Now that I’m spending more time on my Macintosh PowerBook, partly by choice and partly for a new project, I’m beginning to see why some Mac users seem so “touchy” about certain topics. Before my trip to the Altiris user conference, I needed to upgrade my iMovie to the newest version for a video project I’m working on. Trying to buy the software through retail made me feel like Rodney Dangerfield: Mac users get no retail respect. I know that I could have ordered iLife ’06 direct from Apple, but I decided to upgrade a little too close to my trip time to feel comfortable waiting for Apple to process and ship the order. Apple didn’t offer me a download option (why not?), so off to the store I went. Here started my frustration: who sells software for Macintosh systems? Ah, yes, CompUSA. Off I went to stare at the empty building where my local store had been until CompUSA corporate closed it as part of their recent restructuring.
OK, the Target store in the same shopping center has lots of software. Oops, no Macintosh software at Target. OK, two miles later I walked into Best Buy. They sell lots of digital cameras and camcorders, a perfect compliment to the media-friendly Macintosh. Oops, no Macintosh software at Best Buy. OK, three miles later I decided, just as a test, to walk into Circuit City. I don’t like how Circuit City’s intelligence-deficient management just threw 3,400 or so employees out on the street for doing a good job and accepting the raises offered to them, so I decided I’d check, but probably not buy anything, from Circuit City. Oops, high minded righteousness crisis averted: no Macintosh software at Circuit City. Seven miles later, the Fry’s store closest to me ended my quest for iLife 06 as I figured it would. The store has a big Apple hardware sales section, and some, but not too much, Macintosh software available. I could have continued another 10 miles to an official Apple store, but I was getting a bit cranky by this time and didn’t think I could handle the somewhat diffident customer service I’ve seen at that Apple store in the past. I always hate to interrupt those black-clad young people so engrossed in chatting with each other to actually ask for service. Final bit of disrespect: Fry’s sells iMovie 06 at full Apple suggested retail price. Of tens of thousands of products in the giant Fry’s store, Apple products seemed to be just about the only items sold at full retail. Most $79 products at Fry’s sell for around $65 or less, but not iMovie 06. You can certainly argue iMovie 06 is worth $79, but when every other hardware and software product sells at a discount, why don’t Apple products? Maybe some Macintosh user anger comes from restrictive retail distribution and pricing policies defined by Apple corporate.
