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Iconic NY store's extensive Mac collection is up for auction
Tekserve, a landmark New York City Apple dealer and repair center for 29 years, closed this week and is auctioning off its huge collection of computers and other tech. The centerpiece is a 35-piece (mostly) Macintosh collection from its Mac Museum, which only includes groundbreaking or special models and "consciously omits variants." Highlights include a 128K Macintosh signed by Steve Wozniak, a Lisa and a NeXTcube. So far, the top bid is $31,000.
Tekserve CTO speaks out on the trouble with managing iPad business migrations
Macworld has a fascinating interview up with Aaron Freimark, the CTO of NYC's well-loved independent Apple retailer Tekserve. Freimark's current job is to help companies do something we've talked about here quite a few times before: implement iPhones and iPads into their business environments. When the iPad first arrived, any inclusion in a workplace was fairly novel, but these days, iPads are used in lots of various industries and workflows, and Freimark is helping companies figure out best practices and plans for how to implement Apple's products in their business. It turns out there are quite a few complications in deploying iPads on a large scale, which Freimark and his team continue to try and figure out. Each device needs to have an Apple ID connected to it, he says, but of course that ID can match up to one specific person, rather than the company at large, so coordinating those numbers can be a pain. (The alternative, having one Apple ID for all the deployed devices, would mean that employees would have a hard time customizing their iPads with apps they choose.) Just buying the apps as well can be an issue -- when a company wants to buy something like 50,000 copies of one app for distribution, it can be hard for both Apple and the company to get payment across in the right way. Even Apple's VPP program for business app buying is not a panacea. And Freimark says that even when companies decide to take the leap into iPad deployment and run a pilot program, that program can often end up being messier than it needs to be, and might convince the company that it shouldn't have tried to include Apple's device in the first place. Tekserve is doing its best to help companies smooth over that process, and I'm sure that as we see more and more large companies integrate the iPad in their businesses (and Apple makes even better tools for doing so), the whole process will become easier over time. Freimark also mentioned that he collaborated with Greg Moore on an AppleScript technique for creating those thousands of Apple IDs automatically, rather than manually. You can check out the script on the Enterprise iOS site.
8 clever iPhone headphone tricks from Tekserve
You see them everywhere -- the ubiquitous white iPhone headphones. For many people, they're just a way to listen to your tunes and look cool, but to the Apple Specialists at New York City's Tekserve, the standard Apple headphones a powerful tool for controlling your iPhone. Tekserve's Chris D'Lando served up a tasty platter of eight iPhone headphone tricks, some of which might be old hat to iPhone aficionados, but all deserve another look. First, did you know that you can summon Apple's intelligent assistant Siri by pressing and holding the center button on your headphones? This is very helpful when your iPhone is in a pocket or bag and you need to get Siri's help. Next, if you're using Apple's Camera app, you can squeeze the volume up (+) button to take a photo. This is especially useful if your iPhone is mounted on a tripod and you want the equivalent of a shutter release cable to avoid shaking your iPhone when snapping a photo. D'Lando also shares three great tips on placing and receiving phone calls. If a phone call comes in and you want to decline it, holding the center button for about two seconds and then releasing it will decline the call. Two beeps give you verification that the call was declined. Next, if you decide to answer the call, just give the center button a squeeze to do so. That same gesture also hangs up your call when you're done. Finally, if you're on a call and another call comes in, you can switch to the incoming call (or back to the original call) with a quick squeeze of the center button. Holding that center button for two seconds when another call is coming in will switch to the new call and hang up the original call. Many iPhone owners who listen to music on their devices probably already know the last three tips, but those in a mood for learning can head on over to the original post and check out numbers 3, 4 and 5. If you're in or near NYC, be sure to look into Tekserve Academy for classes they've developed to help you get the most out of your iPhone.
New York's Tekserve gets major facelift
It's one of New York's great indie Mac retailers, made famous by Sex and the City and made successful by thousands of loyal customers... but, if we're going to be frank about it, it was a little bit cluttered and cramped. That's why the team at Tekserve spent most of the Memorial Day weekend ripping out the furniture and refreshing the store layout from the (newly sanded) floorboards up. Store manager Paul Rechsteiner showed me around this week, pointing out the custom product tables (topped with wood recycled from the Coney Island boardwalk), the expanded staging area for repair consultations and the small assortment of non-Apple phones alongside the iPhone (Tekserve is a Verizon reseller now, which allows them to sell the iPhone). All in all, the changes make for a more pleasant shopping experience; there are still a few rough spots to iron out, but considering this was done almost entirely by the store's staff in just a few days, it's quite impressive. Tekserve's official launch for the new store setup is this Friday, June 3, and they'll be offering discount specials until July 3 to commemorate the occasion. Check the website for details.
A bit of [Big] Apple history: visiting Tekserve
It may have lost a bit of luster compared to the chrome, glass and steel of Apple's nearby retail stores (one within easy walking distance, in fact), but there's no denying the draw of New York City's original Apple emporium, the delightfully idiosyncratic Tekserve. Featured on an episode of Sex and the City, the venerable Mac repair and retail shop maintains its own clientele and distinctive look as the possibility of yet a 4th NYC Apple store looms large. Not to take anything away from the city's other indie Mac shops; we love them dearly, but they often find themselves overshadowed by the Big T. Since my office is roughly equidistant from both the W. 14th Street Apple Store and Tekserve (although, now that I've checked, I realize I'm slightly closer to Mike Volchok's Mike's Tech Shop -- noted for next time!), I decided to go old school today when I picked up my copy of Snow Leopard, and I snapped a few iPhone pics of the store while I was there. Enjoy! %Gallery-71241%
Steep discounts on Microsoft Office 2008 for Friday
Say what you will about Microsoft Office 2008, but even with the advent of productivity suites in the cloud and from the open source world, there's still a lot to be said for having the industry standard package tucked away on your Mac in case you need it. If you don't own it yet, you might consider picking up a copy today: there are multiple deals on Office 2008 Special Media Edition, which includes Expression Media 2 (successor to the veteran content manager iView Media). Microsoft has dropped the list price of the software to $149 for today only, a 70% discount, and you can do even better than that: Amazon has a one-hour deal for $99 for Office 2008 SME, expiring shortly; for even more savings, NYC retailer Tekserve has the same product for $79, good through 11/30, along with a pageful of other Mac and iPod deals. Time to warm up the checkbook. Thanks TJ & everyone who sent this in.
Tekserve joins in the discount Friday fun
NYC's venerable Mac retailer Tekserve has posted a list of discounts for its post-Thanksgiving one day sale, available in person or on phone orders. The savings include a steep 30% discount on the Elgato EyeTV Hybrid and Turbo.264 units; a $300 savings on the previous-edition 24" iMac, $40 off a LaCie 160GB portable drive (first 50 customers only), and plenty more.The days of BARS may be well behind us (Before Apple Retail Stores), but Mac users of longer memories will recall how challenging it once was to find a storefront shop with the savvy, supply and sticking power to serve the Apple customer community. This holiday season, in addition to your shopping excursions to the mothership's outlets, please make an effort to support the remaining independent resellers who stood by the platform during the lean years.Is your local indie Mac shop offering Friday sale discounts? Post a comment here to let us know and we'll summarize the sales on Friday morning.
Found Footage: Tekserve iPod ad
Those wacky folks at Tekserve took about $60,000 worth of iPods, lined them up, and made this ad and then they sent it to the Consumerist.. Check it out, and if you are in the New York City area you should check out Tekserve. It is an experience. Thanks, Kim.