Tag Archives | Best Buy

Let’s Hope Best Buy Helps TiVo Sell More Boxes

Posted by Harry McCracken on July 9, 2009 at 6:00 am

TiVo Best Buy PartnershipBeloved-but-beleaguered DVR pioneer TiVo has found itself a ally: Best Buy. The two companies have struck a deal that will see TiVo boxes heavily marketed in Best Buy stores, reports Brad Stone in the New York Times. The relationship will put Napster (owned by Best Buy) on TiVo’s set-top boxes, and let Best Buy deliver information and shopping opportunities through the TiVos it sells. Best Buy also plans to build TiVo software into its house-brand TVs under the Dynex and Insignia labels.

The Times story includes one statistic which, if you like TiVo as much as I do, is alarming: Two years ago, there were 1.727 million households with TiVos, and that number has fallen to 1.6 million today. Most of the defectors have presumably left TiVo in favor of renting DVRs from their cable companies for a few bucks a month, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them did so when they upgraded their TV setups to HD and needed to replace aging standard-definition TiVo units.

As good as TiVo is, it’s a far costlier entertainment option than a cable DVR: You’ve got to both buy a box and pay Tivo a monthly fee that’s higher than cable DVRs cost. (Some of us choose to pay TiVo a sizable one-time fee rather than the monthly subscription.) I’d like to see the world look at TiVo as a premium product that’s worth the extra bucks, and perhaps the arrangement with Best Buy will result in more folks buying and loving TiVo. I know I don’t want to be part of a relentlessly dwindling cult…

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Memo Reveals Windows 7 Upgrade Details

Posted by David Worthington on June 5, 2009 at 6:48 pm

Best Buy customers who purchase PCs preloaded with Windows Vista between June 26 and Oct. 22 will receive free upgrades to Windows 7, according to a company memo obtained by Engadget.

Further, Best Buy will begin taking pre-orders on Jun. 26 for paid upgrades, according to the memo. Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade copies will cost $49.95, and Windows 7 Professional Upgrade copies will sell for $99.99. No details have been released about what full installs will cost.

“This new operating system isn’t just a “Vista that works” program–it’s a new operating system with improved productivity, functionality and creativity that uses less computer resources,” the memo read.

Windows 7 will be generally available on October 22 if European anti trust regulators do not find something objectionable in the final release. However, as first reported by Technologizer, Microsoft has a contingency plan to ship in January should it face legal scrutiny.

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Not the Way to Start Your Palm Pre Launch

Posted by Ed Oswald on May 22, 2009 at 1:28 pm

Palm PreThe Boy Genius Report claims that Best Buy will only receive about 4,250 Palm Pres for its launch on June 6–a pittance considering the retailer has at least 1,000 retail locations set to offer the device. If these initial shipment numbers are true, each store would receive four units, far less that what you’d think would be required for a successful launch. RadioShack is fairing no better–721 stores are slated to receive an average of two Pres.

It gets worse. Best Buy’s launch is supposedly scheduled to actually be in two phases: the first of which lasts about two months after the launch, and the company is specifically warning stores that replenishment may not happen once stores sell out–which they certainly will.

I’m sure hoping Sprint stores are getting much more than four devices per store. If they aren’t, I question whether the Pre is ready for prime time. Why hogtie your launch like this?

We have a request out for comment from Sprint to see if they will shed some light on the planned availability from company stores. Typically, companies will not disclose that information so we’re not holding our collective breath on that one.

If the rumors are true, it’s a shame no company can get its act together enough to both produce and market a device that can match the iPhone.

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5Words for May 20th, 2009

Posted by Harry McCracken on May 20, 2009 at 2:18 pm

5wordsBusy day for phone news…

Best Buy’s instant Pre rebate.

Unsubsidized, the Pre is $549.

Various small Google Reader tweaks.

iPhone sales double over 2008.

BlackBerries are selling well, too.

Acer to make Android phone.

Virgin America offers Wi-Fi everywhere.

Dell shows an Android netbook.

Hulu preps for UK launch.

Will Google partner with Twitter?

Pandora’s paid app is cool.

Do you drive while texting?

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Is Napster Worth Five Bucks? Is it Worth Anything?

Posted by Harry McCracken on May 18, 2009 at 5:31 pm

NapsterI’ve blogged before about subscription-based music services, an idea that the tech industry has poured millions into, and which rationally makes sense–but which has never caught on with teeming masses of consumers. Today, Napster–which is part of Best Buy these days–is trying again, with a new plan that offers unlimited streaming and five MP3 downloads a month–for $5. It’s not quite a return to the original Napster’s “pricing plan”–all the MP3s you could steal for $0 a month–but it’s a vast quantity of music for very little money.

Naspter’s closest competitor, Rhapsody, charges $12.99 a month for a similar streaming plan that doesn’t include the MP3 downloads; there’s a good chance, presmably, that it will be forced to match Napster’s price. (Both companies still charge a relatively-hefty $14.99 a month for plans that let you download unlimited music to an audio player or phone.) Apple, meanwhile, will likely continue to offer only pay-per-song downloads–and will continue to utterly dominate digital music.

I don’t know the economics behind Napster’s new pricing model, but perhaps Best Buy hopes that all those $5 subscribers will be more likely to do their buying of DRM-free downloads from Napster than from another online merchant. Or perhaps it’s just thinking about the day (coming soon!) when all those CD sections in Best Buy stores go away, and thinking that it’s worthwhile to maintain some relationship with music fans, profit or no profit.

Five bucks a month isn’t free, but it’s close enough that it pretty much removes the cost factor from the question of whether subscription music has any appeal to the masses or not. If you aren’t willing to plunk down $5, you most likely won’t be more interested at $4, $3, $2, or a buck. It’ll be fascinating to see if the new pricing makes a difference–as a lover of competition and low prices, I hope it does, but I make no predictions.

Me, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I’m still as likely to buy a CD as to download tracks. (Okay, not that embarrassed, but the time is coming when purchasing CDs will be as much of a nerdy affectation as collecting vinyl is today. I once subscribed to Napster but let my service lapse years ago; maybe now’s a good time to give it another chance.

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5Words for March 17th, 2009

Posted by Harry McCracken on March 17, 2009 at 6:53 am

5wordsHappy Saint Paddy’s day, everybody!

Sneak peek: Dell’s Adamo notebook.

Macworld’s iPhone 3.0 wish list.

Three More HTC Android phones.

Nine-hour MSI Wind netbook.

Comcast passwords exposed on Web.

Super-fast game download service.

Boxee does an iPhone remote control.

Best Buy takes on Walmart.

Rough February for Macs, iPods.

HP adds long-life batteries.

Nintendo victorious in remote lawsuit.

Vatican: Serious about the Internet.

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Economic Meltdown Fringe Benefit: Cheap Apple Products?

Posted by David Worthington on November 25, 2008 at 4:32 pm

povertysuxIn normal times, big discounts on Apple products aren’t exactly commonplace. But there’s a plethora of rumors today about markdowns on Apple gear this holiday shopping season, as evidenced by big box stores like Best Buy supposedly getting ready to slash Mac prices and Apple allegedly being willing to match anyone’s price at its retail stores.

So, I dialed up a friend who is a manager at a big Apple reseller. Resellers like my pal are able to sell Apple products for whatever price they’d like, but there is a set advertised price which (why you have to put Apple products into your Amazon shopping cart to see the price). Apple is, however, permitting rebates for its surplus last-generation products.

Best Buy may be either trying to recoup inventory costs, or it has reached a special agreement with Apple. My Apple-peddling pal tells me that he is unaware of the company making any exclusive deals with resellers.

I’m led to believe that the former scenario is true. Best Buy likely has an excess of inventory due to the economy, and it is better off with thinner profit margins than assets sitting in warehouses. If the reports are accurate, Apple would not want not want its stores to be a less attractive option for prospective buyers.

We are all feeling the recession blues, and nothing spells recession like Apple having a sale. I’m reminded of the Michael O’Harro poster that was on the wall behind the wet bar in my parents’ house when I was young, “Poverty sucks.” But there are some great deals right now, aren’t there?

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Not-So-Black Friday Preview: Best Buy

Posted by Ed Oswald on November 13, 2008 at 2:17 pm

bestbuylogoLooking for tech deals on Black Friday (which can you believe it is only two weeks away)? Technologizer will comb through all the announced deals to let you know where you should be freezing your you-know-what off on that oh so special day.

Our first stop on our journey is our friends at Best Buy. Now mind you, this is the company that said there was a “rapid, seismic drop” in its sales and called the current retail environment “the most difficult climate we’ve ever seen.” So, don’t be surprised when the leaked details of its sales are nowhere near what they have been in years past.

Among the deals we’re seeing are a 80GB PS3 with Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction and the Blu-ray title Casino Royale for $399.99 (basically, you’re getting a game and movie you’d probably not buy on your own for free), a Panasonic Viera 50″ Plasma for $899.99 (I’m guessing it is a discontinued set cause the model numbers don’t match the currently available 50″ Viera through the retailer, nor is it available through Amazon), and a Toshiba laptop for $379.99.

Nothing really crazy here, but the discounts on items don’t seem to be as great as they were in past years. You have your typical deals on CDs and DVDs, your standard discounts on video cameras, HDTVs, and peripherals, but the true deep discounted stuff is few and far between here.

Hat tip to blackfday.com for the ad, which can be seen here.

See our other Black Friday tech deal coverage by clicking here.

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