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Apple adds free iBook offer to Apple Store app
At the beginning of August, Apple launched a new free-content program in their Apple Store app, kicking things off with a free download of Color Zen. Today the latest piece of free content has been released, and it should make parents of small children very happy. The over-the-air update allows users to download Margaret Wise Brown's children's book Away in My Airplane as a free iBook. Apple retail employees were told about the free book release this morning in a note informing them to use the release to promote iBooks and the iBookstore with customers in their stores. The book offer expires on August 28th, and is only available in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Sweden according to a source for 9to5mac.com. iBooks was announced as a major part of the upcoming OS X Mavericks release at this past June's WWDC event. It is clear that Apple is working hard to get users familiar with the app before it officially becomes a new addition to their Macs in the fall.
Daily Update for August 2, 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 Store app offers free downloads
Apple has added a nice treat to the free Apple Store app -- the app that lets you buy Apple products, pay for items in-store and make Genius Bar and One to One appointments. When you launch the app and bring up a store page, you'll find a link to download a paid app for free. The app currently sharing the spotlight with your nearby store is Color Zen (normally US$0.99), and word on the street says that Apple will provide a new freebie each week. Sometimes it will be an app, other times an iBook and sometimes the company will give you a piece of iTunes media content. 9to5Mac reports that Apple Store employees install the app on any new iOS device during Personal Setup post-purchase. This is part of Tim Cook's master plan to use the app to boost iPhone sales at Apple Stores, and should certainly make the Apple Store app a "must launch" for many more people.
Apple updates Apple Store app with software pre-install options
Apple's Apple Store app for the iPhone was recently updated with a new feature that'll let customers order a new Mac with the iWork applications pre-installed. New Macs usually ship with the iLife suite of apps installed for free, but now customers using their iPhone to make a purchase can choose to add iWork apps like Pages, Numbers and Keynote to their Mac for US$20 each. Just like iLife, the iWork apps will be installed on the customer's machine when they pick it up at the store. It's a small change, but one that suggests Apple is working to improve its retail shopping experience, right down to the smallest details. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Apple tops latest mobile shopping satisfaction survey
With more and more consumers using smartphones to visit retailer websites, it's important for those retailers to make sure that shoppers have the best possible mobile shopping experience. Research firm ForeSee announced today that Apple's mobile shopping satisfaction score was at the top of the pack, with 85 percent of 3,000 consumers putting the company on top of their list. While the ForeSee study doesn't specifically say it, the Apple Store app seen at right could be the reason that Apple's mobile shopping score was higher than overall satisfaction with Apple's web store (at 83 percent). Others in the top five were (in decreasing order of satisfaction) Amazon, Dell, Netflix, and eBay. According to the ForeSee results, mobile is playing a growing role in the retail experience. A full third of shoppers used their mobile phones to research products, while 15 percent actually made purchases. About one in five online shoppers used their phones to compare prices or products while in a physical retail location. Satisfaction with the mobile shopping experience is important for repeat business. ForeSee's research shows that mobile shoppers who are highly satisfied with their mobile experience are 54 percent more likely to consider that same company the next time they want to make a similar purchase, and they're twice as likely to make purchases from that retailer's mobile channel again.
Apple's retail tech can notice shoppers when they arrive
Ever wonder how Apple employees know you need help or are there to pick up an order? Apple employees now have a way to track you in the store. On Black Friday, New York Times reporter Brian X. Chen took a closer look at a customer tracking system Apple has been using "for a few weeks." It's an interesting look at how Apple is using its own technology to improve and expedite the retail shopping experience. The system is powered by an internal application running on an employee's iPod touch. A customer walking into the store can use the Apple Store app to alert employees they have arrived to pick up their order. The customer's iOS device uses GPS to locate them and sends the alert when they enter the store. When an employee receives an alert, their iPod touch will display the location of the customer on a map of the store. A similar system was already being used for customers with product questions. Employees would be alerted when you asked for assistance using the iPad demo machines. The iPod-based system is meant to improve the shopping experience for customers. Says Apple employee Diego Aguirre, "We don't want to feel like we're hassling our customers to shop. We want them to feel at home." It also lets employees quickly help those customers who need assistance.
