Re: smurfs guarding access to manager of our new Apple store.
Re: smurfs guarding access to manager of our new Apple store.
- Subject: Re: smurfs guarding access to manager of our new Apple store.
- From: John Linthicum <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 11:42:11 -0500
- Thread-topic: smurfs guarding access to manager of our new Apple store.
On 11/22/05 8:24 PM, "Hank Harken" <email@hidden> wrote:
> John,
>
>> Now to reality. User groups are notorious for being the folks that hang
>> on to equipment past it's upgrade cycle. We're also notorious for
>> approaching folks to simply give us stuff.
>
> To be fair, I think there is a lot of variety in user groups including
> some who feel compelled to be on the cutting/bleeding edge of every new
> hardware and software wave and those who can't really afford to buy new
> CPUs except every 3-5 years. My geographic area includes Mac user groups with
> seniors on fixed incomes and, yes, many of them won't be buying the super
> quadra-matic water-cooled Power Mac with the automotive radiator option
> but they may be influencing which computer may be purchased for use
> by their grandchildren. Heck, that little iPod shuffle holiday gift may
> have a long term effect.
Indeed Hank, I agree. Our group has members that fit your description, as
well as Developers who buy the latest of everything and many of them. Most
of our members fall somewhere in the middle. I was merely pointing out the
MUG stereotype, and how we're perceived by some folks who work in Apple
retail the channel and their vendors.
> In my own case, my most recent Mac purchase was four years ago. That is,
> until 10 days ago when my wife and I purchased two iMac G5 machines to
> satiate our family's growing computing needs. That's a big investment in home
> computing for us but teens can use a lot of computing cycles in today's
> world.
Well, your hindsight is my foresight. I have 3 daughters age 10 and under,
and they all use the computer(s) we have too. My newest machine is a
powerbook I bought a year and a half ago. Then we have a eMac, a Pismo
powerbook, a Lombard powerbook, a beige G3, and a couple of PCs.
> I also remember the dark and lonely days when the press and darn near
> everyone else was saying Apple was going under. I still have my
> Mac Road Show t-shirt from my participation in that event as
> a member of our local Mac user group. There wasn't a lot of public
> support for Apple outside user groups at the time. Please don't get
> me wrong - the user groups weren't responsible for turning Apple around
> but I think they helped keep Apple from "flatlining".
I agree about the dark and lonely days. I was a fanatic then too, having
owned Macs since 1987, but our group actually founded in 2000. Even though
I'd been around the Macs and the Mac community, I knew that there would be
members who had no idea of the dark and lonely days, and would not even have
a reason to have ever touched the Classic environment. As time passed we had
to be prepared and adapt to this new *reality.* Sort of like how there's an
entire generation who only have ever tasted Coke Classic, and laugh at the
whole national phenomenon that created it in the first place. To them, it's
just Coke. Just like that, the Macs we have today are the only Macs that
have existed. So for Apple's market share to grow from 3-4% to 6-8% those
numbers only reflect *new* computers sold, not already in existence. That's
the turnaround we all wished would happen, and I believe it's due to Mac OS
X (our group's namesake), innovative hardware, and the iPod and iTunes Music
Store. Are these the kinds of things your group talks about? If not, then
perhaps we're missing the boat with new members. If we're not attracting the
new users of Apple hardware then our time together is limited. We're not
alone in this. For example, certain artisan guilds are withering too for the
same reason.
Unfortunately at Apple and just about all computer and hardware
manufacturers and sales organizations today, I also believe the "what have
you done for me lately?" attitude has changed to "what are you doing for me
today?" We're not in a position to change that. However we can *answer* it.
That's what sets us apart and makes us special, that we *can* answer it,
independently.
Each group collectively is going to have a different answer.
> I think user groups are an obvious marketing tool because they do
> influence other buyers. If the user groups can't recommend Apple
> products...well... The Apple stores (and Apple) have to make money to exist
> but it wouldn't hurt to make a nice gesture to the local supporters.
That's the key, I think. That we recognize that in Apple's eyes, we are an
obvious marketing tool. As such they designate a certain amount of money to
go toward marketing the brand. They designate certain amounts of money to
individual products. They designate certain amounts of money to individual
countries. Apple's nice gesture is providing the stores themselves within a
certain proximity to population centers so people can buy stuff, the user
group website, access to ASW for the Ambassadors, a free year of .Mac access
for each group who qualifies, resources to operate this email list. Nice
gestures on the kind of scale some of us might expect from Apple can cost
thousands of dollars. With margins as slim as they've ever been and
shareholders who demand profits for their investments, the incentive to cut
costs everywhere are greater than they've ever been.
Lets not forget that the powers that assign such budgets expect a return. A
return in the form of *new* sales dollars. If they don't expect such a
return based on experience, then they allocate it elsewhere. We might
believe what the pundits said about Apple not attending a east coast
Macworld Expo, but on paper, Apple saved millions of dollars by not being
present in an official capacity. How many computers or iPod sales do you
think were *really* lost by their decision? Do the teenagers packing the
aisles of the Apple store hanging around buying iPods really care that there
won't even be an east coast Macworld Expo this coming summer? Do you think
that the switchers who are buying a Mac for the first time, or folks buying
an additional Macs for their kids were even aware that Macworld Expo even
*existed*? But ask certain mug members, and they'll blame Apple for the
death of the show and how they're failing to support user groups because of
it. Better yet, ask mug members outside the US about Apple's support.
This is not a bash Apple thread, nor is it a bash Apple forum. I believe
that without their *official* recognition, MUGs would disappear, and for
that I'm grateful.
> It would be a good investment for future sales.
I disagree. I think Apple sees it as expenses they incur in order to make
sales today.
Research and Development of new products, strategies, building new stores,
employee training, and protecting and promoting the brand are their
investments for sales tomorrow.
> Though I actually have a closer
> non-Apple retailer, I always return to the local Apple store for even
> 3d party items because the staff is helpful, knowledgeable and friendly.
> In contrast, the other store's staff is scarce, don't know much about
> the platform, and the Mac software selection gets slimmer each time
> I've stopped by.
And this is precisely one of the reasons why Apple got in the retail
business to begin with: Inconsistency in the field. I facetiously believe
that if Apple had not opened their retail stores to support their brand, we
might be Dell User Groups (another thing which sets us apart, no such thing
as a Dell User Group, or Dellworld Expo :) ). We're fortunate to have a good
reseller, a mediocre one, a CompUSA, and Apple in our town. I want our
members to be aware that they have more than one place to buy their Apple
gear, not to mention the half-dozen or so catalogs we all get in the mail,
online and through auctions. We even have a computer liquidator near our
airport who occasionally has iMacs and printers. I think that if most of us
look around, we'll see that the Apple store is just a place, and in my
experience, not always the most convenient because of the traffic situation
around the Mall, to buy Apple gear. It's all about choice. The businesses
that fit the description you've made of your non-Apple retailer won't
attract the business, and we can use the power of our platform to talk about
it with our members.
> Wow this went a lot longer than I meant it to.
Me too, though I'm glad. I rarely have the time to respond as thoughtfully.
--
Regards,
John Linthicum
XMUG, A Macintosh User Group
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