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Apple's London Covent Garden store to open on August 7
Calling fellow Londoners! The London Evening Standard is reporting that Apple is finally set to open the Covent Garden store on August 7th. The store will be housed in a building that was built in 1877 and feature a glass roof over a courtyard that was originally for delivery by horses. The new location is comprised of four floors, the top two for offices and exhibitions and the bottom two comprising the store itself. Apple's store on Regent Street is currently the most profitable store in London based on sales per square foot, and if you've ever stepped foot in it, it shows. The Regent Street store is packed from open to close. Sometimes it's so busy, it takes you half an hour just to check out. Getting a Genius Bar appointment takes even longer -- many waiting times are measured in days, not hours. It is hoped that the Covent Garden store, which is located about a mile from the Regent Street store, will take some of the pressure off Apple's first European flagship location. Good luck to Apple with that, because most days it seems like there are as many people in Covent Garden as walking along the Oxford and Regent intersection. According to the Evening Standard, Apple spared no expense in designing the store and restoring the building. They even reportedly removed a set of brick arches piece-by-piece and then rebuilt the arches exactly as they were on a new floor. Why? Because they wanted to lower the arches by a mere four inches. The Covent Garden store opens at 10AM on Saturday, August 7th. Its normal operating hours will be 9AM-9PM Monday through Saturday and Noon-6PM on Sunday. Image from ifoapplestore.com.
Apple Retail stores closed between 4-5PM due to iPad 3G launch
Apple has decided to close all of their 220+ retail stores for one hour in advance of the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G launch in the US today. As noted on the individual retail store listings: The store will be closed from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 30, to prepare for the arrival of iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G. All store closings are local time. The closings suggest that Apple is expecting long lines even though one version of the iPad has already made its big launch. On the April 3rd iPad Wi-Fi launch, Apple sold 300,000 iPads in 24 hours. Five days after launch, Apple had reported another 150,000 units sold, bringing the total to over 450,000 units sold. This coming Monday will be exactly one month from the iPad Wi-Fi's launch. If Apple's retail preparations are correct in surmising long lines for the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G launch, it's very likely that, come Monday, Apple will be announcing more than one million iPads (between both models) sold.
How the Mac survived the recession
As we approach 2010's halfway point, it's interesting to reflect on Apple's successful navigation of the American economy's recession. With some careful inspection, we realize that Apple's portfolio of non-Macs saw it through. Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Apple 2.0 has published a chart demonstrating unit sales of Macs vs PCs over the last nine years. While the industry suffered as a whole, as did so many others, Apple sold more Macs in that span. You'll notice an off-the-chart dip in 2005-2006, which coincides with the Intel transition; a time when many users stopped buying as they waited for the new machines (The first Intel iMacs were released in January 2006). During that waiting period, Apple relied on iPod sales. By the time iPod sales slowed, shoppers were buying Macs again. Likewise, as the current recession prevented many customers from buying Macs, the iPhone sustained Apple. It will be interesting to see what the iPad has done in another year. The Mac Observer's Alexis W. Cabot has his own interpretation of this data. "Macs have been on a roll ever since I have comparable data, with an exception during the [2005-2006] Intel transition," he says. "This proves either that value is always in high demand, or that we will always have the rich among us."
iPad launch: the view from Southern Arizona
Here in Arizona one thing you see is a lot of trucks in the Apple Store parking areas. A few gun racks too. Not really the ambiance of Silicon Valley or Chicago or New York. There was a lot of enthusiasm about the iPad, especially at our one local Apple Store at the La Encantada Mall. My first stop was at the Best Buy in Oro Valley. I drove by just before 8 A.M. and 7 people were outside. They explained to me that the Best Buy had 15 to sell, and the manager would be out with claim checks. Hmmm. Only 7 people. I wasn't planning on getting an iPad just yet. No camera, no printing. What the hell. It was easy to raise my hand. They gave my my claim check, and said they would call later today when UPS arrives with the iPads. Then it was off to the Apple Store. It's the only one in Tucson. As I expected, things were hopping about 30 minutes before the doors opened. The lines were longer than the 3GS iPhone rollout and that should be encouraging for Apple. Like everywhere else there were 2 lines. One for pre-orders, the others for the hopeful hoping to bag an iPad today. The Apple Store manager told me they had a lot in stock, but didn't think the stash would hold out for everyone who wanted one. I expect that's right, as the purchase line was growing visibly longer in just the few minutes I was there. There was a big round of applause when an iPad showed up in the store window. My informal survey of line denizens indicated the 32GB version would be the top seller. It will be interesting if that holds up around the country. All in all, a good iPad day. 63 degrees, sunny, and 20% humidity. Certainly those good looking iPad screens won't be fogging up. Were you at any of the Tucson Best Buys or Apple Store? What was your experience? Photos below: %Gallery-89692%
Have an iPad reservation? Your "pick up" email has arrived
Those of us who reserved our iPads for pickup at a nearby Apple Store have been reading about all of the UPS and FedEx shipping notices that were sent with envy. Now we have something we can get excited about! Squeeeeee! This morning, Apple sent out emails to anyone who had reserved an iPad, basically telling us what we already knew -- the iPad will be waiting for us from 9 AM until 3 PM on Saturday at a specific Apple Store, that the reservation will be held only until 3 PM, and that after that time, it's up to you to fight in a to-the-death cage match for one. Well, it doesn't say the last thing, but it does say that sales will be "first-come, first-served basis while supplies last." In case you have an extremely bad memory, Apple has thoughtfully provided a small reminder of what model of Wi-Fi iPad you reserved as well. Note to reservees: be sure to print out your reservation email, laminate it, and carry it around until you actually pick up your iPad on Saturday. It will make you look like a true Apple fanboy.
Fifth Ave Apple Store is NYC's fifth most-photographed location
Philip DeWitt at Apple 2.0 is reporting that Apple's Fifth Avenue retail store is now New York City's fifth most-photographed location. The ranking is according to a year-old analysis of 35 million Flickr images by Cornell University students on a university supercomputer. So which four landmarks are beating the Fifth Ave store? The Empire State Building, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Grand Central Station, in that order. It's hard to believe the Apple Store beat the Statue of Liberty (ranked 7th). Cornell's study can be read here (PDF). It's an interesting list of the most photographed cities and landmarks around the world. Even when you take all the landmarks of the entire planet into account, the Fifth Avenue Apple Store is still ranked 28th globally. Ironically enough Peter Bohlin, the man who designed the hottest computer store on the planet, has been good-naturedly called "a total computer illiterate" by his Philadelphia partner. When Steve Jobs met with Bohlin they wondered how to turn the property, part of which was underground, into a space people would want to enter. The answer, Bohlin told Philly.com, was to make the cube into a giant skylight. "There has always been something magical about a glass building." And thus a star -- er, cube -- was born.
The saga of the Apple stair comes to a $9950 end
Ten days ago we reported that eBay seller heylookitskibbe was auctioning a stair from the staircase from the Fifth Avenue Apple retail store in New York. Shortly after our report, the stuff hit the fan. Heylookitskibbe turned out to be former Apple employee, Mark Burstiner. The stair, made by Seele GmbH exclusively for Apple, was being replaced by Seele employees when Burstiner asked if he could have it. They gave the 250 pound stair to him, which he kept for a year before auctioning it. When Seele GmbH saw the news that the stair was on eBay they claimed ownership of the stair and demand that the auction be taken down and the stair returned to them. Burstiner removed the auction but refused to return the stair, claiming that it had become his property. Yesterday we reported that, despite the legal threats, the auction was back on eBay. The auction has now come to an end with Burstiner raking in $9950 for little more than a chunk of glass thousands of people have walked on. The starting bid was $700 with a Buy It Now price of $2500.
Glass stair from Apple Fifth Ave spiral staircase on eBay
The seller says the stair is a "collectible" and could be used as a coffee table if you get some cinder blocks. He also states that "I know for a fact that only three of them exist outside of the retail stores' circulation, and this is one of them." According to the seller the stair originally cost $10,000 from a German manufacturer. That manufacturer would be Seele GmbH & Co. For a complete history of the Apple retail staircases, check out this ifoAppleStore article. Want it? Well, you're going to have to pick it up in Brooklyn, New York and the seller recommends you bring a car and a friend or two -- the step weighs 250 pounds (114 kg). Thanks to Mark for the tip!
Apple's Black Friday ad possibly leaked?
Boy Genius Report claims to have gotten its hands on Apple's Black Friday brochure. Although they had posted another brochure earlier that made less than credible claims of 30% iPod discounts and 25% Mac discounts, BGR claims this newest ad comes from "a pretty credible connect of ours." The new ad's discounts are also more in line with Apple's previous Black Friday deals, which tend to be fairly modest compared to other retailers. Below are a few of the discounts on the "leaked" ad: iMac: $101 off MacBook Pro: $51-$101 off iPod nano: $11 off iPod touch: $21-$41 off Boy Genius Report notes that these deals apply only on the online store, not at Apple's retail stores. Though this ad seems legitimate on the face of it, it's worth noting that pretty much everyone here at TUAW agreed Boy Genius Report's last "leaked" ad was a fake. So take this latest "leak" with a grain of salt. However, after taking into account Apple's Black Friday deals in earlier years, whatever discounts it offers this year are at least likely to be similar to this latest ad leak whether it's the real deal or not. [Via Mac Rumors]
Apple aims to ease iPhone purchasing at the Apple Store
While Apple has taken many steps to make the iPhone easier and more available to purchase, Apple could take more steps to make the process easier and quicker. MacRumors is reporting that Apple is about implement "iPhone Activation Zones" inside Apple Stores. They would included employees, which will be known as "iPhone Experts," who will be identified by unique clothing and name tags, and will be dedicated to activating and setting up iPhones for customers. Also, customers would be able to pre-authorize their purchase online and have their iPhone almost ready for them to purchase in-store. These optimizations could come as early as tomorrow, so keep your eye out for any changes.
Failure to launch: Apple bungles Snow Leopard distribution in New Zealand
So, how's everybody enjoying Snow Leopard? Good stuff, isn't it? Gotta love those new Exposé options in the Dock, and all that saved hard drive space, and the faster if slightly quirkier performance... isn't it, um... great?Argh. I can't keep up the charade anymore. I know nothing about the Snow Leopard experience other than what other people have told me, because it's not available in New Zealand yet (at least not outside of Auckland). And I'm not happy about it. And I'm going to rant... now.In July of 2008, the Apple-loving (and Apple-hating) world's eyes locked onto a small, isolated nation in the South Pacific: New Zealand, home to 40 million sheep and a few hundred otherwise perfectly normal human beings dressed as hobbits. Why so much attention on New Zealand? Because of all the countries getting the iPhone 3G, New Zealand was getting it first thanks to its location just west of the International Date Line. The logistics involved in a rolling launch across most of the world must have been staggeringly complex, but with a few bumps here and there, Apple pulled it off. The launch of the iPhone 3G was a success not just in New Zealand, but worldwide. That led me to believe that something similar would happen for the launch of Snow Leopard. After all, if Apple could pull off launching the iPhone 3G in so many countries on the same day, it ought to be a simple matter to do the same thing with a much smaller and simpler product. I mean, it's got to be harder to coordinate the launch of a big ol' phone compared to what's essentially just a plastic disk in a box, right? Right...?Well, not so much. Apple has fumbled the NZ launch of Snow Leopard like a wide receiver wearing butter-coated gloves. Plus the receiver is blind. Also, he doesn't know how to play football.
Apple's new online tool lets you check iPhone 3GS availability from the comfort of your own home
If you're one of the hapless folks out there still having trouble tracking down a new iPhone 3GS, Apple is making things a little bit easier on you with an online tool to check up on stock at Apple retail stores. There's a full breakdown of color and capacity, which might seem like overkill to some, but given the fact that stores with stock in all four current models are a bit of an exception (outside of NYC, anyways), we'd have to say that this is just the sort of overkill we need.[Via iLounge]
Apple stores roll out revised One to One support & training program
If you have purchased a Mac from Apple's online or retail stores in recent years, then you probably were offered a membership in an exclusive club known as "ProCare." ProCare's most valuable assets were advanced placement in the in-store repair queue and initial setup for new Macs, as well as free hour-long training sessions. The service, which debuted in 2004, was changed in 2007 when "One to One" was introduced, effectively splitting ProCare's training benefits into a separate service.While ProCare is not changing, One to One is being beefed up to offer some new features as well as some new limitations. ProCare's complete Mac setup & data transfer is now included with One to One. Previously, One to One only included a "simple" setup.Other changes for One to One include exclusive workshops only available to One to One members as well as the new "Personal Projects" session for larger blocks of time. Now members can reserve a session for up to a three hour block of time to create, with an Apple trainer's assistance, "anything ... you can dream up." Similar to workshops, Personal Projects are a group activity in that several members will be present; while a workshop includes members working on the same topic, a project session includes members working on individual and unrelated tasks.One to One is also now only available with the purchase of a new Mac at an Apple store; this is in contrast to the previous One to One and current ProCare services which could be purchased at any time. One to One memberships are also now only renewable two times for a maximum membership duration of three years. Existing memberships (beginning prior to June 2, 2009) in One to One will be renewable only one time.You can purchase a new One to One membership along with a new Mac at any Apple Retail store now. According to Apple this service's availability will expand to Apple's online channel in the near future. The question, One to One members, is this: are you happy about the new features of One to One, or do you wish it had not changed? If you aren't already a One to One member, will you be joining the club the next time you purchase a Mac?
Apple permitted to fly flag
Just this week, Apple was granted permission to fly a 19.5 square-foot flag at the forthcoming Santa Barbara, CA Apple Store. The only other Apple Stores to have a flag London's Regent Street and Pasadena, California. The odd thing is that the flag will be this store's only external sinage.When Apple was developing the store on Boston's Boylson Street, they had trouble getting the facade approved by the Back Bay Architectural Commission and went through several revisions before everyone was satisfied. The Santa Barbara store, which is likely to open next month, will be California's 43rd location.[Via ifoAppleStore]
Lucky Bags sold in Japanese Apple Store
Fukubukuro, or "Mystery Bag," is a Japanese New Year's Day tradition during which merchants sell sealed bags of various items at a substantial discount, often as high as 50%. Apple participated this year, and one lucky shopper, Justin, blogged his experience. For the approximate equivalent of $384US, Justin received an 8 GB iPod touch Nike iPod sensor and armband Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere2 speaker set Cool, re-useable bag (at right) Commemorative T-shirt 2009 calendar Quite a haul! Shoppers lined up at midnight on January 2nd for a chance to buy one of Apple's Mystery Bags. I'm thinking that US retailers need to adopt this tradition. [Via ifoAppleStore]
US Apple Stores to open at 8:00 AM on Friday
Rise and shine, shoppers. According to AppleInsider, Apple retail stores will open at 8:00 AM this Friday, July 11th to begin selling the iPhone 3G. AT&T stores will also open at 8:00AM.The longer work day will create time for the in-store activations, credit checks, etc. that the new iPhone will require. For me, this is a real bummer. Activating my original iPhone via iTunes in the quiet comfort of my own home was a pleasure; a typically "Apple" experience. Now, I've got to stand around like every other shmoe and wait for the workers to click this, type that, sign here and blah, blah. Oh, well.
Apple Store Beijing to open July 19
Last February, we forwarded a report on China's first Apple Store. At the time, it seemed the store would open on August 8th to coincide with the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics.This week, The Shanghai Daily is reporting that the Sanlitun-based store will open on July 19, with a second store also scheduled to open during the Olympic Games (in the Qianmen area). China is the world's largest mobile phone market and second largest computer market.No official opening dates have been released, so please send us any specifics or spy shots you take. Thanks![Via MacNN]
Apple Camp '08 schedule posted
Today Apple posted the schedule for Apple Camp. Apple Camp is held at Apple retail stores for kids 8-12 to go learn about creative things like: making presentations with Keynote, taking and managing photos with iPhoto, creating music with GarageBand, and making movies with iMovie. Each sessions lasts about 3 hours and is available at all Apple retail locations. Kids attending will receive a DVD or CD with their creations on it, field guide, t-shirt, and will be able to get other giveaways. Best of all, Apple Camp is free though registration is required.Kids under 13 must have a parent/guardian present; otherwise, you'll have to bring an Apple permission slip (PDF link). You can now register on Apple's Camp registration website.
Apple posts job listings for Munich Apple Store
In June of last year, we wrote about the Apple Store that has been planned for Munich, Germany. At the time, rumors identified an opening date of "...the 2nd half of 2008."Today, Apple has posted several retail job openings for Munich, from concierge up to store manager; eleven in total. If they've begun looking for employees, the store must be near completion. The iPhone was made available to Germans in November of last year, and a June store opening would coincide nicely with the rumored 3G iPhone release.If you're a TUAW reader in Munich, head down to 1 Rosenstrasse (formerly home to Sport Schuster sporting goods) and let us know what you find! The time has almost come for Germany's first Apple Store!Thanks, Chris!
Apple retail to adopt department-specific uniforms
Much like crew of the Starship Enterprise, the roles played by employees at Apple Retail stores will be identifiable by the color of their shirts.Now, before you confuse the guys in blue shirts for science officers and those in red for security, we'll explain how it's going to work. According to a post at ifoAppleStore, Geniuses and Creatives will wear dark blue. Specialists will wear light blue, and the Concierge will wear orange. Also, orange shirts will bear the slogan, "I know people," while the dark blue will read, simply, "Business." Finally, the crew in the back room will wear the traditional black T-shirt, assuming the role of the guy you don't recognize in an away team who's sure to die.One must imagine that the Concierge will console irate customers by offering them Earl Grey tea "...in my ready room."
