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Follow The Leader (2/23/00)
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Everyone with a pulse and at least one moderately-functional eyeball knows just how badly Dell wants to be Apple, right? Sure, it's only natural for others in the industry to steal a few pages from Apple's book; heck, it's basically tradition at this point. But Mike Dell went way beyond stealing a few pages-- with the comes-in-colors consumer WebPC, the also-comes-in-colors consumer Inspiron 3800 laptop, the wireless networking options, etc., it's easy to see that he took the whole book, including the Gulfstream brochure Steve was using as a bookmark. In fact, if Mike Dell doesn't buy himself a jet by the year's end, we'll be really surprised.
But here's the interesting thing: apparently the unprecedented degree of Dell's stalker-like copycat behavior has inspired others in the industry to get a little cozier with Apple's various moves. The latest one that stands out in our eyes is Gateway's team-up with OfficeMax. According to CNET, Gateway will "build and staff 'store-within-a-store' outlets in more than 1,000 OfficeMax outlets." Sound at all familiar? Oh, sure, it's not exactly like Apple's deal with CompUSA a couple of years ago-- for one thing, Gateway will be the exclusive computer sold at OfficeMax-- but it's close enough to raise a few eyebrows.
So we figure it's time for Apple to start stealing some ideas right back. The whole CompUSA "store-within-a-store" thing didn't work out as perfectly as it might have, since at many locations the Apple section turned into a sort of "Mac Ghetto," neglected and lost amid a sea of competing Wintels. We figure Apple should follow Gateway's lead and book an exclusive deal with some non-computer-selling national chain for maximum exposure. How about The Gap? Uncle Steve's on the Gap Board, Gap CEO Mickey Drexler's on Apple's Board-- let's see some synergy, here. Why not sell iMacs and iBooks in Gap stores nationwide? They're stylish enough to be considered accessories, right? "Everyone On Macs." Oh, and let's try to keep the stocking ladders out of the Apple area this time, okay, folks?
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SceneLink (2114)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 2/23/00 episode: February 23, 2000: Apple's winning streak continues, as Apple.com takes first place in PC Data's web traffic listings. Meanwhile, Gateway pulls an Apple and goes for the "store within a store" concept in OfficeMax locations nationwide, and the first Windows 2000 virus has been spotted, less than a week after the operating system's debut...
Other scenes from that episode: 2113: Love That Miracle Cure (2/23/00) You know those ads for weight-loss products, acne medication, or wrinkle cream that show "before" and "after" photos of someone who's supposedly benefited from using the product? In particular, we're thinking about the ads for the really "questionable" products, like, say, a bracelet that is claimed to reduce fat throughout the body via healing magnetic waves, or whatever-- you know the ones we mean... 2115: Advanced New Infections (2/23/00) We admit, it took a little longer than we expected, but less than a week after Windows 2000 made its official debut, the first Win2K-specific virus has been identified. According to PC World, the little critter's named "W2K.Infis.4608" (awww, ain't that cute?), and while it has yet to be spotted "in the wild," it may herald lots of viral fun to come for hapless Windows 2000 users...
Or view the entire episode as originally broadcast... | |  |
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