Apple resellers in Australia are becoming “increasingly disgruntled with the product expansion and aggressive pricing” of the online Apple store, according to an ARNnet article.
The article says there’s a level playing field for hardware, but that there are “discrepancies” in the pricing of some third-party software and peripherals. ARN says that some resellers they contacted have noticed a “significant increase” in the number of third-party products carried by Apple Store.
“Apple shouldn’t be competing directly because it makes the dealer channel weaker,” said Next Byte director Adam Steinhardt. “They talk about resellers adding value but the margin on software is important to us and it is being eradicated.”
David Vanderkley, general manager of Apple Centre Broadway, added that some items advertised at Apple’s online store touted cheaper prices than he could buy them from the vendor. Arno Lenior, Apple marketing manager, acknowledged that resellers were unhappy with some pricing on Apple Store.
“We look to work with our resellers and will take their views on board,” said Lenior. “We are not in this business to put our resellers out of business. We are effectively a channel organization and want to work with our resellers to broaden the Mac market.”