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Ärende: ComputerRentals.com announces record Q2 sales based on high demand for 
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From: /m <mike@barkto.com>


http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/10013/

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Computer & AV Solutions, a leading privately-held technology rental company,
has announced record-setting Q2 rental sales based on phenomenal demand for Mac
OS-based computers. Hot on the heels of a very strong first Quarter, overall
Mac earnings in the Second Quarter saw a jump of 121.3%. Rentals of existing
PowerMac models increased by 348.7%. These sales figures are the largest
Quarter over Quarter increase since ComputerRentals.com started to offer Apple
Macintosh computers in 1989.

ComputerRentals.com has been able to leverage demand generated by Apple
Computer advertising by creatively approaching the existing Mac user base
looking for more horsepower and the Windows customers thinking about changing
computing platforms. “Apple Computer has cornered the market on innovative and
eye-catching advertising,ö Said ComputerRentals.com CEO Cuyler Tremayne in the
press release. “The ‘I’m a Mac- I’m a PC’ campaign has captured everyone’s
attention. We’re seeing strong Mac interest from the elusive enterprise market.
Several of our high profile clients have been investigating migrating entire
departments to Apple technology. This new demand is helping to drive our
growth.ö

Demand was seen across all sectors but a successful marketing campaign
emphasizing solutions designed for the Creative Professional and targeted on
Mac OS community websites was instrumental in increasing rental sales among
first time Mac renters. Starting in May 2006, the new marketing campaign
increased traffic to the ComputerRentals.com website by 300% over the previous
two months. Website page views increased by over 400%. The highly targeted
internet advertising received over 35 million impressions in the 30 day period
ending in June, 2006.

Rental packages were designed to attract users of the wildly popular desktop
video editing software Final Cut Pro and priced at a low rental rate of $95 per
week for either a mobile or desktop editing station. Punctuated by
ComputerRentals.com tagline “Try Before You Buy,ö rental customers were able to
test drive systems and software before ultimately making the larger expenditure
of purchasing a new Mac.

IT Manager Scott Zeitlin has known about the benefits of ComputerRentals.com
for years. “Renting [computers] lets me put new computers on desks without
straining my budget. Several of the department heads have been asking about
using Macs to run both Mac OS X and Windows XPö referring to Apple’s Boot Camp
technology that allows new Intel-based Macs to run both operating systems. “We
can set-up several test systems and integrate them with our inventory without
having to make a massive investment. ComputerRentals.com is also great because
I also get 24/7 help with deployment, troubleshooting and help desk support.
They’re like an outsourced tech support teamö

Increased cultural demand for Macs also spurred ComputerRentals.com
Entertainment Industry clients looking for Mac ‘prop’ computers for the
television and film production. Although a very small percentage of rental
sales, the use of Apple equipment in popular entertainment is a leading
indicator for the overall marketplace. The entertainment industry has learned
that characters in movies and popular television shows can be portrayed as
smart, hip consumers by the products they use on-screen. This on-screen use of
Apple computers further reinforces the market buzz and ultimately leads to
increased sales and rentals.

Looking forward, ComputerRentals.com is eagerly anticipating the announcement
of an Intel-based replacement for the PowerMac line of desktop computers.
Although the current models are renting at a record level, the demand for more
computing horsepower is growing at a tremendous rate. “When Apple released the
MacBook Pro, the phones started ringing off the hook,ö said ComputerRentals.com
CEO Tremayne. “We couldn’t get the machines into our rental inventory fast
enough.ö The powerful laptops, based on Intel’s Core Duo technology, met the
demands of rental customers nationwide. Whether used for on-the-fly video
editing or attached to an LCD Projector for a corporate presentation, the
MacBook line of computers satisfied the most demanding mobile professionals.

Expectations for an Intel-based desktop computer from Apple are running strong.
High performance software like Aperture, Final Cut Studio, Adobe Creative Suite
and Shake require ever increasing processing strength. Tremayne continued “Our
clients are demanding workstation level performance and we can’t wait to get it
to them. We’re already seeing rental budgets getting allocated and the machine
is still months away. That kind of pent-up demand is unprecedented and very
exciting. That’s what we are all about at ComputerRentals.com, we get today’s
technology on your desk tomorrow.ö

Founded in 1980 in Los Angeles, CRE -- Computer & AV Solutions is a nationwide
leader of computer and laptop rentals, audiovisual rentals, plasma rentals and
more for corporate and special events with services throughout the U.S. and
Canada. For more information, visit http://www.computerrentals.com

MacDailyNews Take: Yes, it's a niche market. Yes, it could be just a random
anomaly. But, it could also be early evidence of something else entirely. Is
the personal computing renaissance finally dawning?
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 /m

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