Radio Shack, We're Pullin' for Ya

Ah, Radio Shack... The butt of many jokes through the years.. From your hyper-need to try to sell everyone batteries, to the now-gone tradition of asking for far too much personal information to sell those batteries. Yes, the technology world hasn't been kind. And of course, there's the age-old conundrum of how you've made it this far. The few times I've entered a Radio Shack in the last few years, I was the only person in the store, and buying less than $10 in merchandise.

But it's the nature of that merchandise that makes us pull for you. Where else can an electronics tinkerer go today and leave with a resistor or capacitor? Yes, the real magic of the store has been reduced to those slide out drawers in the back corner. I remember those Radio Shack golden years of Tandy computers (Tandy 1000 was my first computer ever), and of course, the R/C Car phase, followed now by the cell phone phase. I don't know how many people put Radio Shack on their shortlist of cell phone sellers, but all of that could be about to change.

As it was announced the iPhone would be coming to Best Buy in September, reports also hint that Radio Shack could be next.

Imagine, that quiet little strip mall stalwart could become one of only four authorized channels for the iPhone. Behold, the Radio Shack resurrection could be near. Then again, there's just as good of chance that those trays of resistors and hard-to-find electronics parts are just the kind of merchandise that would disappear to make room for the iPhone and its wall of accessories.

Apple HQ hit by fire

And here you thought your MacBook ran hot! According to the San Jose Mercury News, there was a three-alarm fire at Apple's Cupertino headquarters, believed to have started under an air conditioning unit. The building was evacuated, and no one was injured.

According to the report, some Apple employees stopped to take pictures with their iPhones. No word on how many wished the phone could record video too...

Apple and AT&T keep the spoils from the little guy

Quick, what do Apple resellers and AT&T independent dealers have in common? Answer: Neither can sell the hottest product from the company with whom they've pledged their allegiance.

For years, Apple resellers have watched the constant march of Apple-owned stores into their territories. To be honest, there were/are a lot of independents that couldn't match the experience and know-how of the Apple Store. At the same time, there are/were many dealers who've devoted years cultivating a user base, and giving excellent service. Some have survived. Some, like Boston's Tek Serve have watched Apple move in literally next door.

Next, you have AT&T. From day one, the iPhone has only been available from Apple Stores or AT&T-owned stores. This left many AT&T resellers in the dark, and probably with a bad taste in their mouthes. Imagine you're an independent business owners, allied with AT&T. Each day customers ask you about the iPhone. You don't have any to sell, and any positive remarks will result in a sale for someone else. This puts these owners in the awkward position of either painting the product in a negative light, in hopes of remaining in business, or to be honest with the customer regarding the features the iPhone, and risk losing their business.

The line from Apple and AT&T has been that they need to be cautious of unlocked phones being sold. Why one model of phone is the only one to rise to this level of concern by AT&T is questionable. Sure, it's in high demand, but it's still a tiny part of AT&T's overall phone sales. If unlocking was the real concern, why sell any phones through third parties at all?

Today comes word that Best Buy will sell the iPhone starting in September. The phone will be available in all Best Buy locations within AT&T service areas. You'll recall this is the same Best Buy that's on year three of rolling out Apple computers in less than half of their locations so far.

The bottom line is, Apple/AT&T want to control as much of the pipeline as possible, from the iTunes app store as the sole source of applications, to the shutout of resellers and independent dealers, while working with Best Buy, a company with no loyalties to either company: Rest assured that if Verizon had a phone far superior to the iPhone, Best Buy would try for that exclusive as well. Why not make the distribution as wide as possible? Both Apple resellers, and independent AT&T dealers should be able to carry the full product line. Imagine going car shopping, let's say for a Ford Mustang, and having your local dealer tell you that model is only available from a Ford-owned dealership. (which as I understand it, doesn't exist. Hmmm.) Of course given the economics of the car industry right now, it might not serve as the best example. Still, it seems if you can reward loyalty and expand your distribution points, that's the most logical thing to do.

August Apple Fantasy Merger: iRobot

(Each month we weigh the pros and cons of a particular potential merger for Apple. Please note the "fantasy" part of this speculation: Many times the mergers mentioned couldn't or wouldn't be realistically possible. But put all that aside and enjoy this month's edition of Fantasy Merger.)

We've tackled some of the biggest potential Apple fantasy mergers in previous months, including Adobe, Google, Comcast, and Nintendo.

This month we're thinking somewhat smaller: iRobot. Clearly, Apple is the leader in digital downloads, and now with the iPhone and it's apps, you can start controlling your life from your phone: iTunes remote, VNC into other computers, email, etc. But what about the physical world around you? What if, beyond supporting third party software, Apple got into the home automation business? Or more specifically, the home automation hardware business? Yes, the Jetsons future we were all promised, would finally be here. iRobot has done the hard work of designing and marketing the most successful home "robot" to date, the Roomba. Additionally, they've expanded to other consumer models for gutter cleaning and pool cleaning. If these technologies will ever truly take off (which is arguable) it will take the marketing sizzle of an established, stylish, company. Enter Apple. Using wifi networks, Apple could coordinate home automation for TVs, kitchen appliances, heating, cooling and more. And yes, it would seem like this merger would be far from Apple's core values. At the same time, if home automation does finally catch on, doesn't one company, offering a total end-to-end solution, and already known for its ease of use, stand the best chance of making it a reality?

AT&T Customers can't buy iPhone at Apple Until Sunday BREAKING NEWS

UPDATE: The graphic overlay above seems to only show up on the Philadelphia-area store sites (Suburban Square, Lehigh Valley, and King of Prussia) at this time. Check with your local store if you're headed out to buy an iPhone, and you're an AT&T customer already...

You heard it here first. Heading over to the Apple iPhone page reveals a banner over the store picture as seen above, indicating that due to AT&T billing system updates, they will be unable to upgrade existing AT&T customers to a new iPhone until Sunday at noon.

Quite a bummer if you planned on picking one up this weekend, and it seems like precious little heads up for both customers and the stores.

It better be one heck of an update.. What would only affect the billing system at Apple stores... Hmm.. Speculate away...