They're lining up for iMac
"Anybody who puts $250 down on an item they haven't seen yet is a true believer," Earle Swede, manager of a CompUSA store in San Francisco. CompUSA (NYSE:CPU) last weekend began a pre-booking deal, where people who pay $250 toward a $1,299 iMac get an $800 coupon book.
The book is full of discounts on Mac-compatible products, including Adobe PageMaker 6.5 and an Iomega Zip drive. Some CompUSA stores have recorded as many as 20 orders per day since the plan began last weekend, but the number, on average, is much lower at most stores.
CompUSA in San Francisco hopes to have more than 100 iMacs in the store on Saturday, Aug. 15, but it all depends on the pre-booking numbers. Right now, official plans are to open the store early Saturday morning to greet iMac fans.
CompUSA workers said they wouldn't be surprised if the store eventually decided to open after midnight the night before the release, as it did for the Windows 98 launch last month.
Plans for iMac release activities haven't been finalized at CompUSA, but Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) officials are planning to be on hand to demonstrate the computer. Some stores could receive an early version to put in front of users the day before the release, but they aren't guaranteeing it.
Just want to touch it
Software developer Robert Lum, who's considering buying an iMac, said that's what it would take to seal his purchase of the translucent consumer machine.
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"Pre-booking is nice, but I'd like to make sure it meets my expectations," said Lum, who was wandering through the CompUSA. "It would be nice to be able to experience it, touch it."
Instead, customers will have to take their cues from posters and computer screens throughout the store that feature pictures of the iMac. Apple is hoping to reclaim its position in the consumer market with the green, gumdrop-shaped machine.
Tom Santos, manager of Macadam Computers in San Francisco, said he's pre-booked 25 of the computers, though visitors to the store aren't required to put down any money. He said the machines might be hard to get after the initial release because after three weeks, Apple will turn its focus to serving educators during the back-to-school rush.
"What you'll see is it'll be there, then drop off, then come back," he said.
New to pre-booking
Apple has had trouble delivering some products, including the newly released G3 notebooks, but is trying to alleviate the problem in part by pre-booking, which allows the company to gauge interest in the product.
Though common in the software industry, it's rare for companies to unveil and pre-book computers before they're available in stores. "This is more like a software upgrade," Santo said.
Apple is making it easy for users to find an iMac dealer near them. An interactive feature reached from the iMac image on the company's Web site lets people find resellers by entering their address. It even provides a map.