Zombies invade Apple store

So apparently last night the Stockton street Apple store in SF was mobbed by... wait for it... flesh-eating hordes. We suppose the obvious joke would be that brain-eating zombies would go hungry paying a visit to an Apple store, but we know better than to arouse the ire of Mac fanboys -- and zombies -- so we're leaving this one alone.

[Photo by Steve Rhodes - thanks Steve!]

Read - SF Zombie mob manifesto

[Darnell @ May 26th 2007 6:09PM]

Roger
According to the link to the Zombie girl--this did indeed happen in San Fran. It's not out of the realm of possibility for a stunt like this to occur at different venues.

Everyone else
Nothing wrong with a little good-natured ribbing. And though I don't always agree with the flaming that goes on in the ongoing Mac vs. PC war--this is one of the few posts that calls for a small skirmish of words. Lighthearted indeed and no harm done.

[Popstand @ May 26th 2007 10:38PM]

Studies show that homophobia is often an expression of repressed homosexuality. Your fear of homosexuals is probably a reaction to your forbidden attraction to the same.

[carlos @ May 27th 2007 3:00AM]

Either way you're still an idiot for saying it. Gay people live in San Francisco. Who cares? Oh wait ... only you do.

[Joe Smith @ May 26th 2007 12:45PM]

that one in the lower left is hot

[stealth @ May 26th 2007 4:09PM]

ew no way dude

[Natalie @ May 27th 2007 7:13PM]

Thanks for the compliment.

I took pride in smearing blood on my face and eating only the tastiest boys.

[Natalie @ May 27th 2007 7:15PM]

I'm much less scary looking without all of the make-up..

http://www.myspace.com/nahduhlee
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nataliaenvy

[Jason @ May 26th 2007 12:50PM]

Could have easily been done at a Best Buy or whatever "consumer" electronics store. Cliche.

[devurandom @ May 26th 2007 1:00PM]

Cliche? Was this concept done before?

[Jason @ May 26th 2007 1:03PM]

Are you serious?

Zombies? Movies about consumerism? Books? Metaphors? It doesn't have to be done one specific way in one specific place to be cliche. Zombie nature in consumerism is tired. We all know that most people follow whatever big business wants them to. These people got attention and that's what they wanted.

Boring.

[Rick @ May 26th 2007 12:51PM]

Vista users seeking refuge? :)

[Bman21212 @ May 26th 2007 12:57PM]

It's true. It you are brainless, get a mac ;)

[Aaron @ May 26th 2007 1:17PM]

Pretty much what I was thinking about this...

[veronica @ May 26th 2007 1:13PM]

You're missing the point here -- the zombies have no idea where they are, they just happened to stumble into the Apple store. Maybe there were just a lot of especially tasty brains there that night, and they couldn't resist. The zombie plague in San Francisco is an issue we cannot look at lightly, and for you to assume that it's just some kind of "consumerism cliche" means you've never had to deal with the zombies before. Do you think they have time to think about consumerism?? They just want to consume brains.

[Kevin @ May 26th 2007 1:13PM]

"BRAINS...FLESH...iPhone..."

[Tom @ May 26th 2007 1:16PM]

Why do I always miss the fun pranks? You guys might complain that it's cliche or whatever... but you gotta admit, it's probably pretty fun being a zombie in an Apple store.

[Rex @ May 26th 2007 1:25PM]

Next time they should bring some sheep into the Apple stores... oh wait, they're already in the form of humans, my bad.

[Mike @ Jun 8th 2007 6:42PM]

> "Next time they should bring some sheep into the Apple stores "

Yeah, we already did sheep in the Union Square stores, a few years ago.
SF Weekly Article: http://www.mikeycosm.org/pranks/sheep/sheepphotos.html
Pics: http://www.mikeycosm.org/pranks/sheep/sheepphotos.html

[Sa_n) @ May 26th 2007 1:25PM]

I don't see how zombies at a Apple store justify the need for people to start bashing operating systems.

[Jypson @ May 26th 2007 1:25PM]

So they walk in, wander around for a few minutes, then....walk away giggeling?

[Natalie @ May 27th 2007 6:50PM]

Actually we wandered around downtown more and scared tourists.

[Austin @ May 26th 2007 1:27PM]

They aren't hungry for brains... rather overpriced hardware at inflated prices!

[CaptSaltyJack @ May 26th 2007 5:12PM]

Man, I don't know about the rest of you folks, but I'm sick of the whole "overpriced hardware" aspect of Mac bashing. Do the math, go price an equivalent (equivalent, do you know what that means?) Windows based computer and compare it to an iMac. Or a Mac Pro. You'll see the prices are about the same. I priced a custom built Windows machine with the same horsepower as my Mac Pro, and it slightly more expensive by $100. So please, STFU.

[ajgalli @ May 27th 2007 10:46AM]

Pfff... boy if that argument hasn't been debunked a million time by every PC mag in the universe.

They couldn't find any Gateway stores so the needed to get there food somewhere.

[Jason Brennan @ May 26th 2007 1:29PM]

Why bother trying to decipher this...

I think it's just funny!

[Nogami @ May 26th 2007 1:29PM]

Wow... This happened in the US and the authorities (or mall security) didn't find a way to spin this into a "terrorist plot"?

I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked!

[Steph @ May 26th 2007 3:10PM]

If you're shocked that police didn't get involved then you haven't spent nearly enough time in San Francisco... The store is stand-alone, not in a mall, and is on Market Street... weirder things probably happen there everyday. And from my experience in living in San Francisco for 2 years is that SFPD is, well, lax.

[Casey S @ May 26th 2007 6:25PM]

The US? Sorry, San Fransisco isn't the US... if you know what i mean

[Darnell @ May 26th 2007 1:35PM]

After the Zune launch--it's hype wasn't the only thing that died...

[michael @ May 26th 2007 1:41PM]

Slow news day, eh?

[Alegoo92 @ May 26th 2007 11:32PM]

well its on alot of sites

[Jeff @ May 26th 2007 1:42PM]

"so we're leaving this one alone"

hahaha - that's like the "I would tell you that your mother is a whore, but that would just make you mad, so i'll leave it alone."

classic.

[Victor Mach @ May 26th 2007 1:44PM]

That girl zombie in the apple store with the white skirt is HOT!

[Natalie @ May 27th 2007 6:50PM]

Gracias Victor.

Next time I'll invite you to play dress up with me.

[Victor Mach @ May 27th 2007 8:04PM]

Haha, oh come on, you expect me to legitimately believe you're the amazing girl zombie? Then again you might be. I'll play dress up with you guys next year when I'm at NYU :).

[McGinley @ May 26th 2007 1:55PM]

Ah the joys of flashmobbing....

[Rynth @ Jun 1st 2007 9:16AM]

McGinley - You mean Fleshmobbing? Right?

Sorry, rubbish pun.

[Karim @ May 26th 2007 2:09PM]

Clearly, the zombies could sense the large, succulent, juicy brains congregating at the Genius Bar, and this is what led them into the Apple Store. The effect of the intense phospholipid "smell" of a Genius Bar on a zombie is similar to waving a Wendy's 1/2-lb. Double with Cheese under the nose of someone on a diet.

Fortunately for Apple, zombies have not yet mastered the fine motor skills necessary to make a Genius Bar appointment. Also, I'm not sure, but I believe ProCare subscriptions are currently not available to the Undead for legal reasons.

Despite these points, clearly, something must be done about the zombie menace before it becomes a new "marketing demographic" and thus becomes targeted with advertising. (e.g. iPod silhouette ad featuring a zombie) The current focus on immigration reform is clearly misplaced, as zombies ALREADY WALK AMONG US. Your postman, your dentist, even that "hot chick" next door -- they could all be ZOMBIES. It is said that some zombies even hold key leadership positions in society. My fellow Americans, we must act to stem the zombie tide before it is too late.

[michael @ May 26th 2007 2:15PM]

This would have been great marketing for DeadRising if they did it Best Buy or EB Games or something to promote their game. I love that game!

[james @ May 26th 2007 2:22PM]

to me it looks more like a very lame attempt at guerrilla marketing to get some free airtime. I guess it worked, but come on even adult swim could shut down a city with their efforts, you would think that apple could do better than this. well i guess not.

[Dragod @ May 26th 2007 3:48PM]

Now it makes sense; Only reason people buy Apple products is because Zombies eat their brains!

[mail @ May 26th 2007 3:57PM]

For all those who think the one in the lower left corner is hot, here is a better picture of her:

http://www.focalmatter.com/zombies/index.php?page=12

[Natalie @ May 27th 2007 6:50PM]

I like this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ari/515663904/

more true to character

[Deezee @ May 26th 2007 6:14PM]

Uhmm, incase you didnt know, Apple makes more than just computers. Why dont you try pricing their other stuff against the competition and see where that gets you.

When the Sansa e200 series came out, it had more memory, FM Tuner, video playback, a larger screen, built in mic recording, and still cost $50 less than the iPod nano (which had none of that). Yet all the zombies still bought nano's.
All iPods are over priced.

And if you want to talk computer, think back to the G4 "Powerbook" which was probably the most under performing laptop sold at the time, yet it was one of the most expensive.

Apple have a long history of ripping zombies off so dont act surprised when people say that.

[jotenks @ May 27th 2007 8:27PM]

I hate to break this to you, but the regular Mac Book is the only item Apple makes that isn't laughably overpriced. Even then, that's only if you're looking at notebooks using the same Core 2 processor. If you include turion x2 chips in the mix, then they're back to insane pricing. Of course, Sony does the same thing with their laptops and that didn't stop me from buying one... :-D

[jared @ May 26th 2007 5:23PM]

There wasn't a whole lot of manifesto behind that 'manifesto' link. And maybe that's as it should be.

Can someone take a moment to explain the widespread buy-in the whole "zombie" meme is getting? I want to hear one of two things:

1) there's nothing to it at all, just some hipsters trying to have a semi-novel good time and get a little attention in a cliquey way (not to be redundant)

2) there's a poignant statement being made that has nothing to do with mocking consumerism

[Karim @ May 26th 2007 11:01PM]

> Can someone take a moment to explain the
> widespread buy-in the whole "zombie"
> meme is getting?

Maybe you're overanalyzing... have you considered the possibility that it's not a "meme," but rather, they're REAL, brain-eating, undead zombies who crave the warm flesh of the living?

Think less "viral marketing," and more "virus."

There is no "point," any more than a virus has a point. Zombies eat and make more zombies. This is what all living things do. Only human beings get philosophical about it, and want some kind of purpose.

If you need some kind of philosophy, I suppose you could think of it as a kind of American Zen Buddhism. The zombie is always in the moment -- no identity, no self-awareness. Zombies do not think of themselves; they do not make plans as such, but act on instinct. Collaborative zombie groups are loosely-coupled and ad hoc, spur-of-the-moment affairs. They simply want to eat you. They do not possess "beginner's mind," but if you give them half a chance, they will readily devour the beginner's mind.

A Zen Master once met with a zombie. The Master asked the zombie, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

The zombie responded by attempting to eat the Zen Master.

"Truly you have achieved satori," the Master spoke just as the zombie's teeth sunk into his right carotid artery.

This is what makes Zombism such a grave threat to our nation and our way of life. They can't be "reasoned with." You send in a U.N. envoy to a group of zombies, and they'll eat him.

Sadly, it is the people who think this is a "meme" or some kind of a "joke" who end up eaten by the fiendish horde of the Undead... "ha ha ha, this is a flash mob, right? And that's red paint." These cynical hipsters are often the first victims, which is why Zombism is taking root in sophisticated urban centers, and has yet to spread to the heartland. People in cities, they see zombies covered in blood, and think it's some kind of MARKETING SCHEME. People in the country have more sense, and will lock their doors.

[hp @ May 26th 2007 5:28PM]

They are just imitating the mac people that you find at just about any mac store

[Kyle @ May 26th 2007 5:41PM]

I have been to that apple store, wish i was there when that happend, i live near SF, thats such a good joke, wish i had thought of it.

[roger @ May 26th 2007 6:49PM]

"According to the link to the Zombie girl--this did indeed happen in San Fran. It's not out of the realm of possibility for a stunt like this to occur at different venues."

Please read my post again, then read yours, and then tell me what you are talking about.

Block incorrectly noted the store's location as being on *California Street* in San Francisco. However, as I noted, the store is actually on *Stockton Street.*

There were, as you state, other zombie mobs. This particular one was at the San Francisco store on Stockton Street. There is one other Apple Store in San Francisco and it is in a mall. There was no zombie mob there.