|
We Had Joy, We Had Fun (2/21/99)
|
 
|
| | |
Speaking of the iMac's popularity, could it be that its six months of fame is over? After hitting number one on the sales charts last November, it sank to number three in December. Apple watchers the world over were hoping that the new fruit-flavored models introduced in early January, which included bigger hard drives, faster processors, and lower prices in addition to a choice of colors, would help propel the iMac back into the top spot. Even if the new models didn't catch on right away, it seemed likely that the fire-sale prices for the "classic" models ought to give the sales numbers a serious kick in the kiester. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?
Unfortunately, things don't always work out in a "reasonable" fashion. PC Data's January numbers are in, and according to a CNET article, the iMac's relative popularity is still flagging. Despite a sticker price down about $300 from the previous month, the Bondi blue models have slipped one more slot to fourth place, behind two Hewlett-Packard models and a Compaq computer. Worse still, none of the new iMacs even debuted in the top ten; in fact, even when combining all five flavors, the fruit-flavored iMacs didn't even crack the top fifteen.
Is this the end for our beloved hero? It's certainly possible that availability problems with the new models contributed greatly to the low sales figures, and it's also possible that shoppers who had their hearts set on, say, Grape, preferred to wait for their favorite flavor than to settle for a Bondi model. But six months is a fair stretch of time in the computer industry, and it's also possible that the iMac really is on the way out. We won't know until the distribution issues are ironed out; once consumers can walk into their local Best Buy and walk out with the iMac of their choice, we'll take another look at the numbers to see what's up.
| |
| |
 |
SceneLink (1354)
|  |
 |
|
And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
| | | |
|
| |
|
 | | The above scene was taken from the 2/21/99 episode: February 21, 1999: Best Buy may finally have caved and agreed to sell all five iMac flavors, in hopes of staying on board to sell the consumer portable once it's released this summer. Meanwhile, the latest sales figures give the "iMac as Fad" crowd more ammunition, and "Redmond Justice" turns up the heat with courtroom outbursts worthy of Sweeps Month...
Other scenes from that episode: 1353: Last-Ditch Attempts (2/21/99) For better or for worse (and we sure hope it's for better), it sounds like the Apple-Best Buy relationship is on the mend. We took the fact that the new fruit-flavored iMacs were released some seven weeks ago and still haven't surfaced in any of the 213 Best Buy stores across the nation, added in the reports of the complete and utter absence of any iMacs, including Bondi blue models, from several of those stores, and we just had to assume that a breakup was imminent... 1355: Courtroom Anarchy (2/21/99) Sure, George Clooney's last episode of ER has probably been the most hyped-up event during this February Sweeps Month, but that doesn't mean that other shows shied away from the competition. Take, for example, the "verbal fireworks" that erupted in court during last Thursday's episode of "Redmond Justice."...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
|
|
