[Am-info] Best Buy drops Mac titles?

[Mitch Stone]

--- From a message sent by Steve Cohen on 1/2/00 5:13 PM ---

>Over New Year's Eve I was speaking with a friend who told me that he
>tried to buy as Christmas presents, software for the Macintoshes in his
>house.  (They are an all-Mac household.)  As he has done before, he went
>up to the nearby Best Buy and tried to browse the shelves.  There was no
>longer a Mac section nor could he find any Mac titles.  So he asked a
>salesman who told him words to the effect of "Yeah, we cut a deal with
>Microsoft so we had to get rid of the Mac section."
>
>Now I don't know if I necessarily believe the BestBuy salesman since
>BestBuy salesman are notoriously ignorant of just about anything they
>sell, but I can tell you this: I walked into Best Buy myself and looked
>around.  There was indeed no longer a Mac section.  There were some
>titles available for the Mac but only those where the publisher had
>released the title with Mac and Windows on the same CD.

Yes, and these sales will almost certainly be rung up as Windows product 
sales. Apparently, all dual-boot CDs are assumed to be sold for Windows.

>Ironically, on one of the most visible racks in the store, I could see
>no fewer than three different Linux distributions: RedHat, SuSE, and
>Corel.
>
>So what IS going on here?  As well as Linux is doing, I don't think it's
>coming close to supplanting the Mac.  The Mac is not exactly looking
>like dead meat these days as it may have been a couple of years ago. 
>Doesn't seem like a great business move by Best Buy.  
>
>Can anyone else confirm this pattern at the Best Buys near them?  And if
>Microsoft HAS cut such a deal with Best Buy, isn't that exactly the sort
>of thing you'd expect a company under serious antitrust scrutiny to
>avoid?

One would think so.

=====

http://www.activewin.com/frames/frmhome.shtml

Best Buy & Microsoft Agree to Form Comprehensive Strategic Alliance
Time: 14:13 EST/19:13 GMT 
News Source: Press Release 
Posted By: Matthew Sabean 

Nation's Largest Digital Technology Retailer and Worldwide Software Leader
to Join Forces

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today
announced their plans for a comprehensive strategic alliance that
encompasses broadband, narrowband, in-store and online efforts. The 
parties
signed a letter of intent that provides for significant joint marketing in
Best Buy's retail stores, online and through print/broadcast vehicles,
profit sharing, the promotion of BestBuy.com to the 40 million users
throughout Microsoft's properties, and technology assistance.

Under this alliance, MSN(tm) Internet access and Microsoft's full range of
connectivity solutions will be demonstrated and sold at the more than 350
Best Buy stores in the U.S. and through BestBuy.com. In addition, 
Microsoft
plans to invest $200 million in Best Buy common stock.

====

And it only gets worse. Best Buy carried (briefly and unenthusiastically) 
the first generation of "bondi blue" iMacs. They dropped the iMac from 
their stores early last year when Apple introduced the five-color model. 
Best Buy insisted on an exclusive ability to choose which colors to stock 
(other Apple dealers, including Sears, sell all of the colors). Apple did 
not cave to BB's demands.

Nevertheless, Apple recently altered the iMac line in a manner which was 
widely viewed as a concession to Best Buy, offering the $999 iMac in only 
one color. It was expected, and I believe even announced, that the iMac 
was back at Best Buy. Never happened, and I think we now know why.

Mitch Stone
mstone@vc.net