Test Drive a Mac Mini
Cameron passed on that Apple is allowing people to take Mac Mini's home for a test drive with a 30 day guarantee...
We’re so confident you’ll love your new Mac mini, we’ll let you test drive it for 30 days with no risk. If you decide you don’t want it, we’ll take it back. Here’s how the test drive works:
- Purchase a new Mac mini from the Apple Store online. You can also get an Apple keyboard and mouse, such as our new Mighty Mouse.
- Set it up and start enjoying it.
- If you don't love it, call us within 30 days of your order and we'll arrange for you to return your system — including the Apple keyboard and mouse — for a full refund.
Offer ends October 31st, and I find it a little strange this is only available online, but honestly find the whole thing strange in general. I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad idea in terms of pushing sales, but it kind of smacks of "You weren't buying it sight unseen, but maybe if we let you try it first..."
Pretty sure a luxury car maker was trying this not long ago, and its giving me informercial flashbacks where they're always going on about sending back their whatchamajig if you aren't happy with it in 30 days, while counting on most people being too apathetic to bother jumping through the hoops you just know they'll make you go through if you try.
For Apple's sake, I hope I'm the only one that remembers the late-night Apple informercials which occurred (I believe) towards the end of the Amelio years. *Kicks the Amelio years*
Anywho, it makes me wonder if Mac Mini sales may not be keeping up since the early adopters and Mac faithful filled their plate, and Apple needs to bump the CPU unit shipment numbers for the quarter...
Posted by drunkenbatmanAugust 31, 2005, at 02:34 AM
Comments (20)
Posted by: Beat Bolli at August 31, 2005 05:09 AM
Just a grammatical question: Isn't the word written "anyhow"? You consistently write "anywho", but this might as well be some in-joke which I as non-native speaker don't get!?
Posted by: Nathan at August 31, 2005 05:44 AM
"Anywho" is a distinct variation of "anyhow", although it is spelled "anyhoo" (which also has the benefit of more clearly showing its etymological roots). The use of the softer "oo" sound instead of the hard "oh" allows the last syllable to be drawn out, which is useful as it is solely used as a transitional phrase indicating the closure of a topic of discussion (cf. the conversational usage of "anyway").
Posted by: Patrick Weber at August 31, 2005 08:35 AM
lol, I was ready to sign up for this, but my parents stopped me before I could continue :'(. They claim that I won't want to ship it back. Which actually, they are correct in that manner..
Posted by: Ankalon at August 31, 2005 09:11 AM
Apple infomercials? Sounds like their marketing division has done a 180, or at least contracted to better people.
Posted by: cameron aka desk003 at August 31, 2005 09:21 AM
I'm not sure if I'm gonna try to take advantage of this or not. Personally I don't have the $$$ to order one, because I just bought my iBook right after they were updated. However my parents could loan me the money. Wonder how hard it'd be to send it back.
Posted by: Tomas at August 31, 2005 09:52 AM
I find it an excellent idea, even if it's because their sales haven't held up as expected. There are many people that wouldn't dare touch a Mac, much less use if for 30 days. It's impressive what FUD can do. If Apple gets 50% of the people that go with this promotion to say "yeah, Macs are cool although my Mom couldn't pony up the $500", then the word of mouth will help.
Posted by: Oliver at August 31, 2005 10:03 AM
Is this deal only for U.S. residents. I don't anything mentioned about that on the page, but apple's best deals are usually US-only...
Posted by: Twist at August 31, 2005 10:51 AM
Lets hope that Apple goes the employee pricing route as well before this is over because their employees get some pretty nice deals at times. I actually got my iBook through the employee quarterly discount program on old stock and it saved me about $300. Of course I know this won't happen but it is nice to dream.
Posted by: robert at August 31, 2005 11:26 AM
SJ "Nice ride..."
SD "Thank you Sizzle Jizzle, Apple came up on beaucoup awards"
...And the Mac Mini runs as cool as the D-O-Double Jizzle...
...And I got the hookup nephew fo-sho...
SJ "you know I'm not sure what you just said, but I think everyone can get a free Mac Mini online"
SD "Fo-shizzle? Sizzle-Jizzle?"
SJ "You know what they say..."
SD "When the Reality Distortion Field is on high, then you must buy..."
SJ "Couldn't have said it better myself..."
DB-"please god, shoot me now..."
Posted by: Depretentionizer at August 31, 2005 12:04 PM
What Nathan means to say is, "Anywho is slang for anyway."
Posted by: Jason Swain at August 31, 2005 01:28 PM
The original 128k Mac had a Test Drive program too, so Apple has been doing this for a long time. They would pack up the Mac in it's travel bag complete with a "Test Drive a Macintosh" luggage tag.
Posted by: Jem at August 31, 2005 03:13 PM
Hah I remember those commercials but also don't remember the brand. You didn't have to buy the car first, you signed paperwork in case something happened and had to turn it within a few days. If you still wanted it then you could buy it. I'm sure the paperwork made sure you could afford to buy it in the first place. :)
Posted by: at August 31, 2005 03:18 PM
"For Apple's sake, I hope I'm the only one that remembers the late-night Apple informercials which occurred (I believe) towards the end of the Amelio years. *Kicks the Amelio years*"
No way, link?
Posted by: dirkstoop at August 31, 2005 05:12 PM
Posted by: Jason Swain at August 31, 2005 01:28 PM
The original 128k Mac had a Test Drive program too, so Apple has been doing this for a long time. They would pack up the Mac in it's travel bag complete with a "Test Drive a Macintosh" luggage tag.
As I recall, that program was an immense failure and cost Apple incredible amounts of money, mostly because lots of people returned their test-drive Macs in an abominable state.
(well recalling is a big word, since I was 5 years old at the time, but hey, I've read a lot about it)
They learned one thing from the past: the original "Test Drive a Macintosh" program was also not 'as big a succes as it could have been' because most of Apple's resellers refused to take part in it as they wouldn't be able to handle all of the extra hassle in having a bunch of 30-day old Macs returned. It's probably a good thing that it's only possible through their online store even thought lots of resellers will complain about unfair competition from the Apple Store again.
I can only imagine how terrible it will be to deal with the customers that decide they have the right to return it on the 35th day, or to return it in a plastic bag after abusing it thoroughly. *gasp* (I'm very, very glad this is Apple Store only and US only and am planning on becoming religious so that I can pray it will stay that way)
This is not a good way to stimulate sales, this is not a good way to create happy customers and if there's a high response to this, it's also a terrible way to increase the workload for all of the support and repair staff in the US.
The only good thing that will come from this is that there might be some extra chances to buy a refurb Mac Mini somewhere for a nice price reduction. That *will* draw some potential customers over the line.
The question is: Why don't they just cut prices ?
----sorry for the rant, bad day i guess :)
Posted by: Squozen at August 31, 2005 06:17 PM
Yup, the comments on this thread alone are enough of a reason not to do it. Ordering one with the intention to return it after 30 days is ridiculous.
Posted by: Fetcher at August 31, 2005 07:54 PM
Apple did this with the original iMac too. Towards the end of its life the advertisements had Jeff Goldbloom saying you could own a Mac for the cost of three pizzas a month. Apple could just be trying to squeeze more out of this line before they have to update it?
Posted by: shane at August 31, 2005 08:46 PM
I think this is an excellent idea. As someone who is surrounded by MS bigots, I often defend my stance of "there is a better way" by telling people to take my powerbook home for the weekend to try for themselves. That I am well versed in Windows and still convicted enough to allow my personal laptop to leave my sight is often argument enough, and most simply take my word for it and maintain their present course, those who have taken me up on the offer have all bought Macs of their own.
Now I'm not talking about the fence-riders who were likely going to make the switch eventually. These people had no prior exposure to Macs or OS X before running into me at the office. In the last year alone I have seen at least a dozen coworkers make the switch and at least half of them either took mine home, or had one of my comparitive demos.
Anyways, I plan to send this offer to a few dozen people and I hope they do it. "One PC at a time" I always say.
Too bad they won't do this sort of thing for servers. I know for a fact we would get more for our money where I work if we made the switch on the middle-tier.
Posted by: Wes McGee at August 31, 2005 10:12 PM
And Apple cancels the promotion the next day!
Posted by: at September 5, 2005 06:09 AM
does this thing fucking work
it was General Motors that did the test-drive thing. they're certainly creative with promotions — first that, and now their 'Employee Discount for Everyone' deal.