CompUSA Watch Page
Apple/CompUSA Watch!
Special thanks to reader David Inman for supplying the revised tables.
Last Updated: January 7, 1998
Apple Computer and the computer superstore, CompUSA, announced a deal on November 4th to improve the Mac section in CompUSA stores across the USA. The deal called for CompUSA to install an Apple-specific section, a store within a store, plus staff the area with Apple-trained employees. Check out the QuickTimeVR "photos" of the first Apple store in the Pleasanton, CA, CompUSA-- now that's a Mac section! The plan is to put up these Apple stores in 40 key markets prior to the upcoming holiday season and to complete the installations nationwide in 3-5 months.
For the week of November 17-23, readers wrote Macs Only! about the deplorable conditions of their local CompUSA's Mac displays and lack of employee interest/knowledge of Macs. A few wrote to say that their CompUSA stores were already pretty Mac-Friendly. Several wrote to mention that the Apple store sections were under construction.
Table 1. is an index by state linked to cities in Table 2. Table 2. lists the CompUSA stores and compiles their status in becoming Mac-Friendly as described by Macs Only!'s readers (no other representation is implied). The first column in Table 2. has been changed (11/30/97) to indicate those CompUSA's on the first-40 market list (55 stores) for Apple stores--an asterisk indicates reader confirmation that the Apple store construction has actually started and a double asterisk indicates that readers thought the store was Mac-Friendly even before the Apple store. A "~" means conflicting positive and negative reports or a serious deficiency noted in the report.
Here's CompUSA's graphic map showing all stores and those on the "First-40" list.
| Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas |
| California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware |
| District Of Columbia | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii |
| Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa |
| Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine |
| Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota |
| Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska |
| Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico |
| New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island |
| South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas |
| Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington |
| West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming |
*Apple store construction started according to reader.
**Described by reader as Mac-Friendly even prior to Apple store.
The table will be updated as reports are received from readers. Please email me with additions and updates.
Readers also consistently mentioned the following superstores/chains as already being Mac-Friendly: MicroCenter, Fry's Electronics and Creative Computers. Computer City got mixed comments--those with which I am familiar are marginal at best.
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