Lets face it, Apple has always had a tough time in the high street consumer sales market. I was getting quite used to:
• Not enough outlets covering the Apple brand with Mac educated sales assistants in
a predominately Wintel world.
• Not enough power behind marketing and general exposure. Except a few neatly
placed machines in Hollywood blockbusting films, that if you blinked you'd miss.
• Not enough products for the consumer at the right price.
Then came the mighty iMac and buggered all that up!
So now I'm happy. Well, yes and no. Happy with the iMac but one innovative designed computer will not change people's attitudes over night. This month's Editors In Box was to be on a totally different note until events unfolded on a recent trip to London.
I often make regular visits to London for both business and pleasure. Always, when I'm there, I have a wander in to an Apple authorised retailer or two. This trip was to prove slightly more intriguing than others in the past.
As I entered the shop the iMac's were instantly visible, great stuff. There were G3 Power Books on show and so to a G3 desktop model or three. Apart from the machines on show I could see the peripherals and software, a little piece of heaven in a Wintel world. WRONG!
'Can I help you there', asks the sales assistant
'Yeah, tell me about the iMacs. Are they selling well?' was my reply.
The assistant was quick to tell me 'Yes, but I don't know why? No floppy, too bright,
to kiddish'
'But this is the consumer computer Apple needs', I spluttered.
'I always get them to go for the desktop model, but I use a PC 266 at home and they
seem just as fast!', the assistant is proud to tell me.
What I assumed from the above text is, if those selling Macintoshes in their Apple authorised retail outlets can't push the iMacs then who will?
