Tag: applestores

Jefferson Graham has written an interesting article on USA Today examining the success of Apple’s retail outlets. In particular, Graham is impressed with Apple’s “Genius Bars,” where consumers can get advice and technical assistance from Apple staffers about the company’s products. “The concept has struck such a chord that the original 10-foot Genius Bar has been extended to 40 feet in many stores and has gone from four customer stools to 20,” notes Graham.

Newsweek reports that companies such as Apple, Sony and Samsung are designing their retail stores mainly to be “cool places to hang out” unlike other electronics sellers. “The goal is to get shoppers to buy into the notion that using these products makes them part of a unique community; actually buying the products comes later (the Samsung showroom is, in fact, just for show–you’ll have to go to an old-school electronics retailer to buy the products).

Following through on its plans to have 100 retail stores open by the end of the calendar year, Apple has announced the grand openings of three new Apple Stores. On Thursday, November 4, the company will open a new store at the Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Washington. On Saturday, November 6, the company will open news stores at the Carousel Center in Syracuse, New York, and at the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Apple Stores around the world have just gone down for maintenance. Apple says they “…are busy updating the store for you and will be back within the hour.” We will keep you posted on any developments.

Apple plans to open two new retail stores next week. The company will open an Apple Store in Rancho Cucamonga, California, at Victoria Gardens on Thursday, October 28. The second store will open in Danbury, Connecticut, at the Danbury Fair Mall on Saturday, October 30. Both Apple Stores, which are of the full-size variety, were noted by MacMinute early last month. Read More

PC World found that Apple is the “clear winner” when it comes to which stores have the smartest salespeople, lowest prices, and widest selection. The magazine recently surveyed nearly 3,500 readers and shopped 15 stores (brick-and-mortar and online retailers) to come up with the results. “Mac fans, start gloating. If there’s a clear winner in our survey results, it’s Apple. Some 63 percent of survey respondents who had visited the Apple Store rated the overall quality of its buying advice a 6 or 7.

An Apple Store Calendar of Events brochure officially confirms the openings of seven new retail stores. The new Apple Stores, a few of which have been previously noted by MacMinute, include: Los Angeles, CA (Century City); Rancho Cucamonga, CA (Victoria Gardens); Danbury, CT (Danbury Fair Mall); Wilmington, DE (Christiana Mall); West Des Moines, IA (Jordan Creek); Braintree, MA (South Shore); and Lynnwood, WA (Alderwood Mall). No opening dates were provided. Read More

In his latest BusinessWeek column, Alex Salkever says that although Apple’s retail stores are firing on all cylinders, they have yet to woo enough new users to produce an increase in market share. “On the crucial basis of attracting newbies, Apple’s stores have yet to show any notable progress,” writes Salkever. “Despite Jobs & Co.’s claims that 50% of the people buying at its stores are Windows users, Apple’s market share has made no significant advances…

The iPodlounge notes that Apple retail stores have added a notice to their automated phone system that confirms the iPod mini will be available on Friday. “The iPod mini is expected to be available for sale beginning Friday, Feb. 20th at 6:00 p.m. If you wish to be contacted when the iPod mini arrives, please visit us in person and we will be happy to add your name to our Product Request System and notify you when the iPod mini begins arriving.

Apple will be holding a special shopping event at its retail stores on Friday, November 28. “You’ll want to kick off your holiday shopping at the Apple Store. We’ll be hosting an all-day shopping event designed especially for the music lovers on your list. Whether they’re Mac or Windows users, you’ll find a scintillating array of gifts, plus, a few surprises in store for you.”

Apple will be opening two new retail stores on Saturday, November 1, at 8:00 a.m. The stores are located at The Village at Corte Madera in Corte Madera, California, and the Promenade Shopping Center in Marlton, New Jersey.

Apple will be opening two new retail stores on Friday, October 24, at 8:00 p.m. The stores are located at the University Towne Centre in San Diego, California, and the Legacy Village retail complex in Lyndhurst, Ohio. Both stores will have their grand openings on the same day that Apple Stores nationwide plan to host the “Night of the Panther” special event for the release of Mac OS X 10.3 Panther.