Many people had their doubts when it was first unveiled, but with seven and a half months of sales history behind it, few will argue that the iMac turned out to be a phenomenal success. PC Data's monthly sales statistics have shown that the iMac has managed to stay in the top five list of computers sold at retail outlets ever since it first hit the shelves last August-- a feat made all the more remarkable by how few retail outlets actually sell the things. Oh, sure, there are plenty of local and regional resellers that carry Mac equipment, and savvy customers won't have much trouble buying an iMac if they want one, but remember that the iMac is targeted at consumers who have never owned a computer before-- and more specifically, at people who've never used a computer because they're nervous about the complexity of the things. For them, an iMac may be simple to set up, but it's not quite so simple to buy.

In addition to Apple's network of independent and regional authorized resellers, there are only two nationwide retail outlets that carry the iMac: CompUSA and Best Buy. After a fairly shaky start, the Mac shopping experience at the average CompUSA seems to have improved enough such that the shouts of rage and gnashing of teeth we grew accustomed to in the early months of the "store within a store" partnership have mostly quieted down these days. Best Buy is another story; the most positive shopping experience we've ever heard from someone who tried to buy an iMac at Best Buy was that it didn't completely suck. And these days, of course, you couldn't get an iMac at Best Buy if you wanted to; they're pretty much all out of stock following their extended bickerfest with Apple over issues of mandatory sales staff training and stocking all five flavors. All told, those computer-shy first-time buyers may have a really tough time actually getting an iMac into their homes. Just consider it more fallout from the Performa days, when Apple eliminated just about all of its national resellers due to gross incompetence. It was a good move, in our opinion, but we can't help feeling that the iMac would be selling even better if shoppers could actually find them anywhere.

So we're more than a little ambivalent about the latest rumors that Sears may be climbing back aboard the Apple ship, as dished by Mac the Knife. iMacs on display in every Sears store would definitely be a good thing, and we bet that sales would fatten up nicely. But we can't shake the memories permanently etched into our grey matter from back when we'd walk through Sears and see that lonely Performa 6400. It was in a state no demo Mac should ever be forced to endure: no mouse, five distinct System Folders, hard disk named "DCMXIZOIXOZZ," not a software demo in sight, etc. (Oh, the horror... The horror...) Here's hoping that Sears has mended its ways, and that this whole proposed reseller partnership doesn't pull a "Best Buy." If the Knife is right, look for iMacs in your local Sears sometime this summer.