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Apple 6th most desirable employer for new MBAs
According to Fortune magazine, Apple is the 6th most desirable employer for new MBAs. Each year "research firm Universum surveys MBA candidates on where they'd most like to work." The list was topped by Google, with most of the rest of the top ten in financial services or computer related. Interestingly, Microsoft came in 7th right after Apple. Presumably, these MBAs don't actually know that much about what it would be like to work for these firms, meaning this is just a popularity contest. But since it's reasonable to suppose that a lot of them want to be where the action is, this does probably show something about broader perceptions of Apple, Inc. at this time.[via MacNN]
Apple is America's most profitable retailer
In May of 2001, the first Apple Store descended upon Tysons Corner Center of McLean, Virginia. Six years later, there are now 174 Apple Stores spread across the globe, with the Fifth Avenue location in New York City attracting 50,000 customers per week. Sales average $4,032 per square foot (while shops like Tiffany & Co. stand at a measly $2,666), and in 2004, Apple reached $1 billion in annual sales faster than any US retailer, while sales hit $1 billion per quarter last year. In short: Apple has become one of the most successful retailers in America. It's not sheer chance or luck that has driven the success of Apple's retail venture, however: Apple has reinvented the design and operation of the retail store from the ground up, as is noted in this excellent and enlightening Fortune Magazine article. Check it out for a fascinating look behind the scenes of the development of the Apple Store, and how Steve Jobs and co. have landed a spot in Fortune's top 10 Most Admired Companies.
Man wins $102,000, casino cries malfunction
We're fully aware that getting too clever while in a casino is likely to land you behind bars, but a Pennsylvania man is now crying foul after he got the short end of the stick in an unfortunate "mishap." The retired carpenter, who had visited the Philadelphia Park casino before, dropped his two quarters into a Wheel of Fortune slot machine only to win $102,000 -- or so he thought. The machine proudly conveyed his winnings right alongside his actual name, sending his emotions into a jovial whirlwind, but apparently the machine wasn't exactly supposed to, you know, let people hit the jackpot, and now he's fighting just to get his due reward. A spokesperson for the venue stated that it "was just an error in the communication system," but added the mistake seems to have originated in the in-house computing system, not within the machine itself. The man was offered "two tickets to the buffet" (saywha?) and advised to read the disclaimer on the machine, nullifying any awards if the machine malfunctions, but he still feels that this "fault" is illegitimate. So if you're the next person to strike it rich in a questionable casino, try not to get your hopes up too high, alright?[Via TechDirt]
Keeping the iPhone Under Wraps
Fortune Magazine has a nice article on the challenges Apple faced in keeping the iPhone under wraps for the 30 months or so it was in development. When you think about the number of folks who must have been involved, not only at Apple, but also at Cingular, Google, Yahoo, and an "unnamed Asian manufacturer," it really was pretty amazing that it was kept this quiet for this long. As the article notes "pillow talk was a challenge... Keeping secrets from loved ones is especially hard." I had never thought about that, but it's hard to imagine being satisfied with a response like "that's classified" when your spouse works at Apple, not the NSA![Via Digg]
Fortune says Wii is "scary tech"
Is it the motion-sensing Wiimote? Is it the lack of HD visuals its competitors are banking on? Is it the Wii Channels interface and always-on WiiConnect24 online service? Nope, none of the above describe why Fortune has declared the Wii one of its "scary techs of 2006." It's the name. It's the name alone.Sorry guys, you are months late for that ship, which has literally sailed off, come back and sailed off again.[Via Joystiq]
Fortune says the Wii name is "scary"
It's a bit early to be doing a year round-up, but over at CNN/Money they published the "Scariest tech of 2006," Mwahahahah! Some things deserve to be called "scary," like exploding batteries. Yes, exploding batteries are frightening. X-Men: The Official Game also deserves mention on the list, that game was scary and painful.That's about all from the really "scary" department. The rest of the list is more a showcase of greed and technological tragedy. They discuss the Window Vista security problems, unreliable VoIP service Vonage and the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray. Fortune senior editor Peter Lewis says, "l'll wait for some mad scientist in Japan to create The HD-DVD Player With Two Heads, able to play both new HD formats." Lewis, being a good editor, fence-sitting and keeping the peace.And just to beat a dead horse, already rotted beyond its comedic expiration date, the Wii made #10: "Just for the name alone."
