First it was CPUsed, Then it was Beam Echo,
Now when you type the word cpused in the URL bar of your browser you get...

Midtown Digital

Amazing eh?

But did they buy out Beam Echo is what I want to know?

Dave :)

"A rose by any other name..." kind of.

Bigger question is, why did you type that url in the first place?

Use whois and see who owns the domain now.

Interesting; I might have to take a look after work sometime this week...

They've got a damn good deal on a Mac Pro on their Clearance page: Apple Clearance (http://www.midtowndigital.com/Clearance.html) - $2K for a 3.2 GHz eight core Mac Pro! If I didn't own a Mac Pro already, I'd be dropping by ASAP to ask about that one.

First it was CPUsed, Then it was Beam Echo,
Now when you type the word cpused in the URL bar of your browser you get...

Midtown Digital

Amazing eh?

But did they buy out Beam Echo is what I want to know?

Dave :)

The same person who posted the "Goodbye" notice (that you pasted on to ehmac) on beamecho registered the midtown digital domain ... Jim Hoskins. So it seems like just another name and location change to me (as well as a new business registration it seems -- 1551267 Ontario Inc.)

http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/76967-beamecho-cpused-gone-out-business-3.html#post831242

Whois.net - Domain Names (http://www.whois.net/whois/midtowndigital.com)

Bigger question is, why did you type that url in the first place?

Dave was feeling nostalgic.

The Used Apple prices seem much more reasonable then CPUSED/BeamEcho.

Weren't there people waiting for stuff to pick up when BeamEcho got padlocked?


The same person who posted the "Goodbye" notice (that you pasted on to ehmac) on beamecho registered the midtown digital domain ... Jim Hoskins. So it seems like just another name and location change to me (as well as a new business registration it seems -- 1551267 Ontario Inc.)

http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/76967-beamecho-cpused-gone-out-business-3.html#post831242

Whois.net - Domain Names (http://www.whois.net/whois/midtowndigital.com)

its probably same owners... different corporation..
How many times have I seen a sign up in a restaurant, that reads under new management or grand re-opening to server you once again.. LOL
if looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it
is a duck... :)

don't you love big business and corporations..They come and go as they please... that is the freedom of capitalistic country we live in.

The Used Apple prices seem much more reasonable then CPUSED/BeamEcho.

Yeah, lower than Apple refurb for a change!!

This place isn't far off my beaten path, so unless anyone beats me to it, I'll poke my head in there to see if it's just a temporary clearance centre. The name alone doesn't fill me with any confidence.

The Used Apple prices seem much more reasonable then CPUSED/BeamEcho.

keep in mind the whole used mac market has taken a hit since the last round of machines and pricing was released...

its hard for *anyone* to sell a plastic 2.2 macbook for $900 or so like you used to when you can get a plastic unibody 2.26 that is WAY faster, has faster RAM, a battery that lasts twice as long and a screen that is like 4 billion times better for $1099

its hard for *anyone* to sell a plastic 2.2 macbook for $900 or so like you used to when you can get a plastic unibody 2.26 that is WAY faster, has faster RAM, a battery that lasts twice as long and a screen that is like 4 billion times better for $1099

I still comb the craigslist ads for a reasonably priced early MacBook that a relative wants to buy, but there's a stratification of prices at $600 and above. I often see refurb MacBooks at $850 to $950 at the Apple Store, but that doesn't stop the majority of people from asking for $800 with a two-hour battery and "a little line on the screen that is difficult to see unless you hold the cover at 45 degrees."

I still comb the craigslist ads for a reasonably priced early MacBook that a relative wants to buy, but there's a stratification of prices at $600 and above. I often see refurb MacBooks at $850 to $950 at the Apple Store, but that doesn't stop the majority of people from asking for $800 with a two-hour battery and "a little line on the screen that is difficult to see unless you hold the cover at 45 degrees."

And the Apple store refurbs have a full one-year warranty that can be AppleCared into two additional years. Um, I'll take that over a machine with a line on the screen that costs more and has no warranty...

And the Apple store refurbs have a full one-year warranty that can be AppleCared into two additional years. Um, I'll take that over a machine with a line on the screen that costs more and has no warranty...

Exactly. I'll take my chances at $500 to $550, but you've gotta be nuts to pay $800 for someone's warranty-free cast-offs.

Weren't there people waiting for stuff to pick up when BeamEcho got padlocked?

Yep I think so. I'm a bit dubious when one computer store gets locked up and a while later a "new" one pops up, run by the same person but under a different name.

And they've done this multiple times.

Like those restaurants that get padlocked while employees get no notice, no back wages, wait months for documentation so they can apply for stuff, no references... Great job, guys.

Yep I think so. I'm a bit dubious when one computer store gets locked up and a while later a "new" one pops up, run by the same person but under a different name.

Bigger question is, why did you type that url in the first place?

Use whois and see who owns the domain now.

I'm a bored surfer, I tend to do things like that when I'm bored,
I expected to reread the old Beam/Echo loser page.

And they've done this multiple times.

Like those restaurants that get padlocked while employees get no notice, no back wages, wait months for documentation so they can apply for stuff, no references... Great job, guys.

That's why I like unions, Worked on a project downtown as a construction worker,
The contractor tried to get away without paying us for 6 weeks, So...I called my union rep,
Next day, There is a notice on the building site that there is a lien on the project,
Day after that, I got a registered letter with my paycheck in it.

The building site was Barclays Bank on Bay street.

Dave :)

That's why I like unions, Worked on a project downtown as a construction worker,
The contractor tried to get away without paying us for 6 weeks, So...I called my union rep,
Next day, There is a notice on the building site that there is a lien on the project,
Day after that, I got a registered letter with my paycheck in it.

The building site was Barclays Bank on Bay street.

Dave :)

That explains cost over runs and never completing the project on time. :lmao:

That explains cost over runs and never completing the project on time. :lmao:

You must be thinking of public service unions,
Private sector unions are completely different.

Cheers!

Dave :)

You must be thinking of public service unions,
Private sector unions are completely different.

Cheers!

Dave :)

Then there are unions that are arms-length public sector.... Also often reasonable organizations in the face of dubious management.

Then there are unions that are arms-length public sector.... Also often reasonable organizations in the face of dubious management.

Management for sure is the main reason for bad unions,
Also past political rivals to unions, Those on the side of cheap wages.

If these people had their way then there'd be a lot more deaths in the workplace,
Mostly from unskilled untrained non union workers hired by management saving a buck.

Shame, But true, Governments in the past wanted to bust the unions to kill you.

Sad truth, Unions save lives.

Midtown Digital?

The name Luminous Crescendo already taken? :D:D:D

L

Midtown Digital?

The name Luminous Crescendo already taken? :D:D:D



Ha!

Management for sure is the main reason for bad unions,
Also past political rivals to unions, Those on the side of cheap wages.

If these people had their way then there'd be a lot more deaths in the workplace,
Mostly from unskilled untrained non union workers hired by management saving a buck.

Shame, But true, Governments in the past wanted to bust the unions to kill you.

Sad truth, Unions save lives.

I am anything but pro-union, but what does this have to do with BeamEcho/CPUsed becoming Midtown Digital? ;)

http://binary-side.net/tmp/pub/forenbilder/thread-hijack.jpg

General concern for treatment of employees when stores lock up with no notice, amidst concern for customers who have paid for services or goods when stores lock up with no notice.

I am anything but pro-union, but what does this have to do with BeamEcho/CPUsed becoming Midtown Digital? ;)

Perhaps I'm being harsh, but the fact that they closed up shop and re-opened under a new name gives me cause to pause in terms of dealing with them or recommending them. It doesn't really give me a good feeling about their business practices.

Perhaps I'm being harsh, but the fact that they closed up shop and re-opened under a new name gives me cause to pause in terms of dealing with them or recommending them. It doesn't really give me a good feeling about their business practices.

That's exactly the way I feel about it too, especially for recommending any of my clients to deal with them. Will they still be there to support what they sell and/or will they close down and take any repair machines in the store with them (again)?

Perhaps I'm being harsh, but the fact that they closed up shop and re-opened under a new name gives me cause to pause in terms of dealing with them or recommending them. It doesn't really give me a good feeling about their business practices.

Does anyone remember how the CPUsed to Beam Echo transition occurred? Was it along the same lines? (ie abrupt shutdown, re-open at new location with new name.)

L

Yep I think so. I'm a bit dubious when one computer store gets locked up and a while later a "new" one pops up, run by the same person but under a different name.

did people get their machines back eventually? Or, is this why there are so many used machines for great prices...
;)

Does anyone remember how the CPUsed to Beam Echo transition occurred? Was it along the same lines? (ie abrupt shutdown, re-open at new location with new name.)

L

The move was announced well in advance. Big liquidation of old junk, with both business locations open as the Yorkville store took over.

did people get their machines back eventually? Or, is this why there are so many used machines for great prices...
;)

I'm not sure.

Phone number listed on their website, 416-533-2001, is "not in service" when I tried to call.

Closed already? So soon? :D

L

No listing for them in Canada 411 or via reverse lookup. That's lame.

They're in a storefront that one can see from Google street view used to be a discount store, but was up for lease as of late spring when I think the Google street view shots were done in that area. (my parents live nearby and theirs were done in late May, judging by the flowering shrubs!).

Makes you wonder if they've got a long-term lease - some of those discount/dollar stores seem to be here today/gone tomorrow operations. I don't think that building is slated for redevelopment - it's fairly new.

I was actually in this week and made a purchase @ a good price.

The store is actually quite nice with a clean set up. I didn't take too long looking over their stock but the prices seemed pretty good. The person i dealt with was helpful and polite.

The salesperson said that they were having trouble with their phoneline and was hoping to have it straightened out by the weekend. (when i had called earlier in the week it went straight to the mailbox which was full).

Anyways, i had very limited contact with CPUsed, and was never in Beam Echo, so i can't comment how they conducted business in the past or if they were unfair to anyone else, but from my initial (albeit very brief) experience with Midtown i would recommend them.

Although they're a bit out of the way for me to be a regular store i visit i do hope they're able to stick around.

Having an authorized Apple Reseller located at Yonge & St. Clair that *ALSO* has an Apple Authorized Service Centre on site is truly awesome. Midtown Digital's used prices are the best in the city. Period. I've known the owner Jim Hoskins for over 20 years and *always* got great deals and great service (purchased at least 6 systems from him).

:lmao:

I had an emergency - lost two machines last week*, I popped in today and grabbed a used G5 tower. Everyone was nice and helpful.

It's a real shame what's happened to the used Mac market in general. Creative Technology, SIMMply Macs, and a few other hole-in-the walls all gone without a trace.

-Mike

*Best Buy laptop purchase - won't see it back from their repair centre for at least 2 weeks, and an older G4 Desktop

Ok people, its time for an attitude adjustment in my opinion. Why some of the negative speculation?

The opening of an independent Mac shop is a good thing. :clap:

It's better potential Canadian Mac users are doing their shopping at a dedicated Mac shop or Apple Store rather than a place like Best Buy or Futureshop, who still bash Mac products and in many cases give clueless advice and make them pay for "Mac optimization services".

Give Midtown Digital a chance. Please stop with inappropriate negative speculation.

It's extremely difficult for anyone to run a successful business and not many people even have the gonads to go after their dreams. Somebody obviously loves the Mac market and loves making their living in the Mac market. :clap:

It's a real shame what's happened to the used Mac market in general. Creative Technology, SIMMply Macs, and a few other hole-in-the walls all gone without a trace.


I believe SIMMply Macs is still in business:

Simmply Macs (http://www.simmplymacs.com/)

I had an emergency - lost two machines last week*, I popped in today and grabbed a used G5 tower. Everyone was nice and helpful.

Hurray for first hand experiences! :) :clap:

Having an authorized Apple Reseller located at Yonge & St. Clair that *ALSO* has an Apple Authorized Service Centre on site is truly awesome. Midtown Digital's used prices are the best in the city. Period. I've known the owner Jim Hoskins for over 20 years and *always* got great deals and great service (purchased at least 6 systems from him).

I saw a post from Ronald McDonald on the Fast Food thread the other day. He says he loves the Filet-o-Fish sandwich and the new S'mores Pie.

Absolutely agree... ehMax makes a good point... but I also think it's important to note the *true* nature of the relationships underlying ehMac as 'public' (and valued) forum for Canadian Mac geeks (and Apple Corp Alumni) like me.

It's come to my attention that the moderator of this forum is employed by Carbon Computing of Toronto and Ottawa.
-- can anyone confirm or deny this?

If true it would sure explain the historic Apple reseller bashing on this site, in this forum and on this thread.

Any bad karma out there can easily be resolved by following ehMax's suggestions below.

I saw a post from Ronald McDonald on the Fast Food thread the other day. He says he loves the Filet-o-Fish sandwich and the new S'mores Pie.

Stop being an :rolleyes:. Heaven forbid a new user chime in on a topic. :rolleyes:

Ahhh, you gotta give me a free pass today for helping out on the Kiva thing.

Ahhh, you gotta give me a free pass today for helping out on the Kiva thing.

What are you say'n...you can buy attitude credits here?

What are you say'n...you can buy attitude credits here?

Absolutely not. It was a feeble joke on my part. EhMax would as soon give me a vacation as say something nice about me.

Absolutely not. It was a feeble joke on my part. EhMax would as soon give me a vacation as say something nice about me.

I still love you Macfury for the Kiva thing. :love2: ;)

Absolutely agree... ehMax makes a good point... but I also think it's important to note the *true* nature of the relationships underlying ehMac as 'public' (and valued) forum for Canadian Mac geeks (and Apple Corp Alumni) like me.

It's come to my attention that the moderator of this forum is employed by Carbon Computing of Toronto and Ottawa.
-- can anyone confirm or deny this?

If true it would sure explain the historic Apple reseller bashing on this site, in this forum and on this thread.

Any bad karma out there can easily be resolved by following ehMax's suggestions below.

There's nothing to confirm or deny. It's been known that I work at Carbon (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/25481-new-authorized-apple-reseller-kitchener-ontario-ehmax-comes-out-closet.html#post210570) for the past 5 years. There's many posts in which I've discussed openly working at Carbon.

The historic Apple Reseller bashing because I work for a Reseller? Excuse me, but that is absolutely ridiculous.

Let me ask other members here.... do I stick up for other resellers? How many threads have their been when somebody has said something negative about a reseller other than Carbon, and I've stood up for them? (This thread being one, and I could provide many, many, many more)

Posts by other ehMac members are posts from ehMac members across Canada. They are their own posts and their own thoughts. None of the posts that were negative about any other dealers has had absolutely anything to do with me or the views of ehMac... They are individuals own posts, and I don't make a habit out of censoring people's opinions or thoughts. If anyone ever says something libellous, as a courtesy, I will remove that comment.

I've been to a lot of seminars and meetings across North America called ASMC (http://www.applespecialist.com/) (Apple Specialist Marketing Coop), which is Independent Mac dealers from all across North America. The spirit of these events are independent dealers helping each other with best practises and ways to improve. I have met a lot of independent dealer owners and employees there and have made quite a few friends.

To be clear, I am in 100% support of independent Canadian Mac dealers. I wish all dealers in Canada success and I'm extremely sad when any ehMac member makes a bad comment or when any dealer in Canada closes shop.

Over the years, there have been a few whack jobs out there who have made outlandish conspiracy theories about my working at Carbon and ehMac being somehow sinisterly connected. One individual even said I planned to sabotage the Apple Store opening at YorkDale. :rolleyes:

So to be clear. In my day job, I currently work for an Apple Reseller in Canada. I love it, its a great job. I love working with Macs. In my spare time, I run ehMac (Have been for 10 years now a lot longer than I worked at Carbon). The two are completely separate. The owners of Carbon and managers at head office have zero input and involvement with the site. Carbon at one time paid for advertising on ehMac. (Same with other dealers like Mac Station, iRepair.ca etc...) They currently do not.

The poster was way out of line. Often when the members at large start spinning a riff on some reseller or comany with which they've had a bad experience, EhMax is the first to step in and try to stop it from turning into a bashing session--even if the companies are direct competitors of Carbon.

Example #1 (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/70661-warning-mac-virus-discovered-6.html#post747632)

Example #2 (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/70661-warning-mac-virus-discovered-2.html#post746245)

Example #3 (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/5674-cpused-poor-after-sales-experience-5.html#post628471)

Example #4 (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/60504-beam-echo-umm-testimonial-2.html#post627881)

Plug to Macs@work (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/6337-back-cottage-found-cool-little-mac-dealer.html#post51912)

Plug to MacStation (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/43052-good-shop-service-vancouver.html#post662498)

Still working on project (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/80803-definitive-canadian-apple-authorized-dealer-list.html) to promote other Mac dealers in Canada.

Let's not forget earlier in this thread (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/83434-cpused-newest-owners-4.html#post918908).

There's lots other times. I've plugged / retweeted other dealers on Twitter numerous times.

I have nothing to hide and my reputation is very important to me, so I will challenge anyone either here or through litigation anyone who thinks they can smear ehMac or my name.

You know what's strange?

I earlier went to follow Midtown Digital's Twitter page that was on their site. I was going to be friendly and retweet some of their posts on ehMac's Twitter account. However, when I went to follow, it said the ehmac account was blocked. :confused: Strange I thought, I sent them an email earlier explaining how I was going to retweet some of the posts.

However even more strange, is that I couldn't help notice in the list of who they are following as I saw Danny Dichio's avatar, professional soccer player from Toronto FC. On the summary page, I quickly saw a few more Avatars I'm familiar with. Chealion's, jfpooles, MannyP, Snaggy, However's.

Looking a bit more closely at who they are following, I see they just started following pretty much the entire list of names of people following ehMac on Twitter including personal friends, associates and co-workers etc... who are following me on the ehMac Twitter account.

Um... What can I say? :confused:

I guess anytime any member on ehMac says anything bad about a company on ehMac, I should just censor it, less I get personally put on that company's bad list? And anyone who joins ehMac and posts their opinion is apparently directly affiliated with me? :rolleyes:

Anyways, they HAD a friend / advocate with me. :rolleyes: This is all kind of silly.

Pathetic. Even I'm surprised they would go that far.

haha they started following me yesterday..i was like WTF

i have posted a grand total of one post on twitter ever..i am about as interesting on twitter as a lamp

it's a fairly common practice on twitter (and myspace) for users to mass follow the same people a certain user does if they share a common interest / function.

Personally i don't get it since it makes it that much harder to navigate the hundreds / thousands of tweets, but i guess the ho is the person they're following will also follow them.

A new ehMac user was out of line in questioning the mayor's motives. But blocking blocking the mayor from following their twitter feed? That's "official" action, as far as I am concerned. Don't they (Midtown Digital) have anything better to do? Like, maybe, fixing their "out of service" phone line?

L

great way to make a good impression on the biggest mac forum in Canada.

I think this whole situation is rather regrettable. :(

Despite what appears to be a rather unfortunate misunderstanding, I still wish all the best to them and all Mac dealers and the whole Mac market in Canada.

I think the best thing for me is to close this thread.

I'm not going to censor people's legitimate first hand comments about Mac shopping experiences. (Many comments from ehMac members posted about having a positive experiences and I'm certain the vast majority of shoppers have positive experiences).

However, I'd prefer if any ehMac members who may have ever had a bad experience, just move on from the subject. Please, you'd be doing me a big favour. Quite frankly, this is stressing me out and obviously stressing other people out. Let's keep things here positive.