[Ti] Apple Store Service blows

[Michael Bigley]

>The TiBooks were not allocated to other resellers until weeks or 
>months after the Apple Stores had them. Apple told retailers that 
>they, Apple, could do this. But a small quantity of the 17" Big Al's 
>were delivered to these other stores as soon as the Apple Stores had 
>them. This change might have had something to do with the class 
>action lawsuit.
>
><http://www.thinksecret.com/news/dealercontracts.html>
>--

<RANT>: This is the reason that Apple remains an "also ran" in 
computing. They have GREAT technology, software, hardware, et al. But 
they consistently botch the business side of things.  Not do start a 
side debate on the value of lawyers, but Apple has essentially 
empowered and embraced lawyers to hurt their business!  If you want 
to know what is really going on in a company, read their 10k. Unless 
you work for Enron, if you lie to the SEC, you go to jail.  With 
Apple acknowledging in their 10k that losing these retail outlets 
will hurt their business, where is the logic? You want to eliminate 
your liability? Do the right thing!  Don't let a bunch of 
anal-retentive lawyers devise a contract that is so airtight that the 
people who have to sign it will suffocate! That is not "tough, real 
world business tactics" that is stupidity!</RANT>

Apple needs to have a presence in these retail outlets more than they 
need to sell Apple products. Not only will this have a real effect on 
Apple's bottom line, but it will feed the still-present misconception 
that Apple is going out of business; hence, a reversal of the 
switcher campaign. Do you think these big chains will tell the public 
that it is an unreasonable contract dispute?  I am willing to bet 
that we will here statements like "We do not think Apple's 
marketshare and future is viable enough to devote retail space to 
their products." This is a PR nightmare waiting to happen.


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Mike Bigley                Maineville, Ohio
       http://www.norbertrunning.com
Please support an American Indian Elder &
Medicine Man by visiting the above link.
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