MacU
Oct 13, 05:53 PM
I have lived in 4 different rural markets and regularly travel between them. Currently, in NC, Verizon is everywhere since they bought out a couple providers like Rural Cellular and I forget the other one.
When I left Verizon, they had full bar 3G coverage at my house. They had just upgraded about 3 months before I went with an iPhone. With AT&T, I need to drive almost 20 miles to even find 3G coverage.
With Verizon, I had a Palm Treo 700 and it was very rare to see even the analog signal at all.
If Apple would make the iPhone for Verizon, i'd switch back in a blink, even if I had to pay early termination, it's that bad. I typically lose between 20-40% of my calls. There is several dead zones too, that I can't even drive down without losing it.
I have to agree with you there. I have an iPhone for personal use and a Verison BB for work. My iPhone works around 20% of the time at my house and it drops calls randomly elsewhere. My BB has full bars at home and I have yet to have a dropped call. We need Apple to take care of its customers by opening the market for Verison and TMobile.
When I left Verizon, they had full bar 3G coverage at my house. They had just upgraded about 3 months before I went with an iPhone. With AT&T, I need to drive almost 20 miles to even find 3G coverage.
With Verizon, I had a Palm Treo 700 and it was very rare to see even the analog signal at all.
If Apple would make the iPhone for Verizon, i'd switch back in a blink, even if I had to pay early termination, it's that bad. I typically lose between 20-40% of my calls. There is several dead zones too, that I can't even drive down without losing it.
I have to agree with you there. I have an iPhone for personal use and a Verison BB for work. My iPhone works around 20% of the time at my house and it drops calls randomly elsewhere. My BB has full bars at home and I have yet to have a dropped call. We need Apple to take care of its customers by opening the market for Verison and TMobile.
partyBoy
Apr 10, 09:09 PM
- Lavender polo
- Red t-shirt with this batman old skool comic print
- Red t-shirt with this batman old skool comic print
Rodimus Prime
Apr 25, 04:49 PM
No, I expect them to check on the woman when she's lying on the floor. I expect them to not tell the two woman who beat her up to go away before the cops get there.
tell you the truth I would of said that I have called the cops and they are on their way. No other reason that to get them out of the building and away from the lady they were beating the crap out of. I would rather let them run and get away if it meant the fight ending.
that is just the me.
Called the cops and at most say something to the ladies but not get involved physicaly.
tell you the truth I would of said that I have called the cops and they are on their way. No other reason that to get them out of the building and away from the lady they were beating the crap out of. I would rather let them run and get away if it meant the fight ending.
that is just the me.
Called the cops and at most say something to the ladies but not get involved physicaly.
steelfist
Nov 25, 07:22 AM
i love discount days. apple should do this more often have a longer time period. discount day and more negatives than positives? this is insane.
hope there's a good discount at christmas and valentine's day
hope there's a good discount at christmas and valentine's day
balamw
Apr 26, 08:53 PM
is that last code enough info balamw?
Still too much left out. "After that I implement a Cancel method pointing to sender (button)" should tell you you are leaving potentially important stuff out.
You can point out an error and give solution or you can tell that person to quit what he's doing because he has no idea. It's a lot easier to say, go read Apples documentation than to point out an error and explain it yourself.
No one is telling you to quit. They're telling you to go back and make sure you understand objects. (Clearly you don't). This is something you will have to understand for yourself.
As it stands you are confusing yourself.
I don't think I've been involved in any of your threads. What resources are you using to learn Objective-C?
B
Still too much left out. "After that I implement a Cancel method pointing to sender (button)" should tell you you are leaving potentially important stuff out.
You can point out an error and give solution or you can tell that person to quit what he's doing because he has no idea. It's a lot easier to say, go read Apples documentation than to point out an error and explain it yourself.
No one is telling you to quit. They're telling you to go back and make sure you understand objects. (Clearly you don't). This is something you will have to understand for yourself.
As it stands you are confusing yourself.
I don't think I've been involved in any of your threads. What resources are you using to learn Objective-C?
B
JoeG4
Mar 14, 06:28 PM
Thank you!
Using an iPad and garageband to produce music is like using a Flip camera to record a movie destined for Hollywood. Not happening. However, it should be usable for casual shiz if that's what Steve Jobs is advertising it for - and obviously it's falling short for that. XD
Besides, it'll be obsolete trash in a year's time. The new "retina" version will come out with the new version of iMovie and Garageband, which probably won't support your brand new iPad 2 :P
Using an iPad and garageband to produce music is like using a Flip camera to record a movie destined for Hollywood. Not happening. However, it should be usable for casual shiz if that's what Steve Jobs is advertising it for - and obviously it's falling short for that. XD
Besides, it'll be obsolete trash in a year's time. The new "retina" version will come out with the new version of iMovie and Garageband, which probably won't support your brand new iPad 2 :P
KnightWRX
Mar 7, 11:11 AM
I suggest you check our Symbain if you think Android had it beat for multitasking. As far as "true multi-tasking", look if you're unhappy with iOS mutli-tasking solution, then it might be time to leave the OS, because it works just fine.
While Symbian might have been first, I was talking strictly about iOS vs Android as that was what the poster hinted at.
Backgrounding certain tasks is fine, and yes it works well even though it's not a replacement for multi-tasking. What I hate is the task manager they came up with that is near useless since it doesn't actually give you a list of running tasks. It's a list of everything you've done with the phone, in like ever. You need to manually clean it up and even then, you don't know what is and isn't running.
Are sorry are you upset that Apple doesn't redo their laptop each time? Yes, sometimes all we are going to get spec updates, not the end of the world, it just makes sense from a business model. "Basically forgetting about it" is just code for only spec updates right?
I wasn't talking about design and updates. More like the marketing effort and the stagnation between said spec bumps. They marketed the crap out of the Rev A, then it just fell out of sight. Same for AppleTV 1st generation.
But thanks for assuming and correcting me on something I didn't mention or hint at. Real classy.
While Symbian might have been first, I was talking strictly about iOS vs Android as that was what the poster hinted at.
Backgrounding certain tasks is fine, and yes it works well even though it's not a replacement for multi-tasking. What I hate is the task manager they came up with that is near useless since it doesn't actually give you a list of running tasks. It's a list of everything you've done with the phone, in like ever. You need to manually clean it up and even then, you don't know what is and isn't running.
Are sorry are you upset that Apple doesn't redo their laptop each time? Yes, sometimes all we are going to get spec updates, not the end of the world, it just makes sense from a business model. "Basically forgetting about it" is just code for only spec updates right?
I wasn't talking about design and updates. More like the marketing effort and the stagnation between said spec bumps. They marketed the crap out of the Rev A, then it just fell out of sight. Same for AppleTV 1st generation.
But thanks for assuming and correcting me on something I didn't mention or hint at. Real classy.
drayon
Apr 30, 12:03 AM
Hey knock it off with all the off topic Windows drivel. Winrumors forums would be a better place to dispute these matters.
bikertwin
Sep 25, 03:57 PM
I still have some questions about the new features:
Inner lip tattoo is one such
Inner lip tattoo
Inner Lip Tattoos Photo
How about an inner lip tattoo? For $60 you could tattoo your favourite word, Unique lip tattoo gives away burglary suspect. Lip Tattoos 11
inner lip tattoo words Jul 3,
If so, an inner lip tattoo may
their inner lower lip?
THE INNER-VIEWS OF MUSIC:
How about an inner lip tattoo?
Inner Lip Tattoos
dubels
Apr 11, 07:35 PM
Sharks playoff tickets against the Kings 4/16
http://sharkspage.com/jpgs4/sharks_territory.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5611814286_62d5df7613.jpg
http://sharkspage.com/jpgs4/sharks_territory.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5611814286_62d5df7613.jpg
slffl
Jan 5, 04:31 PM
Great idea Macrumors! I hope I can hold out that long, but it would be even more exciting watching a video stream rather than refreshing a webpage. Hopefully the stream will work.
kobyh15
May 4, 12:37 AM
Apple marketing at its best. Makes me want one really bad.
mdntcallr
Jan 5, 02:39 PM
it would be great if apple would put up a video feed of the keynote live.
if not that, put it in the local apple stores.
if not that, put it in the local apple stores.
slosh
Nov 24, 09:24 AM
In store you should be able to get both discounts.
are you sure about that, or could someone else verify this? trying to decide if i should take a drive down to the mall today....
thanks!
are you sure about that, or could someone else verify this? trying to decide if i should take a drive down to the mall today....
thanks!
Millah
Mar 25, 12:02 AM
Man, can't believe it's been ten years. As a longtime Mac user, since OS8, I've grown up on OSX. I still remember getting OSX the very first day it launched, and just being BLOWN AWAY with the user interface. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, especially coming from the old platinum interface of OS9. Even comparing it to Windows 2000, it was just a giant leap. The Aqua bubbles, the high resolution icons, and the sophisticated animations really blew me away. I never went back to OS9, despite the occasional issues with cheetah.
Using the iPhone for the first time is probably the only thing that has compared to seeing OSX for the first time. And I really don't think anything in the future will ever compare again. They were so influential. Especially the aqua bubble design, which has found it's way into just about every other tech companies designs. Almost everything has aqua bubbles now. Adobes logo, Aero in Windows, android, Blackberry, PS3 UI, etc...all these things have representations of aqua.
Using the iPhone for the first time is probably the only thing that has compared to seeing OSX for the first time. And I really don't think anything in the future will ever compare again. They were so influential. Especially the aqua bubble design, which has found it's way into just about every other tech companies designs. Almost everything has aqua bubbles now. Adobes logo, Aero in Windows, android, Blackberry, PS3 UI, etc...all these things have representations of aqua.
gamezealot
Oct 7, 08:05 AM
Too bad that Map is a load of BS... I live in Coral Springs FL, just north of Ft Lauderdale... Verizons map says there is 3g coverage there... In my house and anywhere around my house i get 1 bar.... 1 lowzy bar!!! I switched back to AT&T and whoa, 5 bars, full signal, all the time! I don't understand why people bitch about AT&T... No phone company is any better... They all suck... Pull your panties up and move on...
jlanuez
Jan 11, 05:11 PM
Without question, banned from CES.
It costs companies a small fortune to attend and display at a show like this, would not be surprised if someone brought a suit against them.
Totally unprofessional and unacceptable!
It costs companies a small fortune to attend and display at a show like this, would not be surprised if someone brought a suit against them.
Totally unprofessional and unacceptable!
dextertangocci
Jan 6, 02:37 AM
Good idea:)
But I'm too impatient, ill stick with MR live:) It will be even better with the photos:cool:
But I'm too impatient, ill stick with MR live:) It will be even better with the photos:cool:
Mac'nCheese
Apr 17, 03:10 PM
They're not in the records?
Come on, guy. Does it really matter if somebody were gay? I thought people of a liberal mindset are supposed to be "colorblind" or what have you, yet all of a sudden their sexuality, which has nothing to do with their achievements, should be made an important part of history?
How hypocritical.
There's a difference in being colorblind in your everyday life - hiring the best man for the job, black or white - and acknowledging the people who made living like this possible - for example, remembering Jackie Robinson as the first black player in the major leagues. Nothing hypocritical at all about that.
Come on, guy. Does it really matter if somebody were gay? I thought people of a liberal mindset are supposed to be "colorblind" or what have you, yet all of a sudden their sexuality, which has nothing to do with their achievements, should be made an important part of history?
How hypocritical.
There's a difference in being colorblind in your everyday life - hiring the best man for the job, black or white - and acknowledging the people who made living like this possible - for example, remembering Jackie Robinson as the first black player in the major leagues. Nothing hypocritical at all about that.
WestonHarvey1
Jul 21, 01:07 PM
So if another car company was hiding the same problem Toyota had, and Toyota pointed it out, that would be wrong? Why are the other companies denying it?
The funny part is none of the other companies are even denying it. Their response has been to complain about Apple bringing it up. The laws of physics should apply only to Apple.
The funny part is none of the other companies are even denying it. Their response has been to complain about Apple bringing it up. The laws of physics should apply only to Apple.
BabyFaceMagee
Jan 15, 02:53 PM
I think a lot of people here are missing the big picture. Apple can come out with hardware up the gazoo for the next 10 years. But Apple is not just about computers and hardware anymore. The big money long term is digital content delivery. There is only a limited window of opportunity to become THE leader in digital movie downloads. With Netflix, amazon and others all gunning for that market, Apple had to step up to the plate and offer a superior way of getting movies...especially HD movies...into people's living rooms and onto their big screen tvs.
The fact that they were able to get all the major studios to sign on is a MAJOR MAJOR koo for Steve and Co. If they don't make this priority # 1 then Netflix or amazon will become the standard and Apple will lose out on tens of billions of potential revenue down the line. Any company has to choose its battles carefully and use whatever limited resources they have for the important fights. Once Apple has the download market sewn up and becomes the 'standard' then they'll have so much money for R&D that they'll be able to pop out unbelievable hardware products that we haven't even imagined yet.
But right now there is a sense of urgency that they have to slay netflix and amazon quickly before it's too late. I think long term they are doing the right thing. Sure it would have been great to see some more hardware introductions...and we'll get that...but I can see where Jobs' focus is right now and the truth is that digital content delivery is where Apple's bread and butter is growing these days and there's a tremendous amount of future money at stake that he's eyeing and doesn't want to let slip away.
The fact that they were able to get all the major studios to sign on is a MAJOR MAJOR koo for Steve and Co. If they don't make this priority # 1 then Netflix or amazon will become the standard and Apple will lose out on tens of billions of potential revenue down the line. Any company has to choose its battles carefully and use whatever limited resources they have for the important fights. Once Apple has the download market sewn up and becomes the 'standard' then they'll have so much money for R&D that they'll be able to pop out unbelievable hardware products that we haven't even imagined yet.
But right now there is a sense of urgency that they have to slay netflix and amazon quickly before it's too late. I think long term they are doing the right thing. Sure it would have been great to see some more hardware introductions...and we'll get that...but I can see where Jobs' focus is right now and the truth is that digital content delivery is where Apple's bread and butter is growing these days and there's a tremendous amount of future money at stake that he's eyeing and doesn't want to let slip away.
Joshuarocks
Apr 8, 07:36 PM
I'm a current employee at Best Buy and thought I'd offer my two cents on a few issues.
First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.
That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.
In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.
I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:
1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.
Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.
Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.
Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...
2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.
So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.
All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.
Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.
As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.
Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.
But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.
At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.
Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.
I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.
The only "Worst Buy" I am against is the one in Owings Mills, MD where they discriminated against me just because of a small disability. Pending a court case with corporate on this matter.. and I used to work for them back in 2005 and left them on a great note. Eligible for re-hire.. then tried to go back to them(Owings Mills) and the manager was very disrespectful and also discriminatory.
I plan to have that store shut down permanently.
First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.
That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.
In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.
I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:
1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.
Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.
Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.
Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...
2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.
So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.
All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.
Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.
As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.
Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.
But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.
At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.
Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.
I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.
The only "Worst Buy" I am against is the one in Owings Mills, MD where they discriminated against me just because of a small disability. Pending a court case with corporate on this matter.. and I used to work for them back in 2005 and left them on a great note. Eligible for re-hire.. then tried to go back to them(Owings Mills) and the manager was very disrespectful and also discriminatory.
I plan to have that store shut down permanently.
NamJangNamJa
Nov 16, 04:35 PM
I will never buy an AMD computer again, especially in a laptop. AMDs are very hot processors and they require big fans(I learn that from my bro's Compaq), which make them thick and heavy.
It would be best for me if we could of kept PowerPC, developed a lower powerconsuming but stil powerful G5, or Xenon(chip in XBOX 360). But intel is still got...PPC for LIFE
Intel used to be hotter than AMD for a long time until they came up with Core Duo.
Intel used to be hotter than AMD for a long time until they came up with Core Duo.
Nevermind, as far as, intel has been always cooler than AMD in the laptop world.
It would be best for me if we could of kept PowerPC, developed a lower powerconsuming but stil powerful G5, or Xenon(chip in XBOX 360). But intel is still got...PPC for LIFE
Intel used to be hotter than AMD for a long time until they came up with Core Duo.
Intel used to be hotter than AMD for a long time until they came up with Core Duo.
Nevermind, as far as, intel has been always cooler than AMD in the laptop world.
mrgreen4242
Sep 12, 09:12 AM
Is that true of the MacBook and the 15.4" MacBook Pro? I thought they didn't have DL.
Hey, I just looked at you're right! That's pretty f'n chinsy of Apple! They advertise them as READING DL discs, which is what confused me... deceptive marketing bastards. Seriously, I can see (I guess) not putting it in the MB Pro if it meant they couldnt get it as thin as they wanted, but the MB really is under know such constraint - people aren't buying it for being uber slim and sexy. It's a good looking, functional, somewhat low priced portable. It only lacks the DL 'cuz the Pro does... the mini gets a DL drive!
Hey, I just looked at you're right! That's pretty f'n chinsy of Apple! They advertise them as READING DL discs, which is what confused me... deceptive marketing bastards. Seriously, I can see (I guess) not putting it in the MB Pro if it meant they couldnt get it as thin as they wanted, but the MB really is under know such constraint - people aren't buying it for being uber slim and sexy. It's a good looking, functional, somewhat low priced portable. It only lacks the DL 'cuz the Pro does... the mini gets a DL drive!
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