I'm surprised the Nikkei paper didn't do more research. There is more to the story than Apple simply being unhappy that some retailers were selling at a discount (which is very hard to do). Such a problem could have been dealt with on a company by company basis. The end of sales was rather sudden (for one shop it was within a month) and the shops have not received clear explanations. Some say that licensing was an issue. Some just scratch their heads because Apple Japan provided no explanation. At least one customer, whose reseller had received a confirmation and shipping order from AJ, had his order suddenly cancelled by Aj and had to go to another shop.

Amazon US regularly sells Apple products for less than the Apple price (Amazon's Japan store has the exact same prices as the Apple store here), so if the reason given in the Nikkei is right, then there is disparity in how Apple works around the world.

Also, the shop where I usually have bought my Macs, they have not once sold a machine at a price lower than I saw on the Apple Store, Japan. The only "discount" they had was the five-year warranty plan they offered for 5%, which was often 60% less than the Apple Care plan offers to cover three years. So, perhaps Apple is unhappy with the lack of sales of Apple Care. They are a consumer electronics company, aren't they?

Apple Japan also seems to have made a few resellers less than happy with the move and the suddenness of it, to the point that if they ever choose to return to selling through resellers they will have a smaller field to choose from.

This was pretty much across the board, though, covering large nationwide chains, with only a few shops still able to sell Apple stuff. If they had a problem with a few resellers, why the blanket reaction? It seems more like an over-reaction that has punished good resellers as well, not to mention hurt customers.

After we discovered what had happened, I will admit that I will think more carefully before purchasing my future Apple products and likely extend the time period between purchases (I usually upgrade every two or three years- both laptops and desktop- but that will now become three to five).

Just realized: it is not just the online stores that have halted sales as is suggested in the article. Major chains have stopped selling Apple products in their brick and mortar stores as well. We are talking about Apple withdrawing from thousands of outlets in Japan.

In the city close to me, there were 10 shops that sold Macs (I've never counted the number selling iPods) that I was aware of. That number has been reduced to just 2.

Some companies, like K's Denki, were asked to remove stock from most of their walk-in stores, but a couple (usually near Tokyo) were allowed to continue selling.

I have no knowledge of the situation, but it certainly sounds like Apple is trying to knock out fake Apple product sellers by going in-person in store only. Understandable, considering the knock-offs one can find online.

Normally, pricing decisions are at a sole discretion of a customer (reseller). US corporations are guided by US law around the world.

All of the electronic stores listed in the article are legitimate places to buy Apple products, and I have bought Apple stuff at Yamada Denki and Yodobashi Camera on many occasions. Just this last December I ordered a Macbook pro from Yamada online and it was a legit Apple Japan product. Yes, there are probably some underhanded stuff going on at minor online stores (try bestgate.net to find some examples), but who shops there?

I suspect that Apple is jealous of sales through these stores and maybe this is a move to punish them a bit. We are not talking huge discounts in retail price here. What these shops offer is a point system that gives a certain percentage of the retail price in store points that can be used to buy other merchandise at the same store. When I bought my Macbook from Yamada I was given 18% of the retail price in points to do with as a please and one can save up points over time. I am not going to get that from Apple.

Crappy move Cupertino.

On the surface, this seems bad all around. I never imagined the huge, highly-visible chains like Yamada or Bic as undertaking shady practices with regard to Apple (or any) products; I wonder whether that's really part of the picture.

Whatever the reason, this is bad for all of us buying Apple gear in Japan. The retailers typically offer a small price discount below Apple's prices, or points that equate to a nice discount, or both. As someone mentioned, some of the chains will also offer their own in-house warranty service, which can be another great benefit. If we have to now buy only from Apple, that equates to an effective price hike!

Further, Apple stores are hardly in every town or neighborhood. Take Apple products out of the big retailers, and typical buyers will never get a chance to even see Apple gear!

I'll hold off on calling this dumb until I know more. But it's very curious. \