Apple's Daily Downloads retail iPad app and Apple Store rumors
There's a lot of action going on at the Apple Store these days. The iconic retail chain is celebrating 10 years of success, employees are grumbling about forming an Apple retail employee's union, and now 9 to 5 Mac is displaying screenshots of a new iPad app especially for store employees.
Apple has rolled out iPads that are loaded with a number of in-house apps: RetailMe, Apple Connect, Apple Directory, Concierge, Mobile Genius and iRepair. In addition, the EasyPay app that has usually been installed on card reader-equipped iPod touch hardware is loaded on the iPads. I'm speculating that Apple might be using the Square card reader, rather than rolling out an iPad case with a card reader.
The spotlight, though, is on Apple's Daily Downloads app. The app (seen above in a screenshot from 9 to 5 Mac) is an internal daily "newspaper" of sorts for employees, with all the info that the retail folks need to keep up with all things Apple -- although we'd prefer that they read TUAW instead.
We're hearing some interesting rumors from our sources -- team leaders are in another full day training session today, an "overnight visual update" for the stores is set for Saturday night, and there will be an all-hands meeting at 7 AM Sunday morning. Stores have also purged existing multimedia content from their servers, and huge downloads are scheduled for the weekend, presumably with new content.
How many of you will be heading to an Apple Store this weekend to check out what's new? Let us know in the comments.
