Scheduling a Genius Bar or One to One training session appointment has never been that difficult. Just go to Apple’s web site, enter some information, and you’re done. But a new rumor over at AppleInsider suggests that it’s about to become even easier, thanks to a […] Read more »
Apple previewed its Upper West Side store in New York yesterday. Besides welcoming the media into the company’s latest example of retail minimalism taken to its logical extreme, Apple Senior VP Ron Johnson talked retail. Glass and stone enclose 8,500 square feet of retail space on street […] Read more »
Finally, Apple is beginning the roll-out of its iPod touch-based payment and checkout system for retail stores. According to an exclusive report over at AppleInsider, the Mac maker will begin retiring its current Windows CE-based devices and implementing the new system within a couple of weeks. […] Read more »
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Talk about biting someone else’s style. Not only is Microsoft trying to add some cool factor to its brand using celebrity influence, a game which Apple has long had in the bag, now it’s also opened its first official brick-and-mortar retail store, and it even just […] Read more »
The New York Times reported yesterday that entertainment super giant Disney is planning to reboot its entire chain of global retail stores as part of a major new strategy and vision inspired and guided by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. In the current economic climate, most retailers […] Read more »
It took the designer-store concept from Apple. It took the Genius Bar concept from Apple. What’s left for Microsoft to take from Apple as it gears-up to the launch of its first brick-and-mortar retail stores? Well, the staff, of course. According to The Loop, Microsoft is […] Read more »
In the past, to buy an iPhone you’ve had to either deal with Apple or one of its worldwide providers directly, or try your chances with online retailers, some of whom can be rather shady. Getting a carrier unlocked version was even trickier. But as of […] Read more »
When Apple changed its One to One policy, I had no idea it would eventually affect me personally. As a consumer who recently upgraded to a high-end digital camera, I am also looking to upgrade my digital photo editing and organizing software. Naturally, as a contributor […] Read more »
It seems like Apple’s retail initiatives are always shrouded in a dark veil of secrecy. Though we often hear how well they’re doing financially, what do those numbers look like on the inside? What figures does a typical Apple store track? Straight from the horse’s mouth, […] Read more »
As we discussed yesterday, there have been quite a few instances where Apple’s retail plans have been re-evaluated or changed to meet the needs of the business or traffic in the store. Without further ado, here’s the final installment of my Top 10 Apple Retail Flops. […] Read more »
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As Microsoft proudly ventures into the retail world that has already seen quick entrances and exits by other vendors like Gateway and Dell, many Apple fans are looking towards the new Microsoft stores with mixed feelings. Some of the more dedicated fanboys are quick to call […] Read more »
The locations of the first Microsoft Retail Stores have been announced. Microsoft’s foray into brick-and-mortar retail will begin in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Viejo, Calif., CNET News‘ Ina Fried reported in an article yesterday. Microsoft confirmed it has signed leases for both locations, where it expects to […] Read more »
Last week Gizmodo published a leaked proposal (32MB PDF) from marketing agency Lippincott detailing plans for Microsoft’s upcoming brick-and-morter retail stores. It makes for mind-numbing reading, running at a mammoth 124 pages of (mostly) brain-freezing execu-speak. I’m glad I don’t work in Marketing. It’s a troubled, […] Read more »
Microsoft is counting on a turncoat to help jump-start its recently-announced efforts to compete with Apple on the retail store front. Former VP of Apple’s Real Estate department, George Blankenship, has been confirmed as a consultant attached to Microsoft’s retail efforts, which should bear fruit beginning […] Read more »
I posted a while back about Apple’s freely available Summer Camps for Kids. These camps let children pick an iLife application that they’d like to learn about during a 3-hour session in an Apple retail store. My son just attended his first Apple Camp and loved […] Read more »
They say you can’t time the market, but for some lucky folks, there is special time to buy a new Mac and related accessories. By doing nothing other than waiting for this magic time, you could save an average of 5-9 percent on a new computer. […] Read more »
In May of 2001, Apple opened its first retail outlet store in Tysons Corner, Virginia – it was immediately met by critics and the typical roster of Apple-haters with predictions of doom and massive financial losses. Eight years later, Apple has over 255 retail stores worldwide, and are the darling of the retail computer industry. So what makes them so successful?
While the Mac, iPod and iPhone are what makes Apple successful, the formula for their retail store’s success isn’t so obvious until you actually visit an Apple store. Sure, great products sell themselves, but Apple has made sure that their products have the best opportunity to do so by creating an environment that offers virtually no reason for a buyer to go elsewhere. Read more »
This weekend featured the grand opening of Apple’s latest retail store, Scottsdale Quarter, in beautiful Scottsdale, Ariz. As evidenced by looking at the front of the building, this particular store quickly stands out among the rest of Apple’s retail lineup. Hello, New Architecture A few weeks […] Read more »
Apple is working hard to remodel 100 of its stores this year, according to a report in USA Today. The work will include creating more room for product displays and Genius Bar customer training. Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of retail, explained that new tables […] Read more »
If you’re still skittish about being locked in for a lengthy contract and don’t mind the fact that new hardware will almost undoubtedly be hitting the streets in only a couple of short months, and if you have money lying around not doing anything useful, Buy.com […] Read more »
Taking charge of your own retail distribution is a questionable move even in the best of times, but it looks like Microsoft is bent on opening up another battleground between themselves and Apple, and that’s where they want to do it. It’s a gutsy move on […] Read more »
A new report from eMarketer says that the number of online shoppers who watch retail videos grew by 40 percent last year. A product video or demo can give consumers a sense of how an item actually works, and eMarketer writes that e-commerce video can reduce […] Read more »
One of the announcements coming out of Macworld last week was the upcoming release of Lightspeed 3.0, an update to the Mac Point-of-Sale software. Lightspeed is a complete POS solution that covers both front counter and back office retail needs, and one of the few that […] Read more »
News broke yesterday that Wal-Mart will indeed be selling Apple’s iPhone, most likely by the end of December. The source of the information is employee training materials, and employees of the U.S.-based retail giant themselves. Wal-Mart is still keeping mum about the news, having made no […] Read more »
Troubled electronics retailer Circuit City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today, as the company attempts to restructure and fend off creditors. Read more »
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Richard Haddock, President of the Haddock Corporation, an Apple reseller that has been in the Mac business seriously since there have been Macs. I first found Haddock a couple of years ago when, in a panic over accidentally wiping […] Read more »
Since the launch of the original iPhone back in June 2007, the only place you could (legally) get an iPhone in the US was either at one of Apple’s 197 retail stores or one of AT&T’s 1,800+ retail stores. As of Sunday, that number of locations […] Read more »
iPod vending machines aren’t new. They’ve been spotted in Japan, where just about everything (farm fresh eggs, hot ramen, etc.) can be purchased via vending machine. And since late 2005 they’ve been seen in airports, places where visitors can be trapped for hours on end looking […] Read more »
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