koruki
Mar 17, 07:57 PM
Not bashing android by any means... But my work had deployed me a droid x. I had it for about six months. On average I would say I needed to pull the battery for lock ups every couple days. I had Verizon send me a replacement under warranty and the new one did the same thing.
There's def pros and cons to each platform. I enjoyed the notification system a lot more on the droid. Since then I've switched to an iPhone 4 at work. I have a personal 3GS and have fallen in love with the cosmetic design of the iPhone 4 and the retina display.
About the Lock up, I think most of them don't know we can just do a hard reset without pulling out the battery in the iPhone. Just hold the power and home button down.
I get it a lot too but I just say "nah, this phone sucks it's the worst phone in the world" and they usually shut up.
They shut up because they have an insecurity about their phone and the iPhone 4 is the better phone. Shooting down a better phone makes their phone seem even worse. It's like a double headshot.
I hate to say it again but haters gon hate! It happens with ANYTHING. If you buy a BMW, Audi owners will waltz in saying "SEE MY CAR HAS THIS STANDARD IT'S WAY BETTER THAN BMW!!!!". If you buy a Rolex you get Omega and TAG Heuer owners going "MY WATCH IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN ROLEX BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER AND IT HAS MORE THINGS IN IT!!!".
It's a thing you have to live with if you buy the most popular, top-of-the-line luxury things. If you can afford it, why not buy it?
the whole thing makes my brain hurt because it's so stupid and I don't care if the guy next to me had an Evo or an iPhone 4. :rolleyes:
Actually I think its more the people with a turbo'ed Japanese imports that give an earfull to the European car owners. Or the Casio owners who brag how accurate digital is vs the luxury watches. I know someone who had to ask someone for the time cause her Piaget watched was unreadable due to the amount of flares coming from the diamonds inside LOL.. Obviously a fail watch but what you gonna do, sue them?
Jealously is all I can think of =)
There's def pros and cons to each platform. I enjoyed the notification system a lot more on the droid. Since then I've switched to an iPhone 4 at work. I have a personal 3GS and have fallen in love with the cosmetic design of the iPhone 4 and the retina display.
About the Lock up, I think most of them don't know we can just do a hard reset without pulling out the battery in the iPhone. Just hold the power and home button down.
I get it a lot too but I just say "nah, this phone sucks it's the worst phone in the world" and they usually shut up.
They shut up because they have an insecurity about their phone and the iPhone 4 is the better phone. Shooting down a better phone makes their phone seem even worse. It's like a double headshot.
I hate to say it again but haters gon hate! It happens with ANYTHING. If you buy a BMW, Audi owners will waltz in saying "SEE MY CAR HAS THIS STANDARD IT'S WAY BETTER THAN BMW!!!!". If you buy a Rolex you get Omega and TAG Heuer owners going "MY WATCH IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN ROLEX BECAUSE IT'S CHEAPER AND IT HAS MORE THINGS IN IT!!!".
It's a thing you have to live with if you buy the most popular, top-of-the-line luxury things. If you can afford it, why not buy it?
the whole thing makes my brain hurt because it's so stupid and I don't care if the guy next to me had an Evo or an iPhone 4. :rolleyes:
Actually I think its more the people with a turbo'ed Japanese imports that give an earfull to the European car owners. Or the Casio owners who brag how accurate digital is vs the luxury watches. I know someone who had to ask someone for the time cause her Piaget watched was unreadable due to the amount of flares coming from the diamonds inside LOL.. Obviously a fail watch but what you gonna do, sue them?
Jealously is all I can think of =)
slh06
Sep 12, 08:04 AM
I think their going to change the name iTunes Music Store to Showtime. Makes sense?:cool:
Warbrain
Sep 12, 08:21 AM
It really looks like movies may be hitting the iTunes Store. I also am wondering....could they also be integrating the Apple Store into iTunes?? It would be cool to buy a new iPod right from within iTunes and maybe....possibly have it shipped with all of your iTunes purchases on the device.....that would of course require a firmware/iTunes update? Anyway I am sure we will probably all be disappointed.
Just make it an option upon checkout if people use the shopping cart feature...
But I doubt it'll happen.
Just make it an option upon checkout if people use the shopping cart feature...
But I doubt it'll happen.
blonde redhead
Aug 8, 06:19 AM
umm no neither is lying. They both are using the same panel but DIFFERENT backlights. Dell back lights are brighter so it allows for a larger contrast ratio and more cd/m2
edit: The panel is pretty much just a color filter. It takes the white light from the back light and filters it colors for what you see on the screen (it more complex than that but it is the simplest way to explain it)
Sorry to say this, but you're simplifying things too much. Just because a monitor has the same size/resolution, doesn't mean that the LCD sources are identical.
FYI, Apple is using LCDs from Lg.Philips, Dell's LCDs come from Samsung. As a matter of fact, the 30" from Samsung for example is an exact copy of the Lg.Philips panel that they developed for Apple: same module dimensions (even fixation holes), electrical interface, etc.
Because Dell is doing copy-paste, some of the specs are indeed identical. However, Apple displays use IPS (in-plane switching) LCD technology, while Samsung uses PVA (patterned vertical alignment). Consequence of this is that optical specs are slightly different:
- higher brightness for Dell (because of higher LCD transmission of PVA)
- higher contrast for Dell (but only perpendicular: contrast decreases very rapidly if you look off-axis at PVA-based panels)
- superior color stability for Apple (large color shift with viewing angle for PVA, especially for grey tones)
The latter characteristic is why Apple chooses for Lg.Philips, and why Apple displays are better for graphical applications, despite the slightly lower specifications on paper.
edit: The panel is pretty much just a color filter. It takes the white light from the back light and filters it colors for what you see on the screen (it more complex than that but it is the simplest way to explain it)
Sorry to say this, but you're simplifying things too much. Just because a monitor has the same size/resolution, doesn't mean that the LCD sources are identical.
FYI, Apple is using LCDs from Lg.Philips, Dell's LCDs come from Samsung. As a matter of fact, the 30" from Samsung for example is an exact copy of the Lg.Philips panel that they developed for Apple: same module dimensions (even fixation holes), electrical interface, etc.
Because Dell is doing copy-paste, some of the specs are indeed identical. However, Apple displays use IPS (in-plane switching) LCD technology, while Samsung uses PVA (patterned vertical alignment). Consequence of this is that optical specs are slightly different:
- higher brightness for Dell (because of higher LCD transmission of PVA)
- higher contrast for Dell (but only perpendicular: contrast decreases very rapidly if you look off-axis at PVA-based panels)
- superior color stability for Apple (large color shift with viewing angle for PVA, especially for grey tones)
The latter characteristic is why Apple chooses for Lg.Philips, and why Apple displays are better for graphical applications, despite the slightly lower specifications on paper.
CanadaRAM
Jan 12, 12:44 AM
Wow, I just watched the keynote and my god this guy is hard to stand....
i totally agree with you. "aint that just cool?" "probably the best photo management program in the world" he's was pretty hard to stand.
But you watched. Again.
Q.E.D.
i totally agree with you. "aint that just cool?" "probably the best photo management program in the world" he's was pretty hard to stand.
But you watched. Again.
Q.E.D.
maz94protege
Oct 29, 07:35 AM
AT&T drops a ton of calls in my area, but it's no different than when I used Verizon.
Same with me. its all about location. I have AT&T (iPhone) and Verizon (BB Storm), both drop calls, where i have coverage on one, i dont on the other and vice versa. So to say one has better coverage or not, its hard to point in the right direction. Really... As long as i can make a call im good, I had perfect coverage 2 days ago on the Storm and the network wasnt working, while my iPhone had 1 bar on 3G and no issues.
But its a cool commerical, I like how they are only talking about 3G coverage not over all service coverage, kind of makes Verizon look better. Then again...who is struggling for not having the iPhone?
Same with me. its all about location. I have AT&T (iPhone) and Verizon (BB Storm), both drop calls, where i have coverage on one, i dont on the other and vice versa. So to say one has better coverage or not, its hard to point in the right direction. Really... As long as i can make a call im good, I had perfect coverage 2 days ago on the Storm and the network wasnt working, while my iPhone had 1 bar on 3G and no issues.
But its a cool commerical, I like how they are only talking about 3G coverage not over all service coverage, kind of makes Verizon look better. Then again...who is struggling for not having the iPhone?
GQB
May 2, 05:30 PM
No thanks.
And your option is...?
Personally, I'd like to know if the deletion that results from turning off Location Services results in slower response time when you turn it back on. Does turning it back on give you a sufficient download from the mothership to get you up and running again quickly?
I turn off Location Services frequently for a variety of reasons... battery life, roaming internationally, etc. I'd hate to have this non-issue result in slower GPS every time I toggle Location.
And your option is...?
Personally, I'd like to know if the deletion that results from turning off Location Services results in slower response time when you turn it back on. Does turning it back on give you a sufficient download from the mothership to get you up and running again quickly?
I turn off Location Services frequently for a variety of reasons... battery life, roaming internationally, etc. I'd hate to have this non-issue result in slower GPS every time I toggle Location.
dethmaShine
Apr 29, 04:51 PM
I can go to View --> Organize Alphabetically on my SL MBA. Same result. All icons, no categories.
I've never seen this before, but it's not new to this Lion build.
Sorry, I may have never used that before.
Thanks for letting me know.
I've never seen this before, but it's not new to this Lion build.
Sorry, I may have never used that before.
Thanks for letting me know.
JustARumor
Mar 24, 03:46 PM
While OS X was a huge step for Apple--and an absolutely critical one--I'd argue that it wasn't the *first* step in their turnaround. That role belongs to the original iMac. By the time OS X came around, more iMacs had been sold than all Macs for the previous several years, and every PC company was trying to copy it with some flavor of their own. It had also revolutionized the peripherals market by pushing USB from being a minor side technology to being the primary connectivity method.
ErikAndre
Jan 11, 02:55 PM
I predict a... ready for this... the Newton comes back.
starflyer
Mar 28, 03:32 PM
What exactly is a 'hater'? Someone that disagrees with the company line? Someone with a dissenting opinion?
He didn't say everyone who cries foul is a hater.
He didn't say everyone who cries foul is a hater.
airforce1
May 2, 10:50 AM
Google's approach is completely different. When phones running the Google OS detect any wireless network, they beam its MAC address, signal strength and GPS coordinates to Google servers, along with the unique ID of the handset.
You can check if any androids have reported your home network to google by inputting your router's MAC here:
http://samy.pl/androidmap/
yup
Apple on the other hand decided to go above the law, after all it must feel powerful now that they have starving Chinese sweatshop workers sign suicide agreements after known they will be driven to the point of no return
You can check if any androids have reported your home network to google by inputting your router's MAC here:
http://samy.pl/androidmap/
yup
Apple on the other hand decided to go above the law, after all it must feel powerful now that they have starving Chinese sweatshop workers sign suicide agreements after known they will be driven to the point of no return
hulugu
May 5, 02:06 PM
...A doctor has no way of knowing the circumstances of somebody's homelife--and since there are tens of millions of homes I submit that there is no "One size fits all" to allow some outsider's judgement. He is no expert on firearms use or safety, absent being a "gunny" himself....
Maybe it's just my doctor, but they tend to ask what would otherwise be rude questions.
Do you smoke?
What did you have for dinner last night?
Have you had unprotected sex?
What drugs�legal or illegal�have you used in the past six months?
So, to me a question about firearms in the home seems perfectly within the scope of evaluating risks, and more probably, helping to provide information for parents.
...Both should be perfectly legal for the physician to ask about, but common sense and general courtesy would suggest that the physician should stick to more physiology related questioning.
I disagree, in the case of a farm, knowing this can help the doctor to ask about exposure to organophosphates or ringworm. The more information has, generally, the better the doctor's ability to assess care.
Doctors shouldn't ask these questions to be busybodies, but to make good decisions and provide care.
Maybe it's just my doctor, but they tend to ask what would otherwise be rude questions.
Do you smoke?
What did you have for dinner last night?
Have you had unprotected sex?
What drugs�legal or illegal�have you used in the past six months?
So, to me a question about firearms in the home seems perfectly within the scope of evaluating risks, and more probably, helping to provide information for parents.
...Both should be perfectly legal for the physician to ask about, but common sense and general courtesy would suggest that the physician should stick to more physiology related questioning.
I disagree, in the case of a farm, knowing this can help the doctor to ask about exposure to organophosphates or ringworm. The more information has, generally, the better the doctor's ability to assess care.
Doctors shouldn't ask these questions to be busybodies, but to make good decisions and provide care.
gri
Apr 17, 01:57 PM
The radiation dosage from any properly maintained active scanner is still orders of magnitude less than what you get from a 4-hour flight at 10 km. Go ahead and opt out of your full-body scans... if you're doing it for the "health" reason you're tilting at a very small windmill.
Just read this letters from 4 UCSF professors to Dr. Holdren (advisor to the president) regarding the as of yet not proven harmlessness of the X-ray backscatter devices (http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdf). Just to name a few: low dose radiation with high dose administered to the skin. Real photon Flux is not known. And - who is controlling the scanners and how to you know they are properly maintained? I am a radiologist and nuclear medicine physician and we have to report every dose the patient receives (X-rays and nuclides) - here you don't know the deposited dose. The letter is a good read and should be made much more public. The link is through NPR thankfully...
Just read this letters from 4 UCSF professors to Dr. Holdren (advisor to the president) regarding the as of yet not proven harmlessness of the X-ray backscatter devices (http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdf). Just to name a few: low dose radiation with high dose administered to the skin. Real photon Flux is not known. And - who is controlling the scanners and how to you know they are properly maintained? I am a radiologist and nuclear medicine physician and we have to report every dose the patient receives (X-rays and nuclides) - here you don't know the deposited dose. The letter is a good read and should be made much more public. The link is through NPR thankfully...
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.
Mattie Num Nums
Apr 8, 02:49 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.
As a former BBY employee I can tell you a few things that are flawed.
#1 no former or current Best Buy employee would call themselves BBemployee, BBYEmployee would seem more likely. I know its stupid but it is the culture of Best Buy to shorten it to BBY.
#2 You would have no clue if Best Buy was in trouble. As a simple Blue Shirt or even a Black Shirt you would not have this information passed down to you.
#3 Your rant show that you either hate Best Buy for personal reasons or possibly a former employee who has a huge vendetta against the company.
#4 Your rant does nothing to support this discussion.
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.
As a former BBY employee I can tell you a few things that are flawed.
#1 no former or current Best Buy employee would call themselves BBemployee, BBYEmployee would seem more likely. I know its stupid but it is the culture of Best Buy to shorten it to BBY.
#2 You would have no clue if Best Buy was in trouble. As a simple Blue Shirt or even a Black Shirt you would not have this information passed down to you.
#3 Your rant show that you either hate Best Buy for personal reasons or possibly a former employee who has a huge vendetta against the company.
#4 Your rant does nothing to support this discussion.
darkwing
Mar 23, 11:39 AM
I've been taking screenshots of when they connect to my network and writing down who is home in the neighborhood when it is connected. Also have my router set to log IP addresses just in case.
Excellent! :)
I'm not too sure about stealing internet in this area. Its a college town with a ton of apartments so I'm sure there is a lot of it going on. Whether the police do anything about it or not is a mystery to me.
This is kind of a tricky situation... it's stealing, but if you allow it to happen you basically suck. :P
When I last went home to visit parents, I found an open router called "linksys" and I connected to its conf page using the default login/password and changed the SSID to "open_router_please_hack_me" ;)
Excellent! :)
I'm not too sure about stealing internet in this area. Its a college town with a ton of apartments so I'm sure there is a lot of it going on. Whether the police do anything about it or not is a mystery to me.
This is kind of a tricky situation... it's stealing, but if you allow it to happen you basically suck. :P
When I last went home to visit parents, I found an open router called "linksys" and I connected to its conf page using the default login/password and changed the SSID to "open_router_please_hack_me" ;)
Frazzle
Jul 21, 06:51 PM
It's a problem. It's been reproduced by CNET, Consumer Reports, NYT, and many others.
That's the weird thing. It's only a small problem. But it's been reported by all these media and it's an Apple product, so it will get 'eyeballs'.
When the Nokia N97 came out (not in the US though) it was supposed to be the new flagship phone that was hailed as the 'iPhone killer'. But: the 'real' firmware wasn't ready and the preliminary version was riddled with bugs, the GPS antenna had a design fault requiring people to fiddle with bits of copper wire, the camera lens cover actually scratched the lens of the camera, the camera flash unit was creating a haze in every picture because of a design flaw and the phone either crashed, dropped calls or became unresponsive to its touchscreen several times a day.
Now, the Nokia forums and several blog sites were awash with people complaining. Many users left Nokia and swore they would never return. The company quickly released a follow-up model and provided hardware fixes - but only for people who actually complained. The whole N97 debacle was very badly handled by Nokia and they lost a lot of credibility with high-end users. Android and iPhone got a lot of new users.
Has any of this ever been reported in the mainstream media? Hell no.
That's the weird thing. It's only a small problem. But it's been reported by all these media and it's an Apple product, so it will get 'eyeballs'.
When the Nokia N97 came out (not in the US though) it was supposed to be the new flagship phone that was hailed as the 'iPhone killer'. But: the 'real' firmware wasn't ready and the preliminary version was riddled with bugs, the GPS antenna had a design fault requiring people to fiddle with bits of copper wire, the camera lens cover actually scratched the lens of the camera, the camera flash unit was creating a haze in every picture because of a design flaw and the phone either crashed, dropped calls or became unresponsive to its touchscreen several times a day.
Now, the Nokia forums and several blog sites were awash with people complaining. Many users left Nokia and swore they would never return. The company quickly released a follow-up model and provided hardware fixes - but only for people who actually complained. The whole N97 debacle was very badly handled by Nokia and they lost a lot of credibility with high-end users. Android and iPhone got a lot of new users.
Has any of this ever been reported in the mainstream media? Hell no.
sherlockholmes
May 3, 11:54 PM
None of the above.
The commercials are cringe worthy when the potential you have is limited to web browsing.
The potential is limited only by you imagination.
The commercials are cringe worthy when the potential you have is limited to web browsing.
The potential is limited only by you imagination.
pmz
Apr 15, 10:54 PM
Whether or not Apple moves ahead on this particular design, I have no way of knowing.
Whether or not the pictures are real, and of a real case, I'm sure they are. I spend a ton of time working in China developing other types of products. I take pictures (sometimes as crappy as these) every time I'm over here.
My money is that they are real.
Real what? Real fakes? Yes they are real fakes.
Whether or not the pictures are real, and of a real case, I'm sure they are. I spend a ton of time working in China developing other types of products. I take pictures (sometimes as crappy as these) every time I'm over here.
My money is that they are real.
Real what? Real fakes? Yes they are real fakes.
T-Will
Apr 5, 04:32 PM
OMG I JSUT FOUND THE GRAETEST TV CHANNEL IN THE UNIVERSE WHERE YOU CAN WATCH ADS 24HUORS A DAY!111 IT"S CALLED HSN (Home Shopping Network)!!11
:D
:D
roadbloc
Apr 22, 06:07 PM
Here's the reality of this non-issue...
You'd be up in arms if Google were doing it. Or anyone else to that matter.
I like how you have, yet again, managed to turn a non-Apple related discussion, to a discussion about Apple. Grats.
You'd be up in arms if Google were doing it. Or anyone else to that matter.
I like how you have, yet again, managed to turn a non-Apple related discussion, to a discussion about Apple. Grats.
ericmacuser
Apr 25, 01:08 PM
Looks a lot like this knock-off just posted to DX
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/3-5-touch-screen-dual-sim-dual-network-standby-quadband-gsm-cell-phone-w-wi-fi-white-70906
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/3-5-touch-screen-dual-sim-dual-network-standby-quadband-gsm-cell-phone-w-wi-fi-white-70906
Daringescape
Nov 16, 04:48 PM
This is off topic, but I was down in San Diego a while ago and saw some iMacs in a hotel lobby with a screen that let you choose between Windows and osX. I have seen boot camp so I know you see 2 different disks when you boot, but these were a windows icon and an osX icon you could click on.
Has anyone else seen this?
Has anyone else seen this?
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