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Thanks Las Vegas Dave.

With the flop of 3D televisions and the expansion of Apple's own retail locations, there was no killer product on the horizon that would lift it from the doldrums. Though the company accounts for almost a third of all U.S. consumer electronics purchases, analysts noted, the company remains a ripe target for more nimble competitors.

Among those more nimble competitors are the wholesale clubs, which undersell big flatscreen TVs, often by hundreds, and pretty much always by more than enough to justify the annual membership cost. Apple's iPad is available at Target and Walmart (saw them in there yesterday) as well as Sam's Club, but not at Costco (I don't think I've ever seen them in there, anyway). The Kindle and Nook are both available at Staples (and they have a helpful side-by-side comparison of the models in a brochure, btw), and at least at one time, Bed Bath and Beyond had the Nook.

Besides ordinary retail competition, Best Buy operates in the world of online comparison shopping. The entire center core of the Best Buy stores used to be music and videos; now the selection during the holidays isn't bad, but will soon shrink to the normal barely-there presence.

Best Buy carries Apple products, sometimes in an area near the front of the store, sometimes in the back (the latter of which is stupid); however, the previous models remain on display and in stock and at the original price for a while after the new models come out, and as Apple generally boosts performance with each rollout, it smacks of Best Buy's screwing-the-customer.

Best Buy’s marketing plan is awful - if one exists at all.

They merchandising, marketing and advertising all fail. A Boston marketing exec, long retired, I could still fix them up fast.

Shame their failing is so easily reversible.