History
An Apple Reseller befriended Dr. Gil Amelio, then CEO of Apple, and recommended that they form a premier reseller channel designation. Dr. Amelio assigned Paddy Wong and Loretta Flores of Apple the task of designing the program, with input from a few resellers. The original scope was fairly small, but only included resellers who mainly sold Apple products and not competitors.
Apple rolled out the Apple Specialist Program in December 1996. The program is still in place as of 2011.
Before the introduction of Apple retail stores, the Specialist resellers, typically locally owned small businesses, were primary contributors to retail sales channel and user support for the computer manufacturer among other Apple-authorized resellers and Value-added resellers.
As small businesses who had made a significant commitment to Apple and continued to have their own stake in the manufacturer's success, such companies helped end-users and small businesses understand and apply Apple's innovative technologies and solutions, assisted and fed Mac evangelism, and held Apple to a high standard of design, construction, and business practice during the lean days before Steve Jobs' return to Apple in 1997.
Specialist resellers must pass an annual comprehensive screening to be recognized and approved by Apple to retain Apple Specialist designation. One of the strict requisites is to have an exclusive compromise with Apple and don't sell competitive brands. Other ones moves the concept of small businesses, requiring them to have certain number of sq.fts of ShowRoom, and to be placed in notorious avenues, with street windows.
In 2004, members of Apple's Reseller Advisory Board formed the Apple Specialist Marketing Coop (ASMC). Since that time ASMC has grown to include over 160 members.
Read more about this topic: Apple Specialist
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