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Best Buy to double number of stores selling Apple's Mac line

Leading U.S. electronics specialty retailer Best Buy said this week it plans to increase the number of stores carrying Apple Inc.'s Mac computer line twofold in the next several weeks, signaling robust demand for the Windows PC alternatives in the broader consumer market.

The comments came courtesy of Best Buy executives who held a session at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where researchers from investment bank UBS were in attendance.

Following the meeting, analyst Ben Reitzes relayed a note to clients explaining that the executives were "very upbeat" about their ongoing relationship with Apple, adding that 500 of the company's 900 electronics stores could be selling Macs come the end of February.

The plan would effectively double the number of Best Buy stores carrying Apple's computer line at the end of 2007, where rough figures placed a healthy array of Macs in approximate 230 to 270 locations.

"Even with prospects for a slowing economy, we believe Mac demand can keep going strong given new products," Reitzes wrote in his note to clients. "The key question into Apple’s earnings is whether Best Buy and new Mac products can help drive upside while iPod demand seems more seasonal."

The analyst added that he expects several new Macs and consumer electronics products to arrive next Tuesday as part of the company's Macworld announcements, including an ultra-portable device, iPhone improvements, and a movie rental service.

Reitzes maintains a Buy rating on shares of Apple with a 12-month price target of $235 per share.



29 Comments

acknight 18 Years · 26 comments

Did they provide any sort of indication as to where those stores would be?

Currently, nearest to me is Albany. Shoot, my closest full size Apple store is closer than that (Rochester) - and we have a mini store in the same mall as the larger Best Buy here. Given we're about to have our third Best Buy store here... couldn't we have an Apple dept. in _one_ of them?

sherman homan 19 Years · 167 comments

Definitely happening in the Boston area. The spaces are too small and there isn't anyone who knows what they are talking about, but they are showing up.

solipsism 19 Years · 25701 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by acknight

Did they provide any sort of indication as to where those stores would be?

Currently, nearest to me is Albany. Shoot, my closest full size Apple store is closer than that (Rochester) - and we have a mini store in the same mall as the larger Best Buy here. Given we're about to have our third Best Buy store here... couldn't we have an Apple dept. in _one_ of them?

According to the article, the odds are you will given the number of Best Buys near you.

royboy 19 Years · 453 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by solipsism

According to the article, the odds are you will given the number of Best Buys near you.

Let's hope that Best Buy is doing a better job of displaying and trying to sell Macs than the 2 Best Buy stores I've been in Tampa, Florida, USA. There was no one to talk to about the Macs and 1/2 of the Macs on display where inoperative: mouse froze up or not connected properly. CompUSA did a much better job than what I have seen at Best Buy so far. Of course, I have an Apple Store nearby, so there is no problem for me, but I'm sure potential buyers are being turned off from Macs by what I've seen in Best Buy so far.

solipsism 19 Years · 25701 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Royboy

Let's hope that Best Buy is doing a better job of displaying and trying to sell Macs than the 2 Best Buy stores I've been in Tampa, Florida, USA. There was no one to talk to about the Macs and 1/2 of the Macs on display where inoperative: mouse froze up or not connected properly. CompUSA did a much better job than what I have seen at Best Buy so far. Of course, I have an Apple Store nearby, so there is no problem for me, but I'm sure potential buyers are being turned off from Macs by what I've seen in Best Buy so far.

I haven't seen Best Buy's Apple kiosk but I do recall that CompUSA's Apple section did not have new hardware for at least several weeks after they were available online and in bona fide Apple Stores. I wonder if Best Buy will suffer the sam fate of carrying outdated merchandise.