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Apple Store redesign in the works
Apple is planning a redesign for their retail stores, modeled after the Fifth Avenue store in New York, to allow for displaying twice as many Macs and iPods, as well as 15% more 3rd party Mac software and iPod accessories. VP of retail, Ron Johnson, released a few of these details to Bloomberg, including stainless steel walls, Italian stone floors and a new dedicated iPod Bar.The first two stores to receive the upgraded design will be in Columbia, Maryland, and the Providence, Rhode Island store we reported back in January. There's no word on whether existing stores will receive the facelift, though we would wager remodels would happen (if at all) on a very discretionary basis.Thanks Marcus
Welcome our phone-dispensing robot overlords
Say you're zoning out in SFO (that's San Francisco International Airport for the lay folk), waiting for a connecting flight, and you start to daydream about that Motorola PEBL you've had your eye on for the past few months. Wouldn't it be great if you could get the phone, like, right now, all without having to interact with a human being? Motorola has started pilot testing of its "INSTANTMOTO" automated kiosks in SFO and Macy's flagship State Street store in downtown Chicago (pictured above), offering a variety of phones -- both the unlocked and carrier-locked varieties -- and all manner of accessories. The pilot program will be expanded to a total of about 20 airport and mall locations by year's end; we're guessing it feels a little weird to feed a vending machine with a couple hundred singles, but fortunately, the vend-bot happily takes plastic.
The lowdown on Sony Ericsson's online music plans
Now that the dust's settling in the wake of Nokia's Loudeye acquisition, Sony Ericsson reckons it's time to get down to business on their own direct-to-phone music downloads. The service (which they've previously alluded to) will be called M-BUZZ and will use its PlayNow service -- currently focused mainly on ringtones and games -- to get content onto the Walkman phone of your choice. Actually, that's not quite true: M-BUZZ will initially be rockin' only on the W850 and W950 series; not quite the sweeping, retroactive compatibility we'd have liked to see, but with the W950's generous legroom for tunes, we do think they picked the right launch phone. Sony Ericsson's saying they'll be first focusing on "new and up-and-coming artists" out of Sony / ATV's library (read: crap they can't find any other way to sell?), but they seem to be leaving themselves the option of significantly expanding the catalog if the service takes off.
Nokia E70, N93 semi-officially available in US
Besides opening their second flagship store this side of the pond, Nokia had a couple other tricks up their sleeve in preparation for what has turned out to be an exciting weekend for Nokia fanboys of the American persuasion -- namely, the US releases of the E70 and N93. We can personally attest that E70s have been quietly flying off shelves of the Chicago outpost (see picture above) for the past week or so; Nokia's been unable to keep them in stock, in fact, though we don't know whether the release was supposed to have been synched with New York's grand opening today. At any rate, the model being sold is the US-friendly E70-2 variant that swaps out 3G support in favor of a GSM 850 radio, and features a black face that (in our humblest of opinions) looks better than its European counterpart. Meanwhile, the N93 is the same ol' model Europe gets, lacking 850; caveat emptor for peeps with marginal 1900 coverage. Oddly, these handsets are both still listed as "coming soon" on Nokia USA's website, and rumor has it that they may never officially be released here outside the flagship facilities, so book your flights now, folks -- they say the Midwest and the East Coast are nice this time of year.
Reminder: Grandparents contest tomorrow
We've already informed you of the contest and like the tough, determined reader you are, you've no doubt abducted your grandparent of choice from their nursing home or other place of residence and put them on a strict gaming regimen much like that of a fictitious boxer. We know you take these things seriously and look forward to winning those 2 DS Lites and 10 games. But, in case you decide you'd rather disappoint us, you could stop by for the 10% discount on all things purchased. Any of you readers planning on stopping by the event? Take some pictures and send them in. Maybe tell us how the competition went down?
Sony Ericsson planning online music store
In an announcement that has produced more questions than answers, Sony Ericsson has hinted that they'll be opening an online music store in the coming months, largely in response to Nokia's digestion of Loudeye. Of course, parent Sony runs Connect, so it remains to be seen how (or even if) the new service will integrate with it; if it does, this could be a trick way for Sony Ericsson to get more exposure with their Walkman devices than they've managed so far in the States. On the other hand, if the new service comes off feeling utterly unrelated with no value add for existing Connect customers and no motivation for adding a Walkman phone to their stable, the initiative could be dead on arrival. We're going to take a wait-and-see approach on this one; excuse us while we dump a couple thousand MP3s on our W950i.
Nokia NYC store sneak preview
Engadget Mobile has an exclusive sneak preview of Nokia's new flagship store in Manhattan. Head on over for tons of pics!
Just say no to pushy game retailers
Ben Kuchera at Opposable Thumbs is a little bit miffed about the pushy salespeople at his local GameStop and Best Buy. While annoying experiences at game stores are nothing new, having to turn down six separate over-the-counter offers when purchasing a memory card must be some sort of record.We understand that pushing used games, strategy guides and other protection plans on customers can lead to bigger game store profits (and employee bonuses), but if the hard sell starts driving away customers it can offset this advantage. Between the rude salespeople, limited selection and endless offer-pushing at many game retailers, is it a wonder that some are looking to digital distribution as the wave of the future?
A tourney for the older folk
On the 9th of September, Nintendo plans to hold a contest for "Coolest Grandparent of the Year." Now, visions of beautiful pageantry are most likely flooding your head as you soon violently cringe, thinking to yourself of how the swimsuit section of the competition might go, but rest assured that this contest is more a tournament of gaming prowess than vocalizing a desire to shelter the homeless. To Nintendo, in order to be the coolest, you have to showcase some skills in Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. At the Nintendo World store in New York City, between 12 pm and 5 pm on the aforementioned day, Grandparents with the "skillz to pay the billz" will walk away with 2 DS Lites and 10 DS games, making for one happy Matlock fan club back at the home or a few happy grandchildren.[Image credit: Old Grandma Hardcore]
Nokia comes home
After doing a little globetrotting through Moscow, Chicago, and Hong Kong, Nokia's finally ready to bring its flagship store concept to home turf. Their Helsinki location, which opens today, should offer Finns the same multimedia-in-your-face extravaganza that has blessed the three other locations opened thus far. For those keeping track, this marks flagship retail location number 4 of 18 for Nokia, with New York coming up next.[Via MobileBurn]
Helio to open flagship store in Santa Monica
Phone-oriented flagship retail locations seem to be all the rage these days, but who would've thought MVNOs would be getting into the action? MySpace-friendly Helio looks to gain some additional visibility when it opens its first of five dedicated stores in Santa Monica this October. If the renderings hold true, we have to admit the place looks pretty nifty -- just add some hot new devices to match the decor and Helio may have a winner on their hands. Additional facilities will be opening in New York, Denver, San Diego, and Palo Alto through late '06 and early '07. Any love for the midwest, guys?
Google will not compete with iTunes
For a while now, it's been an unspoken assumption that, with the introduction of a video service (that really hasn't gone anywhere), Google might try to step on Apple's toes and take on the iTMS. However, at the NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) conference this year Chris Sacca, head of Google's business development, confirmed exactly the opposite; that the company is not going to take on the 800 pound gorilla that is the iTMS. Chris then went on to make a call for the existing stores to come together, create a unified format, shake hands and sing kumbaya. A move that other notable folks, such as Cory Doctorow, have been calling for, while others respond with reality-checking prowess. Ultimately, it's probably a good thing Google isn't trying to move in on the digital music turf. It seems that some of their service offerings, such as Google Video, still need a bit of polish if they're really going to make a splash.[via Engadget]
"Destination Q" no longer a destination
Well, that was quick. Motorola's Destination Q, a "pop-up" store devoted to the Q on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, has slipped the surly bonds of this mortal plane, moving on to the great EV-DO network in the sky. Moto's calling Destination Q's run "successful," though we don't know exactly what parameters define success here -- yes, they managed to increase the Q's visibility to inescapable proportions in and around downtown Chicago, but as we found out in our visit, the store paled in comparison to Nokia's permanent location down the street. So what's next for Motorola's retail presence? They're not telling us much, but they say they're "actively evaluating and developing" the pop-up concept further; personally, we're hoping a Destination MAXX might lie in Chicago's future.[Thanks, zedwards]
iChat Mobile: could this be the iPhone?
Alright boys and girls, WWDC is less than a week away, rumors are flying and now: so are the images. This 'iChat Mobile' device could exist only in Photoshop for all we and Engadget know, but the possibilities sound pretty delicious. If you let your imagination run wild for just a little bit, however, even that slogan can sound like something Apple would produce.Could this somehow tie into iChat itself, fulfilling so many of those VoIP + Leopard rumors that have been flying around? Might this also offer a true iTMS experience, packing iPod-nano sized memory, sans a song cap? Time will only tell if WWDC reveals anything about one of Apple's worst kept secrets as of late.Alright: let the speculation continue!
Aspyr announces upcoming Gamerhood application
Aspyr has announced a new application in the works for Mac gamers that will allow them to purchase and download games directly to their Mac over the internet. A wide range of games will apparently be available, from casual titles to the AAA big-hitters. Other features of this new application and system include: Play games without physical CD/DVD media Check user compatibility by comparing machine's hardware against a game's minimum system requirements before purchase Alert users to current Aspyr projects and new games Allow users to register games online Alert users to game updates and provide installs for updates Provide a user-friendly interface and convenient way to organize personal gaming catalog Allow parents to restrict game play and online game store material based on ESRB ratings Provide users opportunity to take advantage of special offers The Gamerhood app itself will be free but only available to North American customers at launch (ETA pending).
Lucky LEM writer finds a $25 iMac at a thrift store
Some people have all the luck. In this case, it's Adam Robert Guha over at LowEndMac who found a $25 Snow iMac at a thrift store. The store (obviously) didn't know much about it, so when he got the machine home he found that it had a 500 MHz PPC CPU, 30GB hard drive and 384 MB of RAM.Adam went for the gold and found that it ran Mac OS X 10.4.7 surprisingly well, and he was able to get online with Safari. So what's a guy to do with a $25 iMac that can live and play in this modern Mac OS X world? Why, give it to his grandparents, of course! He installed Firefox, a couple of games and AOL in the hopes that this 'no cables needed' machine would inspire his grandparents to toss the Performa 630 and start blazing up the interwebs. Not a bad move for such a lucky find. Time for me to go see if my local thrift store mis-priced a PowerMac G5 as a broken air conditioner.
ProCare promo video inspired by South Park, created by Apple Store employees
We don't know how legit this is, or whether there's an Apple Store out there actually using this, but it appears as though some Apple Store employees have created a ProCare promotional video in the spirit of South Park. It features short, animated kids in a few quick scenarios of customers entering the store and requesting Procare support, as well as another customer pimping some of the various features that ProCare offers, such as personalized support and training. It probably won't make the Apple.com homepage any time soon, but it's an interesting effort from some enthusiastic employees (who probably didn't even get paid for their efforts).
Another Nokia flagship opens its doors
Can't make it to Chicago? Moscow a little out of your way? Maybe Hong Kong is a little more to your liking. On its way to 18 flagship stores worldwide, Nokia has opened its third this week -- the first in Asia -- on Russell Street, Causeway Bay. The joint looks to fit the typical Nokia flagship mold, offering a big ol' variety of Finnish hardware and packing enough LCD firepower on its walls to show a novel's worth of text messages coming across the wire from its sister stores across the globe. Any HK residents care to give us the full rundown?[Via Mobiledia]
Apple Store UK down
We're receiving tips that the Apple Store UK is down, with the infamous 'We'll be back' sticky note at center stage. There hasn't been much buzz about new products lately, and given the time of day (or night, in the UK's case), we're willing to bet this won't be anything major. Still, it's worth noting nonetheless.
Apple pulls Education iMac
A little more than a week since Apple began offering a rock-bottom priced iMac configuration targeted at educational customers, the company has stopped offering the machine to anyone other than institutional buyers. The $900 replacement for the eMac differed from the baseline consumer model only in its loss of superdrive, dedicated graphics, bluetooth, and Front Row caused a big stir with students heading back to school this fall. Rumor in the ether is that this is par-for-the-course for an education product release. The cycle goes like this: Product is announced >> lots of people get excited and order it >> Apple realizes that if they keep getting orders at the current pace, they won't be able to supply the institutional buyers who they originally targeted >> Apple pulls product from mainstream consumer stores >> ...time passes... >> the educational buying season ends >> Apple allows us regular people to place orders again. [Via MacNN]
