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Apple In-Store Software Burning

Posted by timothy on from the copy-kiosks-of-a-different-breed dept.

jarrettwold2002 writes "This seems to have escaped notice, however it's fairly significant. Apple has partnered up with CompUSA to offer in store electronic software distribution. According to the site it takes about four minutes from purchase to burn. It's bundled inside a dvd case, with color packaging."

3 of 40 comments (clear)

  1. um by jjshoe · · Score: 1, Informative

    umm if it went un-noticed then what's this?

    --
    -- botsex is {grep;touch;strip;unzip;head;mount} /dev/girl -t {wet;fsck;fsck;yes;yes;yes;umount} {/de
  2. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  3. Specific details on Software-to-go by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    The posts in this thread are a bit off. This isn't an Apple venture, nor is it
    a Compusa venture. Software-to-go is an independent company that has
    struck a deal to put these kiosks in Compusa stores. They've brought Apple
    in on it to help get more products available in the system. We're going to use
    them, it's actually very nice (Software-to-go sent me a sample).

    Depending on the size of the store, the plan is to have a couple kiosks in
    the PC section and one in the Mac section of each Compusa. The customer
    browses the kiosk, picks a product they would like to purchase and out pops
    a receipt. When they go to the checkout and pay for the item, one of several
    output stations cuts a CD, prints it with graphics and also prints out a cover
    insert and an internal insert. The attendee assembles the pieces into a
    standard DVD-type package and gives it to the customer. That's supposed
    to take less than 5 minutes. If demand is high enough, they will install more
    cutting stations in the store. The developer delivers a CD image to Software-
    to-go and they turn it into a disk image in their format.

    The system handles Win, Mac, and Linux software, there's really no dependance
    on platform. I can't disclose pricing because of NDA but you can contact softwaretogo.com
    to get details. They seem very nice and quite competent. It's a well thought
    out system and it's got a good chance of doing well. It's a great way of
    getting a boxed version of software from small developers into the hands
    of Compusa customers, which in the past has been all but impossible unless
    you belong to the publisher oligarchy.

    And forget about downloading music products via this system. It's not what
    they are concentrating on right now. Maybe if this takes off, we'll see it in
    the future. Again, this project has little to to with Apple specifically.