Best Buy expands Mac sales

Best Buy is planning to almost double the number of stores that sell Apple-branded goods, according to conversations held with company executives at the Computer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. UBS analysts say the brick-and-mortar retailer aims to expand its Mac sales to 500 stores in 2008, up from the current 270 outlets, according to AppleInsider.

A report surfaced in early August of 2007 that both Apple and Best Buy are planning to sell iPhones at some of the retailer's nationwide outlets within 4-6 weeks, indicating the continued success of Apple products in Best Buy stores.

The retail giant announced plans to expand its offering of Macs to 200 stores across the U.S. in early April of 2007, backing claims by industry experts that demand for Macs was indeed expanding at a rapid pace.

"Our checks suggest that Mac sales held up well in fiscal 2Q and could be poised for acceleration into the launch of Leopard this Spring (also Adobe's launch of its Creative Suite 3 should help)," UBS analyst Ben Reitzes wrote in a research note obtained by MacNN. "We note that Apple also launched a new Mac Pro today that features eight processor cores via two Intel Xeon quad-core 'Clovertown' microprocessors."

The analyst also correctly predicted that additional new Mac products would expand relationships with Best Buy.

by MacNN Staff