News - Argos trials new stores, replacing catalogues with iPads

[HEXUS]

There will be six of these new ‘digital concept stores’, four of which will be in London.

Read more.

[kingpotnoodle]

Are they actually iPads encased in those terminals? Seems like an odd (i.e marketing driven) choice, why install a whole iPad with all it's rather unnecessary elements that leave it open to enterprising people to exploit it and get it off the in-store app that would be running... same as we all do in Currys with the demo laptops...

[Brewster0101]

Yeah, I don't get the Ipad thing - why not use bigger and cheaper touch screen computers that are linked over a network - oh wait they do that already.

[AlexKitch]

Also confused about the obsession with iPads for this kind of thing.

Surely there has to be a cheaper alternative to achieving the same thing. iPads aren't the solution to everything.

[Bagnaj97]

Did they learn nothing from people stealing their pens?!

[wasabi]

Trendy marketing director made the decision - ergo had to be iPads.

[Jonj1611]

The "new" Argos store looks like an Apple store

[Percy1983]

The "new" Argos store looks like an Apple store

Just what I thought.

Thats me less likely to go in then.

[miniyazz]

Lol - overpriced, overcomplex Apple equipment for simple task - check. Tablets, designed and intended to be lightweight and portable, fixed to desks - check.

Argos fail.

[LSG501]

Yeah, talk about stupidity.... lets use an apple product, it's not like we can't source/make our touchscreen devices instead....

http://hexus.net/mobile/news/tablets/61241-argos-launches-99-mytablet-available-tomorrow/

Note: I'm also fed up with the 'got to have ipad' for interfaces like these, theres plenty of other options

[Brian224]

iPads - that doesn't seem to be the way to show their confidence in their own Android tablet.

[OilSheikh]

Have they made too much recently to throw it around like that ?

[peterb]

^ this. An iPad is an iPad is an iPad. No problems with different drivers or modified code for different hardware or changes of hardware or optimising code for a specific piece of hardware. Each one is consistent - day in day out.

And I'd guess the price Argos (or their EPOS supplier) pays in bulk is considerably less than the price an individual would pay.

And I'd also doubt that Argos made the decision on a whim - it would have been researched to find the best solution for the business need, taking into account total cost of ownership including system through-life support costs.

[LSG501]

Have they made too much recently to throw it around like that ?

I'd say this is the beginning of a 'paperless' argos, buying a few tablets per store is likely cheaper than printing the hundreds of thousand catalogues they need.

[deejayburnout]

I'd say this is the beginning of a 'paperless' argos, buying a few tablets per store is likely cheaper than printing the hundreds of thousand catalogues they need.

And what about all the people who like to take a catalogue home and look at it there.

I cannot see my 72 year old aunt liking that. She doesnt even know what the Internet is never mind an ipad.

[peterb]

And what about all the people who like to take a catalogue home and look at it there.

I cannot see my 72 year old aunt liking that. She doesnt even know what the Internet is never mind an ipad.

That doesn't preclude Argos from producing a catalogue, although the quantity will reduce. Argos have a web site anyway. But catalogues will decline in time, lets face it, you can't get an Amazon catalogue.