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Apple In-Store Software Burning
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."
Except here. Still, it's worth mentioning that it's up and there's a site to check out.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
... we can get on with the discussion. I missed the first article, so I get to comment on this one, and my comment is this:
:)
Potentially a great way for small-time developers to get their software to the masses. It reduces or even totally eliminates the need for a publisher. There are no upfront costs, you just pay a portion of your sale to Apple / CompUSA.
Daddy like.
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
-Marilyn Manson
Music from Universal
Mmmmm. Software To Go! Can I get fries with that?
Will this include the option to biggie-size your Tonka game's liscense to, say, 100 users for just 39 cents more?
How are you going to keep them down on the farm once they've seen Karl Hungus?
As compared to? Have you looked into getting placed on a shelf instead? I guess you'll make a lesser percentage than if you took direct orders on your website - but people don't go to your website like they do CompUSA.
-Andrew
I remember they used to do this kind of thing with Data Cassettes back when the C64 et al were popular. Ah.... memories....
What!
How will this replace the Copy-from-store-machine-to-ipod distribution model that Apple already has in place!
It's unfortunate that Apple picked a company with whom to partner that is so aggressive toward its customers. For example, CompUSA often doesn't answer the telephone. It's usually necessary to fight to get rebates. CompUSA often advertises a sale when they have a very limited quantity available at the sale price. Does Apple want a bad reputation?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Hmmm, on the off chance that Apple actually bought Universal music, this would be a ready-made distribution channel for letting users make their own mix CDs.
A Multiplayer Strategy Game for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux
Think about it? This eliminates the overhead involved in *publishing* the software. You know.. burning onto CD, packaging, manuals (everyone loves manuals), shipping. Add to that the fact that in order to sell packaged software you have to make sure it gets *everywhere* which means that you loose publishing costs on software that doesn't get bought. I think in the end, it'll wash out to less expense for everyone involved. Publishing costs are minimized, and indeed eaten by the distributor, who gets to save on internal shipping costs and shelfspace, and there is no loss for unsold product because you make the product to order.
:)
It's a damn good system, and I'm just sorry I didn't think it up and patent it before Apple/CompUSA did.
"Times have not become more violent. They have just become more televised."
-Marilyn Manson
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.
Ahhhh! Put it out! Put it out! The software is _burning_! :)
(Or at least that's what I initially thought it meant---silly technobable, burning is for 1337-h4x0rs.)
If a man's character is to be abused there's nobody like a relative to do the business. -Thackeray, William