Apple In-Store Software Burning 40
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."
First dupe complaint? (Score:4, Interesting)
Except here [slashdot.org]. Still, it's worth mentioning that it's up and there's a site to check out.
Now that everyone has pointed out that it's a dupe (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:great idea, except.. (Score:4, Interesting)
-Andrew
Re:great idea, except.. (Score:4, Interesting)
It's a damn good system, and I'm just sorry I didn't think it up and patent it before Apple/CompUSA did.
Re:Now that everyone has pointed out that it's a d (Score:1)
It's called the Internet.
(Sorry, it was just too easy. I know, I know, there are apps that are too big to realistically be downloaded by most people, and this greatly increases the number of Mac titles "on the shelf" in your average CompUSA.)
Re:Now that everyone has pointed out that it's a d (Score:1)
Re:Now that everyone has pointed out that it's a d (Score:2)
Three words: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Three words: (Score:3, Interesting)
um (Score:2, Informative)
Re:um (Score:1)
Good Software Served Fast (Score:3, Funny)
Will this include the option to biggie-size your Tonka game's liscense to, say, 100 users for just 39 cents more?
Cassettes... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Cassettes... (Score:3, Interesting)
A popular system here in the UK was EDOS [google.com] (Electronic Distribution of Software) - I remember the tapes having a skull/crossbones on them, and a handwritten label...
Mmmm.
Inferior!!! (Score:5, Funny)
How will this replace the Copy-from-store-machine-to-ipod distribution model that Apple already has in place!
Re:Inferior!!! (Score:2)
I'd like to have keynote
Re:Inferior!!! (Score:3, Interesting)
Back in '98 or so, when I was working at OfficeMax and they still sold Performas, I put the shareware screen saver Eclipse on the main Performa, and had it display screen captures of Maelstrom, Aperion, Escape Velocity, Warcraft II, and established a password. This showed off some of the fun games you could
Re:Inferior!!! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Inferior!!! (Score:2)
Re:Inferior!!! (Score:1)
Apple partners with an abusive company? (Score:3, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Apple partners with an abusive company? (Score:1)
Re:Apple partners with an abusive company? (Score:5, Insightful)
With this particular method, you end up with a lot of titles available in very little square footage (ie low cost of distribution) and if they require you to swipe a credit card before they burn the title (which would be a smart move) you quite possibly would be out of there *faster* than if you just yanked a box off the shelf and waited in line.
Abusive? Mostly just incompetent. (Score:2)
Apple's had a relationship with CompUSA for years now where CompUSA keeps a conspicuous Mac section open, so this is the natural place for something like this to happen. There's nothing new about the connection.
(And judging by a
with all the hullabaloo (Score:2, Interesting)
Specific details on Software-to-go (Score:5, Informative)
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.
What!?! (Score:2, Funny)
(Or at least that's what I initially thought it meant---silly technobable, burning is for 1337-h4x0rs.)
One problem if this catches on... (Score:1)
Games (Score:2)
If this happens, will these burn-on-demand systems offer CD copy protection? If so, which technologies? Who will pay the licensing for the copy protection tec