Apple and CompUSA Working on 'Software on Demand' 108
pimpbott writes "Apple is working with SoftwareToGo to install kiosks in CompUSA stores to deliver software on demand. Imagine walking into your local CompUSA and ordering some obscure title that nobody would ordinarily stock, paying for it, and walking out with a custom-burned CD-ROM. This not only gets more titles published and available to the public at large by reducing the need for expensive shelf space and other publishing costs, but it keeps embarassingly large, mostly empty software boxes from ending up in the landfill."
manuals? (Score:3, Insightful)
Not a bad idea, but what about documentation? (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course, that might just be the "price" you pay for access to the specific software that you want.
Re:What does it offer over downloads? (Score:3, Insightful)
A great idea particularly on the Mac side (Score:5, Insightful)
Part of this is how the Mac market works. There are proportionally fewer titles to PCs, but then, only a handful of titles are required for general applications, and the quality of Macintosh titles are stronger, in my opinion, because that smaller market is agressively competitive. Mac users can't tolerate crappy apps. And, frankly, how many word processors, screensavers, photo galleries, and diagnostic tools does one really need?
The other problem is mindshare on the part of a retailer. Space is precious, and you don't want to use lots of space on titles that move slowly. In an Apple Store, the most common and popular apps are displayed. Need a copy of CADMover? You'll need to go to mail-order or call the vendor. Photoshop plug-ins? Pre-flight software? SOL if go to the store.
On-demand CDs is an excellent idea for these situations. In fact, since all Macs sold today come with DVD-ROM ability, you can pack many apps on a single disk. The idea helps the sales and throughput of the scrappy but innovative businesses with fine products, and eases the retailer's space burden while still selling product. More importantly, you, the consumer, get what you need. Wins all around.
Possible problems? Bad media, as you could have with any software purchase. This idea also doesn't help products with a hardware element, such as the EyeTV PVR.
Re:What does it offer over downloads? (Score:5, Insightful)
Besides, I have a cable modem and it would still take me less time to go to CompUSA, wait for a CD to burn, and go home than it would for me to download the image.
Realistically... (Score:5, Insightful)
And most good software for the Mac comes from Shareware and Freeware developers,and I'd bet, though I couldn't verify, that the average size of those files isn't much more than 20MB.
Otherwise, with the exception of other bloated (usually for the best) by Adobe and Microsoft (which you usually order with your computer anyway) there isn't much that anyone can't download overnight on almost any connecntion, and, as someone pointed out, those times have been dropping because of the proliferation of broadband.
I think it's a neat idea but totally unecessary. Finding Mac software is very hard, especially in non-urban areas (the Circuit City didn't have a single Mac app, except, by chance, the old Diablo which was released in the same box for both OS's), but demand just isn't there for kiosks, especially not at CompuServ.
Apple would be better off having offered a super-secure, super-reliable server to download software from, instead of asking people to drive an hour to get what they could download in that time.
The underdog has to innovate (Score:5, Insightful)
If this takes off, Macintosh owners will gain access to more software. CompUSA will be able to stock more titles for less space with no hassle with moving physical boxes around.
Not only that, PC shoppers might take a look at the Apple equipment and ask, 'what about software?' Then they can browse the listings at the kiosk and see what's available.
Apple faces significant pressure on many fronts in today's marketplace, but it's nice to see them trying new things. In fact, in their position, they must.
How will you browse? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Not a bad idea, but what about documentation? (Score:2, Insightful)
This legitimizes the downloads (Score:4, Insightful)
The possibility of embedding registration numbers and the like on the CD is there, of course, and is probably part of the system.
All in all, given the fact that many people still can't download truly huge CD images from home, this seems like a promising idea.
copy protection to publisher, security to buyer (Score:5, Insightful)
1) lower cost of market entry: It offers a way for an obscure title to become discovered and expand without having to be ready for a major distribution market. yet still make some money and have professional distribution even when its small.
2) If they print your disk for you they can watermark the serial number right into it. if it showed up later on the net they know you did it. heck maybe they could just make your visa card number part of the activation code.
3) plus they could embed all sort of copy protection into it as any physical disk publisher can do.
4) Sure dilligent thieves could subvert this but if they are stocking rare titles theres no market.
advnatages to buyer:
1) youre getting the software from a trusted source. personally I sweat over installing any software I download from an untrusted source. its the dark side of freeware => lack of responsible party.
2) proof of ownership. you own it. maybe you can even sell it to someone else if you want. or qualify for upgrades. In bussiness circles having an official hardcopy is an important part of software accountability.
3) one stop shopping and less hassle. imagine you work at a company an suddenly need some peice of software, do you want to go web surfing or just go buy it: did I get the latest version? did I get all of the parts I need to install it? did I get the documentation? do I have it all on a hard copy disk? Did it download correctly? yes you can do all of that, but its nice to be able to pay someone to do it for you.
4) if you pay for software it increaces the chance creators are likely to create more or maintain it or possibly even offer support.
Why download from CompUSA? (Score:2, Insightful)
Has anyone tried to get help in a CompUSA store? It's impossible to find somebody who knows much about anything (if anyone out there reading this works on the CompUSA sales floor, sorry. It's true, you guys have a rep for lagging). How exactly does a person who doesn't know much about computers (hence the reason they're in CompUSA in the first place) going to figure out how to work the kiosk? Who at CompUSA is going to help them?
The sad but true fact is this: People like to have something tangible to look over before they buy. That's why packaging exists in the first place. People who are not knowledgeable about downloading and installing software from home, where they should be doing it are not going to walk up to a kiosk and get the software all by themselves. Face it. Example: how often do you see people in Borders using the kiosks to look up books? Not that often. That's because people who can't look up titles for themselves will go straight to a sales person, and ask.
Download it from home. If you don't know how, then packaging is here to stay.
Re:This legitimizes the downloads (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:End-of-life issues (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't think this is likely to fly. Most programs, games especially, are not particularly future compatible. Porting software to Mac OS X is feasible with Carbon, but isn't automatic. As soon as you ask for money, you are setting up expectations that the program will actually work, not just on museum-piece hardware.
Think about how little software from the Mac OS 7 era still works on OS 9, much less OS X. There's always some glitch (doesn't work on HFS+ volumes, had some weird implementation of heirarchical menus, etc.)
If the owner of these old games hasn't seen fit to update them for the new platform, this kiosk isn't going to make that much difference in the economics. You still need to pay the developers to go over the code to eliminate bit-rot, for a market that is probably very small.
The main benefit is for retailers, who don't have to keep inventory and shelf space for lots of Mac titles, when they hardly have space for the PC titles they want to carry.
walk up to buy software at CompUSA (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:One Better (Score:2, Insightful)
Because that's where cash-in-hand customers go to spend money?
--Richard