Mac mini Test Drive Offer Pulled

[MacRumors]

In an apparent marketing change of mind, and without warning or comment in its online retail store, Apple has canceled its Mac mini "test drive" offer after only one day.

The Apple Store previously said

Test drive a Mac mini
Exclusive Online Offer
Try it for 30 days - send it back if you don't love it.

Macworld has received confirmation from Apple that the offer has been removed.

 

[Doctor Q]

As of this report, gif images of the offer are still online here and here.

And, by the way, one of the URLs contains a misspelling: testdricebanner.gif!

 

[shadowmoses]

If its true that they have been pulled its very bizzarre and must be for a good reason, possibly due to a mistake in the listing page and they will put it back up soon....Or maybe it was a mistake in the first place..

ShadOW

 

[Lacero]

Probably pulled because of customer confusion with test driving a real car. Pretty lame promo if you ask me. Glad Apple came to their senses.

Probably some new hotshot Apple marketing director is cleaning out his desk as I type this.

 

[g4cubed]

That sucks I was going to order one this weekend.

 

[Doctor Q]

An ars technica article about the change.

(link posted previously by MacRumors member DavidCar)

 

[quackattack]

I find it hard to beleive this was a simple "change of mind. There must have been a big problem. Marketing departments will research a promotion for months before it is offered.

 

[Applespider]

Might have been deviousness on the part of the marketers?

Promote it knowing that it will be well-subscribed and get lots of press attention and then pull it saying that they were swamped which gets even more publicity - although one day seems a very short time!

Or there was a last minute legal issue that came up and forced them to pull it

 

[Blue Velvet]

Maybe some bright spark in the legal department noticed a possibly-exploitable and financially-ruinous loophole...

Edit: just noticed AppleSpider's remark. Great minds think alike.

 

[greenguy4]

That is wierd. I was thinking of trying to convince my parents to pick one up since the only Mac theyve even seen is my iBook.

 

[mkaake]

Probably pulled because of customer confusion with test driving a real car. Pretty lame promo if you ask me. Glad Apple came to their senses.

Probably some new hotshot Apple marketing director is cleaning out his desk as I type this.

and why is that again? I know plenty of people that have thought about macs, but didn't want to be 'trapped' into using it if they didn't like it... this was perfect for those types...

 

[wPod]

thats odd. . . i wonder why apple is flip flopping? it sounded like an interesting idea, though it also made apple sound a bit desperate to get its product out.

 

[ibook30]

I emailed the offer to several relatives who have been considering a mac- it seemed so right. If the mini is aimed at switchers ( or people with halos,, I forget ) then giving them a chance to "try it out" seemed pretty smart.

Of course,, I can imagine folks picking up a mini to compare it to their ibook and then returning it. Which would cost apple a couple of bucks,,,

 

[pontecorvo]

Maybe it was supposed to be part of 9/7's big announcement?

 

[shompa]

To bad.
I would had like to try the mac mini.

Today I use a Shuttle for my HTPC.
I would love a MacMini instead.
I cant use Imac (dont whant the screen)
I cant use a Powermac (to large/noisy)

The things I would loved to test was:
Is it powerful enough to play 1080i .ts files. (not H.236)
How it sounded.
How the picture quality was when playback TV. (my Asus Nvidia card has something "splendid video" that makes the picure better when you use lowresolution content like DVD and DivX)
If I could get 5.1 sound out of it using a USB2 soundcard.

Its a good chanse that it would work, and I would have bought a Mac Mini.

Now I will never now

 

[Naimfan]

That does seem very strange!

Perhaps Pontecorvo is correct--it was supposed to be part of an announcement and was somehow incorrectly established early.

I have to say it seems unlikely that legal would not have signed off on it prior to publishing it. . .

Best,

Bob

 

[SpaceMagic]

I thought it was a great idea. For a maybe switcher, who can't decide.. a month with a mac would have been great. Most would have said "f it" and keep it rather than sending it back! Genius marketing I think.

 

[iSee]

pretty strange...

This is pretty strange... I can think of various possible reasons for this but they all seem pretty embarassing to Apple. I'm betting we'll see some senior marketing VP at Apple "stepping down" in the next few weeks or so... I guess the least embarassing possiblity is that the promo was just accidentally released early...

 

[Dr. Dastardly]

Someone might not have loved it. Only marginally liked it and sent it back.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Maybe it was supposed to be part of 9/7's big announcement?

Could be....

A leak like the G5 posted specs just before the announcement.
Would have been a bad mistake though, again....

 

[jiv3turkey748]

Apple is retrarded

that would have been such a good advertising campaign

 

[Lord Blackadder]

WHY!

 

[SiliconAddict]

FOOLED YOU!​

 

[SiliconAddict]

Could be....

A leak like the G5 posted specs just before the announcement.
Would have been a bad mistake though, again....

Ummm no. The 9/7 thing is a "music event" the Mac Mini has nothing to do with that.

 

[aquajet]

Maybe they changed their minds and decided to have the whole test drive thing for the entire product line, and as such will re-launch the campaign.