'm a bit surprised they went with Best Buy over a department store. It makes it sound techie. Perhaps they got some internal sales data that suggests the tech angle is a better market, at least for the Sport. Maybe we'll see some additional retail outlets by the end of the year.

Since it requires an iPhone I guess it makes sense to sell it where they sell iPhones. I just hope Apple is able to tightly control the user experience. The way other wearables are displayed at BB is crap.

 

[SirCheese]

I'm a bit surprised they went with Best Buy over a department store. It makes it sound techie. Perhaps they got some internal sales data that suggests the tech angle is a better market, at least for the Sport. Maybe we'll see some additional retail outlets by the end of the year.

A smartwatch isn't....techie?

 

[nymetsfan25]

How much did best buy pay for that

Probably wholesale.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Based on my experience with Best Buy, this may not bode well. I have seen their store operations from the inside. They will definitely need to merchandise this within the Apple store area and hope they can have a dedicated Apple rep to oversee the process. My wife was also a mystery shopper for a company that did surveys for Best Buy. Let's say the outcome wasn't always very positive. Not trying to bash BB, but they really need to put their game face on for customer service. I'm not really surprised at Apple doing this as now it opens up watch sales to the masses. Just wondering what the return policy will be and if they are going to allow fittings. Seems they don't have the staff for that.

When I read the headline, my first instinct was to write:

THE END IS NEAR!!!

All of my BB shopping experiences are negative. Sales people not knowing APPLE products well enough and trying to steer customers to PC etc.
The APPLE store in store always look shoddy in my area. Upstate NY Middletown.

 

[blacktape242]

Ill wait for the next version and hope is has built in GPS. then I'm sold, and yes i'd buy it at best buy.

 

[darcyf]

No... Apple Watch is not all about fashion.

But what a surprise, Benjamin Frost liked the comment. Your shtick is getting old, BF. Old and sad and actually kinda weird.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Many Best Buys do have a mini Apple Store. It makes sense that they sell it in those mini shops.

Looks like a prototype store set up in a warehouse...

 

[unplugme71]

Some people do not have access to an apple store. Also it is more cost effective for apple to have best buy sell their products instead of investing in a store in certain locations. Its also branding, many people visit best buy and then will see apple and have the opportunity to buy their product.

Instead apple invests in an actual apple employee who works at best buy to manage the people selling the apple products. Its a great idea, but not very effective. Probably not on apples priority list to make better, as they only pay the one person and the rest work for best buy.

You missed my point on so many levels.

 

[KPOM]

A smartwatch isn't....techie?

I think Apple was trying to expand its audience.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Thank you for saying what every reasonable person around here is thinking. Sometimes I really hate reading the comments on here because people are just so incredibly negative.

I don't mind negative if legit and deserved comments.

I just hate the stupid ones.

 

[SirCheese]

I think Apple was trying to expand its audience.

Of course, and what better way? Best Buy gets a lot of traffic.

 

[Robert.Walter]

I like how you worked 9/11 into the story even though it had nothing to do with the story. And you didn't pay tax? How patriotic is that?

Don't be silly. Tax was paid. It was just paid by the store out of the sales price by the store cutting its margin to do so.

Sometimes I think some folks pursue willful dumbness in order to be the snarkiest.

 

[BIRDinho]

Just waiting for T-Mobile to offer it for $0 down and JUMP!

 

[Robert.Walter]

Seriously? The original iPhone was awesome. Apps made it more useful. The original iPad = Home Run! While it's certainly true that products evolve and get better, your statement is BS. There absolutely nothing wrong with the initial Apple Watch. It's great. I love it and I hadn't worn a watch in over 20 years when I bought it. Watch OS2 will make it better plus it will open the door for better offerings from App developers.
Also, I think the poster who was the object of your scorn was being more generic. There are so many MacRumors members who "contribute" for the sole sake of deriding Apple and it's products. It's not limited to the Watch. I would never visit a Android or Microsoft site. I don't like those products and would have nothing to contribute and have no interest in going out of my way to ridicule their fans.

You make a good point. I don't ever think I have visited an android or Windows site, etc. just to leave comments on a platform I don't really like or use. To do so would just be pointless asinine puerile trolling.

 

[Denmac1]

Looks like a prototype store set up in a warehouse...

I'm curious what they're going to change to give up real estate within the store for a display. The BB near me has just one aisle devoted to Apple while the Microsoft section is huge (understandable, to a point). I don't think the design of their stores will lend to the table display that Apple stores have. Many of their 'branded' display areas are really bad and depend on outside merchandising companies to install and maintain them. However that only occurs on a random basis, so in-between vendor visits, the displays lack any kind of maintenance. Even the Apple rep isn't there full time, so depending on a BB employee to sell a watch...ewwwww. Hopefully , the selling will appeal to either people that have already experienced the watch or have done their due diligence.