Anthony Frausto-Robledo, B.Arch. (afrausto@architosh.com)

2 Dec 00

Editorial: QuickTime and Apple's Retail Strategy - Pg 2

Continued from...

Let's take it a bit further...for shits and giggles sake.

Apple's website is entirely different than Dell's or Gateways. Isn't it? We all know that Apple has content, fun content that people like to check out. Some check it out everyday. No other hardware manufacture has something like QuickTime which gives Apple a unique ability at the retail level.

QuickTime is something Apple is trying to figure out how to turn into a future revenue generator. Apple has the ins with the media and Hollywood, both of which have a mistrust of Gates' streaming future plans. What if Apple went after distribution of content as a revenue generator?

Who Could Apple Partner With?

Apple has the rich media technology. All it needs is a new distribution technique coupled with premium content partners. Who could they be? First off, there is Pixar and Disney. Second, Apple could partner with someone like Sony, a company who is at direct odds with Microsoft at both the content and distribution levels.

Apple could be very successful with such a strategy in highly pedestrian locations. Ideal locations include busy urban areas (especially in cities with large tourism) near other media and entertainment sources (bookstores, theaters, concert halls, art galleries, hotel conference centers, and malls). In more suburban areas Apple could target malls, shopping centers and locations near colleges and high schools.

Apple's Brand Means Media and Devices

There are a lot of comments floating on the Web about the future Apple Stores. Here are some I like that mutually support my vision of Apple Mediaplex Showrooms.

The NikeTown model. Yes, Apple is interested in building a shrine to Macintosh, where people can understand the company from Apple employees and ooh and ahh over the latest Apple creations. Creating media events around QuickTime literally gets people nearer the actual stuff Apple wants them to understand and buy.

Great Design Deserves Great Design. That is, Apple's retail strategy would be as beautifully done as the products themselves. In other words, you would be drawn to the store almost as much as to the products! Why show off the Cube in a dump? Apple is Design with a capital D.

Apple Mediaplex/Showrooms could also host Apple User groups, which populate the facility as well provide educational events. This doesn't necessarily compete or dilute the role of Apple Business Centers which are geared toward the existing professional Mac user community.

So how does Apple get people into these new retail outlets? And why do they not compete with the existing retail channel but instead supplement it? QuickTime could very well be at the center of that answer.