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Apple will pay out $2 million to California retail employees
A long-running class action lawsuit between Apple and employees of its retail stores in California came to a quick conclusion today. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2011 by four former employees but expanded in 2014 to include around 20,000 Apple retail employees in California. The suit alleged that Apple failed to give employees adequate breaks, failed to pay wages in a timely manner after employees left the company and failed to provide accurate wage statements. The case finally went to court in San Diego back in October, and as Apple Insider reports today a jury has now ordered Apple to pay out $2 million in restitution.
Apple sends takedown notice to popular iPad, iPhone inventory-tracking website
Apple is not happy with Apple-tracker.com, a website that allows you to find iPad and iPhone inventory at local Apple retail stores, and is forcing the service to shut down. According to a note on Apple-tracker.com, Apple sent a DMCA takedown notice claiming the site "scrapes and collects data from apple.com in violation of the apple.com Internet Service Terms of Use." Site owner Mordy says on the website that he is done. "I'm not really interested in picking a fight with Apple so... I guess it time to just say good bye," he writes. The tracker is already offline and will remain offline indefinitely. Mordy posted the notice from Apple so you can read the full text of the DMCA takedown on the Apple-Tracker.com website. [Via The Verge]
Apple's first retail store in Brazil may open as soon as March 2014
With over 400 Apple retail stores worldwide, you might be surprised to know that Apple hasn't yet expanded its retail chain into Latin America. According to a recent report from 9to5Mac, however, that may be poised to change in just a few months. Mark Gurman reports that Apple is planning to open up a retail store in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by March of 2014. Interestingly enough, the report claims that Apple is aiming to relocate some seasoned Apple retail employees down to Brazil to help get things up and running. Also worth noting is that the timing of the store opening will be such that it will be up and running ahead of one of the world's most popular events -- the World Cup. The opening of the Apple Store in Rio de Janeiro during this time period, a source added, is perfectly scheduled to occur in the few months before the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The internationally-watched sporting event takes place between June and July of 2014 at a stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Tourists visiting the event from across the globe will likely bring an uptake in visits to the new Apple retail in the region. This move would not be unprecedented: in the months prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Apple opened up a flagship store in the city. It's well established that Apple's chain of retail store are incredibly profitable, and with the bulk of Apple's retail operations located in the U.S., that leaves Apple with a tremendous retail opportunity abroad. Brazil in particular appears to be a strategic location, and Quartz on Monday explained why Apple expanding into the land where the "lungs of the earth" reside is a really big deal. The move into Brazil is a big deal. Smartphone sales, for one, have been booming in the region-sales jumped by 53% in the first quarter of 2013 alone, and grew more than in any other region in the second quarter-and Brazil, Latin America's largest economy, has a lot to do with it. Customers in the country are so enamored with iPhones that many are willing to pay upwards of $1,000 for Apple's new 5c, which retails for about $550 in the US. Furthermore, Latin America is quickly becoming a digital-age goldmine. Internet penetration currently hovers around 45% in the region, and more than 250 million people are now connected to the internet. Very soon, Latin America will have more internet users than the US and Canada. Looking ahead, Apple indicated during its earnings conference call on Monday that it plans to build over 30 new retail stores over the next 12 months. Tellingly, 20 of those will be located outside of the U.S. In many ways, Apple's international retail expansion is just getting underway.
The parallels between Angela Ahrendts tenure at Burberry and Steve Jobs' return to Apple
The more I read about Angela Ahrendts, Apple's new retail hire, the more it becomes clear that she will be a valued and effective addition to Apple's executive team. What's more, Ahrendts views on retail and the consumer experience seem to align quite well with Apple's unique culture. This is not a point to be overlooked given that executives who don't mesh well with Apple's culture don't typically last long; the departures of Mark Papermaster of IBM and John Browett of Dixons come to mind. Coming from Burberry, Ahrendts understand the world of retail luxury, a niche Apple operates and owns with unparalleled efficiency. On a broader level, Ahrendts shares Apple's view that to create a truly compelling products and a profoundly satisfying user experience, control is paramount. ObamaPacman last Thursday tipped us off to a worthwhile article penned by Ahrendts in an early 2013 issue of the Harvard Business Review. The article details Ahrendts early days at Burberry and how she was able to turn an "aging British icon into a global luxury brand." Overall, the way Ahrendts was able to turn around a then slumping Burberry parallels in many ways Steve Jobs resurrection of Apple following his return. Further, the business philosophy underlying many of her decisions also aligns rather nicely with Apple's own. A few excerpts in particular stand out. When I became the CEO of Burberry, in July 2006, luxury was one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world. With its rich history, centered on trench coats that were recognized around the world, the Burberry brand should have had many advantages. But as I watched my top managers arrive for our first strategic planning meeting, something struck me right away. They had flown in from around the world to classic British weather, gray and damp, but not one of these more than 60 people was wearing a Burberry trench coat. I doubt that many of them even owned one. If our top people weren't buying our products, despite the great discount they could get, how could we expect customers to pay full price for them? Sound familiar? Recall that Apple executives, and Steve Jobs in particular, stated on numerous occasions that Apple only creates products that they themselves would want to use. Ahrendts continues: It was a sign of the challenges we faced. Even in a burgeoning global market, Burberry was growing at only 2% a year. The company had an excellent foundation, but it had lost its focus in the process of global expansion. We had 23 licensees around the world, each doing something different. We were selling products such as dog cover-ups and leashes. One of our highest-profile stores, on Bond Street in London, had a whole section of kilts. There's nothing wrong with any of those products individually, but together they added up to just a lot of stuff-something for everybody, but not much of it exclusive or compelling. Again, we see a parallel to Steve Jobs' return to Apple and the epic company transformation that followed. Recall that Jobs, upon returning to Apple, was dumbfounded by Apple's extensive and somewhat confusing product lineup. Jobs even remarked once that if he couldn't figure out the difference between the myriad of products Apple was selling, how could he expect consumers to? Driving the point home, take a look at this timeline of released Apple products from 1995 and 1996. So without missing a beat, Jobs proceeded to simplify Apple's product lineup, declaring that Apple just needed to focus on four areas; desktops for either professionals or consumers, and laptops for either professionals or consumers. Like Ahrendts at Burberry, Jobs recognized that spreading yourself too thin resulted in products that were neither "exclusive or compelling." In describing one of the challenges Burberry faced in 1996, Ahrendts explains that she was up against some stiff competition from the likes of companies like Louis Vuitton. We wanted a share of the disposable income of the world's most elite buyers-and to win it, we'd have to fight for prime real estate in the world's most rapidly growing consumer markets. In many ways, it felt like a David-and-Goliath battle. In a similar vein, Apple has never been blindly motivated by marketshare. On the contrary, Apple attracts the premium end of the markets it enters, one of the reasons Apple controls the lion's share of the profits in the smartphone industry. The parallels don't end there. Upon assuming the helm at Burberry, Ahrendts immediately set her sights on gauging the state of the Burberry brand. What she found was was a disjointed operation, with licensees across the globe making the same products with varying levels of quality. Her solution? A design superstar capable of re-establishing the unique luxury of Burberry's product line. Great global brands don't have people all over the world designing and producing all kinds of stuff. It became quite clear that if Burberry was going to be a great, pure, global luxury brand, we had to have one global design director. We had an incredible young designer named Christopher Bailey, with whom I'd worked at Donna Karan and who I knew was a sensational talent. So I introduced him early on as the "brand czar." I told the team, "Anything that the consumer sees-anywhere in the world-will go through his office. No exceptions." At this point, the parallel game might be getting old, but note the similarity to Jobs bestowing similar responsibility upon a then relatively unknown designer named Jony Ive. At Apple, Ahrendts will not be tasked with turning Apple around. On the contrary, Apple is a well oiled machine that doesn't need any saving. Instead, she will be tasked with expanding and enhancing. To that end, Ahrendts piece in the Harvard Business Review illustrates a retail philosophy that, once again, mimics Apple's own. To strengthen our retail operation, we decided to focus on markets where our competitors already had a presence, signaling the right kind of consumers to support a luxury brand. As our first blueprint for expansion, we identified every market in the world where two of our peers had stores and we had none. In the past six years we've opened 132 new stores, and we've refocused our retailing staff on outerwear. ... We established strong sales and service programs to put product education front and center. We created videos to demonstrate Burberry craftsmanship: All the collars are hand-rolled and hand-stitched. We equipped our sales associates with iPads and our stores with audiovisual technology to show these videos to best effect. Ahrendts entire article almost reads like a case study on Apple, albeit with the company name changed to Burberry. Ahrendts has a lot of experience in advertising to and attracting luxury customers. She understands the importance of digital marketing and the impact that media such as music and "storytelling" can have on the consumer. She understands what it takes to successfully market expensive items when cheap alternatives are plentiful. From Ahrendts point of view, it's not just about the product, it's about the entire experience. It's about what the consumer sees and feels upon walking into a retail store. It's about the quality of the craftsmanship that goes into the products. It's about hiring passionate people who are knowledgeable about the products they're selling. Furthermore, Ahrendts, like Apple, appreciates the importance of controlling the entire widget so to speak. In a profile on her in the Guardian, Ahrendts explained that "if you can't control everything, you can't control anything, not really." Taken together, Ahrendts seems like the perfect fit for Apple. When John Browett was initially hired by Apple, the move was greeted with skepticism from those who were familiar with Dixons, a retail store that many pointed out sold cheap electronics in storefronts that were often disorganized. To that end, Browett himself noted that he never quite "fit" in at Apple. All of the information that's come to light about Ahrendts seems to indicate that she will not have that problem. Again, Apple retail stores don't need saving. Rather, they need someone capable of enhancing them, expanding them, pushing into new markets and keeping them fun, hip, and educational places for consumers to come visit and shop. Her history at Burberry strongly she suggests that she is just the person for the job.
What it's like to work Apple retail on iPhone day
Apple retail stores are typically crowded. On iPhone release day, however, they turn into absolute zoos, with stores packed to the brim and lines often extending out of the store. Now that the iPhone is more than 6 years old, the hysteria surrounding an iPhone launch has subsided a tad. Still, it's an event unto itself and Gizmodo recently ran a piece from an anonymous Apple retail store employee who describes in exquisite detail what it was like to be on the front lines in the days preceding and following the iPhone 5s and 5c launch. The anonymous employee, who writes under the name J.K. Appleseed (perhaps Johnny Appleseed's long lost brother?), notes that his Apple retail store began receiving truckloads of iPhones about 12 hours before opening on launch day. With 10 minutes to go until the doors open, it was time for a store pep talk: We make a big blue huddle. Black curtains block the view into our glass wall. We can't see them, but they're all out there, waiting. The customers. The camera crews. The police. Our store manager has really amazing hair. It doesn't move while he delivers an earnest, if predictable pep talk. How are we feeling, have fun, make each customer count, don't talk to the media, remember we catered lunch, this is what it's all about-and have fun. Two minutes to go and the scene on the inside is seemingly as hectic as it is on the outside. Party music blasts. Don't casinos flood gambling floors with oxygen? We should do that. Some employees dance. Most clap. I don't want to clap at first, but there are some very cute co-workers I haven't met before-I guess we must be on different work schedules-and they're clapping, so I find myself clapping when two managers suddenly sweep back the curtains and open the door. 3... 2... 1... ZERO! We all clap and cheer the first customer through the doors. He looks young. He's stuffed his camping gear into a backpack, and he raises his fists to receive the ovation. We keep on clapping for the next 20 or 30 shoppers who file in, subtracting one clapper per customer. My hands start to sting. As the clapping finally fades, one customer comes in and does a little touchdown shimmy, which raises just enough temporary applause to be slightly awkward. The entire piece is well worth a read as our anonymous Mr. Appleseed details some behind-the-scenes happenings that occur during launch day and also covers what it's like inside Apple retail in the days following a huge product launch. All in all, the article provides some cool insight into a world that we don't often hear about from the inside out.
Daily Update for October 15, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
In email to employees, Tim Cook calls Angela Ahrendts "wicked smart"
After a search that took nearly a year, Apple announced today that Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple this spring, where she will take on the role of senior VP of Retail and Online Stores. Earlier today, Tim Cook sent out a company-wide email announcing the hire and praising Ahrendts as being the "best person in the world for this role." 9to5Mac was able to get its hands on the email, which reads: Team, I am thrilled to announce that Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple as a senior vice president and member of our executive team, reporting directly to me. Angela is currently the CEO of Burberry. She will lead both our retail and online teams. I have wanted one person to lead both of these teams for some time because I believe it will better serve our customers, but I had never met anyone whom I felt confident could lead both until I met Angela. We met for the first time last January, and I knew in that meeting that I wanted her to join Apple. We've gotten to know each other over the past several months and I've left each conversation even more impressed. She shares our values and our focus on innovation. She places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She cares deeply about people and embraces our view that our most important resource and our soul is our people. She believes in enriching the lives of others and she is wicked smart. Angela has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record. She led Burberry through a period of phenomenal growth with a focus on brand, culture, core values and the power of positive energy. Angela will need to focus over the coming months on transitioning her current role at Burberry and will then join Apple in the spring. I am sure as all of you meet her, you will see why I am so excited that she is joining our executive team. I'd like to add a special thanks to all of our retail leaders. Your strength, talent and leadership afforded me the luxury of taking the time to perform an exhaustive search to find the best person in the world for this role. Tim Also a fan of the hire is Ron Johnson, Apple's first retail executive, who is largely responsible for transforming Apple retail into the commercial success it is today. On Apple's new hire, Ron Johnson tells @BloombergTV in statement she's a "terrific choice," will be "exceptionally well received" - Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) October 15, 2013
Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to join Apple as Senior VP of Retail and Online Stores
Burberry has confirmed that Angela Ahrendts will be stepping down from her role as CEO and will be joining Apple as the company's senior VP of Retail. Apple of course has been without a retail chief since Tim Cook unceremoniously gave John Browett a pink slip nearly one year ago. Browett's tenure as Apple's head retail guru wasn't exactly smooth, and one can make a case that Apple retail has effectively been operating without a firm retail chief ever since Ron Johnson left the company in November 2011. As Ahrendts gears up to join Apple's executive team some time in mid-2014, it's interesting to note that she will occupy a "newly created position" to the extent that she will oversee operations at Apple's retail stores along with its online store. Apple's press release reads in part: Ahrendts will have oversight of the strategic direction, expansion and operation of both Apple retail and online stores, which have redefined the shopping experience for hundreds of millions of customers around the world. Apple retail stores set the standard for customer service with innovative features like the Genius Bar®, Personal Setup and One to One personal training to help customers get the most out of their Apple products. "I am thrilled that Angela will be joining our team," said Cook. "She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record." "I am profoundly honored to join Apple in this newly created position next year, and very much look forward to working with the global teams to further enrich the consumer experience on and offline," said Ahrendts. "I have always admired the innovation and impact Apple products and services have on people's lives and hope in some small way I can help contribute to the company's continued success and leadership in changing the world." Prior to Burberry, Ahrendts held senior positions at both Liz Claiborne and Donna Karan. Now seeing as how Ahrendts comes to Apple with a tremendous amount of fashion and luxury retail experience, it's worth remembering that she isn't the only fashion-centric CEO Apple has hired in recent months. This past June, Apple brought former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve on board to work on "special projects."
Apple to open first retail store in Turkey in January 2014
As it stands today, there are 416 Apple retail stores around the world spread out across 13 countries. Soon, that number will be 14 with word that Turkey will be graced with its first Apple retail store in just a few months. Set to open up at the Zorlu Center in Istanbul in January of 2014, the retail space will be 2,000 square meters which equates to about 21,000 square feet. The retail space will be located in the "most visible" portion of the shopping space and will be lodged between two other high-end retailers: Burberry and Louis Vuitton. News of the impending Apple store in Instanbul first appeared in The Wall Street Journal early on Thursday and was spotted by MacRumors. As for the store design, the WSJ relays that the store will feature a glass ceiling and will be "one of the most ambitious in the world." The report also claims that Apple has plans to open three more retail stores across the country. It's no secret that Apple has billions of dollars in the bank, and Tim Cook explained back in February that one of the ways Apple plans to spend it is to revamp its current retail stores and to open up new stores across the globe.
Apple patents Shanghai Apple Store's glass cylinder entryway
It's no secret that Apple devotes a lot of attention to the design of its retail stores. From the type of wood that graces the tabletops to the design of the staircases within, nothing is overlooked. One of Apple's most unique retail stores is its Shanghai location, notable for its impressive and elegant glass cylinder entryway. Now, AppleInsider reports that Apple has officially been granted a patent on the design. Apple's US Patent No. 8,544,217 not only covers the design of the cylinder, but more specifically the type of glass and construction methods used to erect such a structure. Like the flagship Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York, the Shanghai cylinder is made almost entirely out of huge monolithic glass slabs, with only connecting joints fashioned out of metal. The Chinese build is more complex, however, as the specifications required the glass pieces required be curved to form arcs. These panels were then joined to create a circle and ultimately a cylinder. Consequently, the patent encapsulates construction advancements that were developed to ensure that the structure remained sufficiently sturdy along with methods detailing how to curve the glass panels to the exact shape needed to form a perfect cylinder.
Apple to begin selling devices to customers who wish to bring them to Iran
Apple will begin selling its Mac and iOS products to customers who wish to take them into Iran, reports the Wall Street Journal. Previously there had been a US government ban on any electronics manufacturer selling products to customers intent on taking them back to the country, but the Obama administration has recently lifted those sanctions in the hopes of getting technology to Iranian citizens after a crackdown by the Iranian government on protesters and the means they use to communicate, including devices that allow them to spread the word on social media. Last year, people unfamiliar with the US sanctions assumed Apple chose not to sell to Iranian customers who told Apple Store employees they meant to ship purchases back to their families in Iran. Regarding the lifting of the US sanctions, and Apple spokesperson told the WSJ: "We've been told by the US government that most Apple products are covered by regulatory changes announced by the Treasury Department. As a result, Apple is no longer banned from selling Macs and iOS devices to customers who plan to bring or send those products to Iran." Though electronics companies are no longer banned for selling products to Iranian citizens who wish to take them back home, those companies are still banned from selling products to the Iranian government.
Apple iPhone 'Reuse and Recycle' program starts this week in select stores
If competition is good for consumers, then the phone trade-in market is looking up. Best Buy, Walmart, Gazelle and your mobile provider all accept trade-ins on old iPhones, giving you money to upgrade to a new phone. Now Apple is launching its own trade-in program at select Apple Stores starting on August 30, with a larger expansion of the program coming in September. Regardless of whether you're a business or standard customer, if you want to purchase a new iPhone, your trade-in is welcome at Apple. 9to5mac.com published the following details about the program. Apple decides the value of your iPhone based on information entered into the standard EasyPay system. The system takes into account the quality of your phone -- button quality, damage, if the display is scratched, if you engraved "I love Slayer" on the back, etc. -- and then calculates your trade-in amount. Apple Store employees will help you back up your iPhone before turning it in, and will hand over your old SIM card (the iPhone 5 uses the new nano-SIM card format). iPhones of all generations are eligible for trade-in, though obviously you'll receive less money for an iPhone 3G than an iPhone 5. As of now, the program is only available in the United States. You may want to shop around a bit before heading to the Apple Store, though. As 9to5mac.com has noted Gazelle offers significantly more for a iPhone 5 16 GB than Apple's own store. The online trade-in destination has been working hard to get as much iPhone business as possible before the September 10 announcement of new Apple products.
Lego Apple Store is a stroke of blocky genius
Behold! Rumor has it that Tim Cook wants to revamp Apple's retail stores and the above is a sneak peek at what we have in store. What you're really looking at, though, is a pretty spot on replica of an Apple retail store put together by Jon Lazar and constructed completely with Legos. The occasion? The release party for the book Arduino and Lego Projects, where Laughing Squid's Scott Beale dropped by. I can only wonder how much money per square foot even this Apple Store replica rakes in every day. You can check out more photos of Lego creativity over here. Lastly, if you just can't get enough of the 1-2 punch that is the Apple Store + Lego combination, recall that we previously posted on a similarly cool Lego construction back in March 2012. Photo courtesy Laughing Squid
Apple's search for a new retail head inches forward
For about eight months now, the position of Senior VP of Retail at Apple has remained vacant. Back in October 2012, Apple unceremoniously dismissed John Browett from the position after just seven months on the job. Reports at the time indicated that Browett never quite meshed with the culture at Apple and his efforts to focus more on the bottom line than on customer satisfaction were never well received. Discussing his time at Apple this past March, Browett remarked: Apple is a truly fantastic business. The people are great; they've got great products; it's got a great culture and I loved working there; it's a fantastic business. The issue there was that I just didn't fit within the way they run the business. It was one of those things where you're rejected for fit rather than competency. So while Apple retail stores continue to rake in more money per square foot than any other store on the planet, the company is still actively looking for someone to take Apple retail to even greater heights. According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple's search for a new Senior VP of Retail is moving along ever so slowly. Apple's search for a replacement, handled by recruiters Egon Zehnder International, has gone slowly, people familiar with the matter said, and the company has yet to settle on a finalist after interviewing several external candidates. Among those interviewed but rejected as a poor fit were wireless and telecommunications-industry executives, one such person said. A CEO of a privately held retailer in France spurned Apple's overtures, believing it would be hard to change Apple's culture as an outsider, another person said. Interestingly enough, the report relays that Apple isn't considering internal candidates for the position. This of course aligns with reports we previously saw back when Apple was searching for its first replacement for Ron Johnson, namely that Apple is on the lookout for candidates with significant international retail experience.
Daily Update for July 30, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple solicits ideas from retail workers on selling iPhones
A little less than two weeks ago we reported that Tim Cook spearheaded a three-hour-long meeting geared towards increasing the percentage of iPhone sales that occur at Apple retail stores. As it stands now, the vast majority of iPhones are purchased online, from carrier stores and from brick-and-mortar retailers like Best Buy. Now 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple has taken to asking its international retail employees for advice on ways to increase iPhone sales at Apple retail store locations. In a message sent out to retail employees last week, Apple explicitly asks for great iPhone ideas from retail employees below the manager level. The overview portion of the email reads: Do you have a great idea about iPhone? Do you ever wonder why Market Support hasn't implemented something to better support you in selling or suggesting the iPhone? Do you have a thought about something that is missing in the store environment that would help bring iPhone to life? We are looking for multiple candidates with the most innovative and relevant ideas to participate on this cross-functional team. Retail employees with winning iPhone-related ideas will have the opportunity to join Apple's iPhone team in Cupertino for an eight-week stint starting in August. While there, they will work with Apple employees from a number of different departments, including Marketing, Mobile Commerce, Merchandising and Customer Analytics. Interestingly enough, the email notes that winning iPhone ideas do not necessarily need to be feasible. Rather, the competition, so to speak, is looking for "innovation and pie in the sky."
Square Stand credit card terminal to be sold at Apple Stores
Square is now in a partnership with Apple to bring its new Square Stands to Apple retail stores. The Square Stand will convert an iPad into a full point-of-sale system that pairs with cash drawers, receipt printers, barcode scanners and credit card readers. The US$299 device begins shipping this week and will be available at the same time at Apple retail stores, Best Buy and other select retailers. The Square Stand only works with 2nd and 3rd generation iPads because of the 30-pin dock connector. A Lightning-connector model will be available later this year. [via Electronista]
Apple tweaks product shelving in stores
ifoAppleStore is reporting that at least one Apple retail store has taken to redesigning its product shelving. According to insiders, the Corte Madera (N. Calif.) store was renovated over several nights earlier this month, replacing its original shelving with a new model that has no vertical dividers. The change was apparently done for aesthetic reasons, and because the new design no longer needs the dividers for structural support. Here's the type of product shelving one typically sees at an Apple retail store. The new shelving has a more seamless and continuous aesthetic, as pictured below. ifoAppleStore typically has its finger on the pulse of all things Apple retail, and it notes that these changes are part "...of an eventual chain-wide refresh of certain store interiors." To that end, keep an eye out for this subtle design change at an Apple retail store near you. It's quite a stretch, but you might even say that the new product design change lends itself towards an overall flatter look, a la iOS 7.
Apple to relocate, expand last 'mini' Apple Store
Apple is set to relocate the last of its "mini" retail stores to a new location, while dramatically expanding its size, according to ifoAppleStore. The mini-store in question is the Oakridge Apple Store in San Jose, Calif. The store will move from its current location to a new spot just across from the food court in the mall. The revamped store will be 15 times larger than its current size. Once the move is complete, it will mark the end of the mini-stores, the first of which were opened in 2004. As ifoAppleStore notes: The project signals the end of the mini-stores, which were intended to allow Apple to occupy smaller spaces, and yet generate almost the same amount of revenue. However, as the number of products has grown over the past eight years, and training and service have become more integral to the stores, the mini-stores couldn't provide enough space for visitors. ifoAppleStore says the expanded store could open in early 2014.
Apple announces it has 6 million registered developers
Apple kicked off WWDC with its typical heap of numbers about the developer community, Apple retail and more. At WWDC, participants traveled from more than 66 countries to attend, with 64 percent attending for the first time. The developer program has over 6 million registered developers, with 1.5 million added in the past year. As we all remember, tickets for the conference sold out in just 71 seconds. As a result, Apple decided to make a lot of the WWDC content available online. Tim Cook then hopped into Apple retail stores and announced that 1 million people make their way into Apple Stores each day. Apple now has 407 stores are in 14 countries worldwide, with one of their newest flagship stores opening recently in Berlin. Berlin's Kurfürstendamm store is a showpiece -- it is housed in a 100 year old building that was one of the first theaters in Berlin.
