Local Mac Dealers Offer Something Special: Their Time

When you purchased an Apple computer 15 years ago, you were buying something a little bit different. It wasn't in vogue, and it didn't run the same applications as DOS machines, but if you had some familiarity with a graphical user interface you could be very productive with a Macintosh.

These days, you buy a Macintosh and you're buying a fashion statement along with your stable and secure operating system (despite the Symantec warnings). When Apple started shipping blue, red, green, orange, and purple computers, it was clear that the somewhat higher starting price wasn't just for the technology inside, but also for the design outside. And the Mac mini is now there for the fashion-conscious on a budget.

Back then you would generally go through your local Mac dealer when buying your Mac, who would provide you with subsequent phone support and even free operating system updates (until System 7.1 came out).

In the early 90s, Apple's Performa line aimed to get Macs out of the dealers and into mainstream stores so consumers who otherwise wouldn't consider a Mac, would buy them. Part of what ended up happening was a combination of Apple quality control (many Performas were poorly made in the first place) and the fact that salespeople in many mainstream computer stores, electronics stores, and office supply stores knew about as much about the Mac as a car salesman knows about television sets.

It was fairly common practice for a salesman to steer you over toward the Windows machines if they felt that's what they could better sell you.

Eventually Apple started its own stores so it could better concentrate on selling Apple products. When you walk into an Apple Store (and they all look pretty much the same), everything's light colored (white, light colored wooden tables), and Apple products clearly take the spotlight. Instead of having rows of computers and accessories in their boxes with only one or two (usually broken) demonstration machines, Apple has many machines loaded with software and frequently connected to third party equipment, all available for you to play with.

iPods are there for you to listen to, preloaded with songs. The stores usually appear in malls, although there are a few downtown locations (such as the Pasadena, California location) as well.

Have these stores become victims of their own success? Apple Stores are never empty, and, in fact, I don't think I've ever seen one without a line of 3-5 people at the cash register. This means if you're trying to get help with purchasing something, it makes things a little bit difficult.

The store in the Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Connecticut, is one of the smaller Apple stores and therefore fills up quickly. They only seem to have a limited number of staff, and buying a computer has become a very systematic, impersonal process so that they can get to as many customers as possible.

Sure, I suppose that when I ordered my 12" PowerBook from Apple's website it was in a way no more personal, but if I'm going to order the machine online (which they have you do at the store, too), why go into the store in the first place?

This brings me to the local Apple resellers, such as TBI Computer in Westport, Connecticut. As Apple Eats Its Own (in Chicago Business) illustrates, the relationship between Apple and their resellers has become strained, and consumers have been increasingly turning away from resellers.

It's tough to make a case for buying your next Mac from a reseller - you can often get a better price ordering online, and if you purchase your computer from an Apple Store, you can get to play with several different machines beforehand (as compared to the one or two a reseller might have on display).

However, I believe that buying from a reseller has its advantages. If you're one of those people who frequently seems to have problems with your computer, a reseller will help you over the phone (instead of you calling Apple and waiting on hold). If you ever need upgrades for your computer, a reseller would be able to make some suggestions, whereas Apple will probably try to sell you a new machine altogether.

Plus, there's just the friendly atmosphere at a reseller that you can't get at an Apple Store. When my mother was ordering her 500 MHz indigo iMac, the people at TBI actually asked us if we wanted to share some of the food they were about to order for dinner!

The sad reality is that independent Apple resellers are disappearing, not only due to the opening of Apple Stores, but also online resellers offering lower prices and the educational discounts available through Apple's website (which was the reason I purchased my PowerBook online instead of through TBI).

However, I think that as long as Apple allows it, some resellers will stay open. For people like my mother - those who know enough about the Mac to use the basic functions of the OS and various common applications but still are confused by many of the technology aspects - resellers can take a lot of the stress out of buying a new computer.

For those who are interested in computers, resellers definitely provide a more interesting computer shopping experience than clicking "Buy Now" on Apple.com.