[srbuss]

Has anyone seen this?

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/retailaccounting.html

What do you make of it?

[gorickey]

Originally posted by srbuss:
What do you make of it?

I think it's a "Think Secret" article...enough said...

[ryju]

I like ThinkSecret, but they blew this one out of proportion.

[Person Man]

Originally posted by srbuss:
What do you make of it?

I think it's speculation based on people (the plaintiffs and Think Secret) not having all the information needed to make that determination.

[Kenneth]

Aside from the T.S. article...

Posts: 1
Registered: Jul 2003

I have never seen anything like that.

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally posted by Kenneth:
Aside from the T.S. article...
I have never seen anything like that.

Wow, srbuss. How did you even remember that you had registered?

[Link]

What do I make of it?! I think apple is a scam!!! DIE APPLE! Long live honest companies that never rip people off, like dell, microsoft, comcast, disney, and sony.

[mitchell_pgh]

If there was any validity to this story, there would be hundreds of thousands of reporters on it. Any anti-Apple story sells.

[Gankdawg]

Apple has openly stated that they don't expect the stores to make money. They are showrooms and if they break even, great.

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally posted by Gankdawg:
Apple has openly stated that they don't expect the stores to make money. They are showrooms and if they break even, great.

Exactly... They are also meant to give general consumers that warm and fuzzy feeling that if their computer breaks, they can take it somewhere to be repaired (older consumers love this).

I also like the idea that if my iPod breaks, I don't have to ship it from here to forever. Just take it to the local Apple shop.

Besides those two points, the stores dispel MANY Apple rumors like (Myth 1: Everyone uses Windows; Myth 2: Macs don�t work with PCs; Myth 3: The software I need isn�t available for Macs; Myth 4: Macs don�t run Microsoft Office; Myth 5: Windows has caught up with the Mac; etc. etc.)

[Eriamjh]

Do you think the online apple store pays the same as the resellers for its macs?

Subsidizing the stores just diverts the funds to a differnt department. The bottom line for the whole corporation is still the same.

[wdlove]

I don't really trust Think Secret.

Originally posted by srbuss:
Has anyone seen this?

http://www.thinksecret.com/news/retailaccounting.html

What do you make of it?

I think it's BS. The quantities listed on the invoices (even if they are real) don't seem to be that of a retail store. Even if those invoices are real, they could be for:
- educational purchases. Students, Faculty, and Staff get discounts and can buy through the Apple Store.
- corporate purchase. A company may have negotiated a cheaper price for Apple and have it handled through the store
- demo machines for the store
- employee purchases (employees get discounts, and I'll bet they aren't taken from regular retail stock)

We don't know all of the information, and neither does ThinkSecret. (nor do the plaintiffs, I would imagine)

[srbuss]

Thanks for all your input. It is amazing to see the diversity of opinion here. Let's see, it varies from:

I think it's BS

to

I don't really trust Think Secret.

to

I think it's speculation based on people (the plaintiffs and Think Secret) not having all the information needed to make that determination.


My favorite viewpoints expressed are those that just slam me, the poster. Very informative, I must add.

As to me remembering that I am registered here, I just remembered why I have had such little contact with this group. I gave up my cheerleading days way back in high school.

On a more productive note, if anyone in MacNN land had some actually postions based on experience with the subject at hand, I still would be interested. Information is never a bad thing, after all...

[srbuss]

By the way, to clarify a point of fact...

Gankdawg
Apple has openly stated that they don't expect the stores to make money. They are showrooms and if they break even, great.

Please see this article, posted right here at MacNN, where Fred Andersen clearly states that Apple will not open any retail store unless their profitability is guaranteed within its first year of operation.

http://macnn.com/news/23619

Sorry to muddle the party with information.

[Jaey]

Originally posted by Link:
What do I make of it?! I think apple is a scam!!! DIE APPLE! Long live honest companies that never rip people off, like dell, microsoft, comcast, disney, and sony.

What the hell are you doing at MacNN?

[DeathToWindows]

two words ; prove it.

now shut up until you have some fu*king proof

[bradoesch]

Originally posted by wdlove:
I don't really trust Think Secret.

WD's negative post counter: 2.

Shocking.

[olePigeon]

Originally posted by DeathToWindows:
two words ; prove it.

now shut up until you have some fu*king proof

Proof is overrated anyway. You can invade entire countries without proof.