Performa mess , that's a worry but this venture is a second time around for AAPL and Sears , who both have "recovery minded" executives.
Well, Steve was recovery minded when he put together the Best Buy deal, but Best Buy didn't give two sh*#ts about selling Macs, so they didn't.
At the risk of belaboring this point, I think it's pretty important to recognize that Jobs has gone to a lot of trouble to create a computer that will sell itself. I mean, thimk of the way the iMac has been marketed: "Three easy steps to the Internet," etc., etc. Compared to the pro desktops, where they really plug features, the iMac has relied mostly on a pretty face and simplicity to move.
My iMac purchase wasn't terribly prudent, taken in the face of $150 eMachines (or whatever that junk is selling for now). But is a Mercedes prudent? Big Bertha clubs?
I think Sir Jobs (if he were a Brit he'd of been knighted by now, you know) knows full well that to see an iMac in the "flesh" is to go a long, long way toward making a sale. And with so many iMacs out in the world now, I'd bet there'll be A LOT of people who've seen one already and who will walk into Sears, grab the first lackey they see, and ask to be directed to the iMac.
Time will tell, of course. More exposure is a good thing.
Mark |
