Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Best Buy to Sell iPhone 3G Nationwide?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Exactly, In Springfield, MO our Best Buy has a seperate section that is essentially an Apple store it has a huge sign designating what it is, separate Apple employees, and all the Apple merch.
Besides this the nearest Apple store is 4 hours away in St. Louis so this works out nice for me.
I don't understand all the complaints about Best Buy here, our Best Buy has all the signs and awards saying it's the best of the best buys but, I didn't think all the others were that bad. Althugh I did go to one in KC that was as small and dank as a Radio Shack, the one here is HUGE.
As I said in my above post, there is a Apple staff guy at the Mac section, talked with him a couple times. Said business was good. He works for Apple not Best Buy. Maybe he was on break when you appeared on the scene.
I will repeat myself: Best Buy employees are not selling cellphones now. Each carrier has their people on board. Each has their polo shirts on with the cute company logos.
This is in San Francisco, can't speak for the rest of them.
I hate Best Buy. Most of their associates there are dumb. Do you guys really want those careless people to be the first people to touch your precious Apple products?
I'm semi-excited for this, as I have an interview with Bestbuy this week. Trying to work part time thru school. This would entice me to get an iPhone finally.
That's what I want to know. I assume it will be with contract only, but then what's the point?
Why not just go to ATT or an Apple store?
I sell Apple laptops and iPods on a daily basis.
Does this mean we will be able to buy the iPhones from Best Buy, or would we be forced to sign contracts with mobile carrier companies (AT&T, Rogers)?
That's not how it works up north. Here we just have blue shirts working in the cellular section helping customers with Rogers, Fido, Virgin Mobile etc. We don't have special reps.
It's about time...
You all may criticize Best Buy (they deserve much of it) buying experience, but Apple store and AT&T purchasing experiences aren't consistently groundbreaking either.
This should have been implimented from the start. Apple's reluctance to provide AT&T stores and consider additional vendors for 3G launch created those artificially lengthened lines (and generated all that free publicity - mission accomplished).
Yes, the phone is still in high demand, but they could have sold it online at AT&T.com just like any other smart phone and cut down wait times.
You all may criticize Best Buy (they deserve much of it) buying experience, but Apple store and AT&T purchasing experiences aren't consistently groundbreaking either.
This should have been implimented from the start. Apple's reluctance to provide AT&T stores and consider additional vendors for 3G launch created those artificially lengthened lines (and generated all that free publicity - mission accomplished).
Yes, the phone is still in high demand, but they could have sold it online at AT&T.com just like any other smart phone and cut down wait times.
What?!?! Are you saying that standing in a huge line whilst being bombarded by multiple, loud theatre systems isn't pleasant?
Hey, where's WindowsGuy? He was insisting that Best Buy would not sell the iPhone, and it turns out he was wrong, and now he's nowhere to be found on this thread.
All in good fun... all in good fun.
All in good fun... all in good fun.
oh Worst Buy
=) When I first heard that Apple computers are gonna be sold at best buy i though that its gonna be horrible. All their employees know nothing about Apple products.
But...when I actually went to one near my house what I found amazing is that Apple doesn't need best buy people to sell anything at all. Apple did a very smart thing. They created marketing that would explain and sell the computers on their own. There are 2 giant screens that show small demo of APPLE and each computer has some sort of an application that runs simulation to what you would need to know. Amazing. That's how people learn it best. =) (i think)
So iPhone might be just a self-selling phone too with great branding and marketing around it.
=) When I first heard that Apple computers are gonna be sold at best buy i though that its gonna be horrible. All their employees know nothing about Apple products.
But...when I actually went to one near my house what I found amazing is that Apple doesn't need best buy people to sell anything at all. Apple did a very smart thing. They created marketing that would explain and sell the computers on their own. There are 2 giant screens that show small demo of APPLE and each computer has some sort of an application that runs simulation to what you would need to know. Amazing. That's how people learn it best. =) (i think)
So iPhone might be just a self-selling phone too with great branding and marketing around it.
I spend a lot of time between NY and Maryland and all the Apple stores i in those states seem to have a ton of iPhones lately. They never seem to be out. I'm not sure about the AT&T stores, but I was under the impression stock wasn't a problem for the past couple weeks. Even looking online at Apple's site, it seems most stores always have the phones in.
This best buy deal may be good, it will allow people to go somewhere else. The Apple stores are so busy now, it is tough to get help sometimes. I was at a store in MD the other day and there was 15 people waiting in line for the phone still and the store was packed. With the phone and the back to school promo going on, the store is packed every day. I like to see that though. I like that apple is doing well.
This best buy deal may be good, it will allow people to go somewhere else. The Apple stores are so busy now, it is tough to get help sometimes. I was at a store in MD the other day and there was 15 people waiting in line for the phone still and the store was packed. With the phone and the back to school promo going on, the store is packed every day. I like to see that though. I like that apple is doing well.
Good move by Apple to let Best Buy sell the iPhone 3G! I think it would make the iPhone lose some of its prestige if they started shipping it out to other retailers to sell like Walmart, Target, Radio Shack, and even Circuit City. Best Buy is a great store to sell the iPhone 3G though.
Just what I was talking about
Thanks Marco114 My same feelings exactly Thanks for restating.
Thanks Marco114 My same feelings exactly Thanks for restating.
Yeah, this sounds like you either took what they said out of context, blew it out of proportion, or the employee was simply pissed off at you for some reason. Every Best Buy in the US has carried the full line of iPods since at least 2004. They are right next to all the other MP3 players. BBY even carried the HP/Apple iPod!
Now not all stores have carried Apple computers though. About 50-100 carried PPC Macs back in the day and they didn't sell well, so they pulled them out of most of the stores and put them online only. When Apple rolled out intel, BBY again tested about 50 stores, which then turned into 200, then 400 and later this year should be around 800. This growth was due to FAR better training this time around and Apple actually caring enough to check in on many of the stores to make sure employees were getting trained properly.
Now to shed some light:
The reason why Best Buy didn't carry the original iPhone is because it wouldn't have been financially beneficial. Best Buy gets a $150-300 kickback from the service provider depending on the vendor for NEW activations. Since the original iPhone was activated at home, BBY wouldn't have ever seen a dime. With the new phone being subsidized and being activated in the store, Best Buy will get an activation kickback, making it worth their time to sell the iPhone 3G.
To the people who have had a bad experience at their stores: I can understand where you are coming from in some regards, many employees (especially associates in computer departments) have never used a Mac and have been in a way 'conditioned' to think Macs aren't great products, and anyone who uses a computer for gaming or business can't use a Mac without the experience being a pain. These are wrong ideas, but the stores that have bad district or store managers don't bother retraining and educating those employees. I'll be the first one to say, there are quite a few stores like this, but it is definitely not the majority. Stores in my area and several areas I've visited have knowledgable and helpful employees that go out of their way to find an answer if they don't know the answer off the top of their heads. (Although there is one store that has most it's employees that would rather stare off into the distance than be productive)
a) this is all you ever say about news stories
b) why is there so much white space in your sig?
I wonder if it'll just be O2 UK and Apple stores selling them here in the UK...
Out of thousands of square feet of retail space,there's one thing worth buying,a phone...! and of course a few Macs,sometimes.
This is good for Apple.
It'll get the phones out there and take some pressure off the retail stores.
Of course that would require stock of iPhones though...
It'll get the phones out there and take some pressure off the retail stores.
Of course that would require stock of iPhones though...
its
its still to expensive for the masses
not everyone needs a smart phone with data plans
the iphone with 1300 minutes is still 90$ a month add taxes fess = 110
1320$ + 199$= $1519
1320 for years #2
= 2839 (thats with out texting over 3k if you add text)
its still to expensive for the masses
not everyone needs a smart phone with data plans
the iphone with 1300 minutes is still 90$ a month add taxes fess = 110
1320$ + 199$= $1519
1320 for years #2
= 2839 (thats with out texting over 3k if you add text)