Somewhere A Cow Is a Weeping…
From the Sign Of The Times Department: Gateway closes all of it’s Country Stores, which once numbered over 300. 2,500 workers laid off.
Buying a Wintel PC has been all about computers as (aggregrations of) commodities for years: surely no one can claim to be surprised that buyers aren’t finding a compelling reason to buy a PC from a specialty retail store as opposed to big box discounter or even a reliable screwdriver shop.
As noted on a mailing list tonight:
Isn’t it ironic that while Apple keeps opening new stores and consistently turning a profit, Gateway is losing money and closing its stores?
Apple doesn’t just sell hardware that’s interchangeable with any number of other manufacturers: they sell an integrated experience from the hardware design, software/human interface guidelines, to the customer-facing retail channel. Apparently, people are willing to pay for that level of attention to detail . . . .