Disappearing Software at Apple Stores?

John Tylko of The Different District Web site received e-mail from Al Luckow, Webmaster of the Woz.com Web site, alerting him that software is disappearing from the shelves of Apple's retail stores. Luckow also alerted Apple pioneer Steve Wozniak, who then e-mailed back his own confirming observations.

John Luckow sent this message to Tylko:

"I don't know if you have seen what Apple has recently done to their stores but it's terrible. I went to the Palo Alto (N. Calif.) store yesterday and I saw they got rid of almost all the software they had. They now only sell the Apple software products and a few other titles from Adobe, Microsoft and Intuit as well as a handful of games. All the software is now shoved to a tiny corner of the store in a bookcase. I think the lack of software choices makes the Mac platform look very weak. One of the original premises of the Apple Retail Stores was to showcase solutions for the Mac that other retailers would not display. But now Fry's Electronics probably carries more Mac titles than the Apple Stores, which is a sad thing to say since Fry's selection is pathetic. It's as if Apple just did to itself what it has complained computer stores have been doing to it for ages. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Now there is truly no place you can go to get Apple software except to "PC-centric" stores that might carry a title here and there if you are lucky.

"What did they use to fill the empty space in the store? iPod cases that you can pretty much get anywhere."

After learning of Luckow's observations, Steve Wozniak then e-mailed Luckow with his own input:

"I had recently also had a strong feeling that something was missing, something was lacking, in the Apple Stores that I visited in Palo Alto and at Valley Fair. I couldn't put my finger on it but you are right. Solutions should be found at the Apple Stores and not just what you get with the computer. It's sad for some of us Macintosh enthusiasts but I guess most of the store buyers aren't like us. Still, they should see a wide world of solutions is there for the Macintosh even if they aren't in need of them."