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Posts tagged with "apple store"

Apple Storefronts Photos→

Apple Storefronts Photos

Thomas Park (via MacRumors) has created an impressive gallery of storefronts photos from every Apple Store around the globe as of September 2011. The 357 stores, organized by opening date thanks to ifoAppleStore’s database and presented through Apple’s original photos from its website, include the most recent additions such as IFC Mall in Hong Kong and Centro Sicilia in Italy. The full gallery, available here, allows you to filter stores by country with a navigation menu at the top.

Way back in August of 2001, some good friends and I took a road trip down to Virginia to attend a Radiohead concert. Unfortunately the rains came, the venue got flooded, and the concert was cancelled. Disappointing, but as something of a concession prize, I got to check out the very first brick & mortar Apple Store, which had opened in Tysons Corner just a few weeks earlier. At the time, most analysts considered Apple’s fledgling retail initiative to be doomed. But though Tysons Corner seemed like a modest start, it was a blueprint for big things to come.

Park notes that in taking a look at the gallery, it’s clear Apple follows some design conventions but they’re not afraid of breaking them and trying something new according to a retail location’s unique properties and features. So whilst most stores in the United States and Europe follow a consistent design trend, others have seen a kind of experimentation that has lead to beautiful and original designs like Regent Street, Fifth Avenue, or State Street in Santa Barbara.

Apple’s next flagship store in Grand Central Terminal is currently undergoing construction and is set to open soon. At the Q4 2011 earnings call, Apple announced that they opened 30 new retail stores in the September quarter, 21 of which were international (non-US) stores. Average revenue per-store was $10.7 million with overall revenue from retail up 1% at $3.6 billion.

Check out Thomas Park’s gallery here.

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Apple Store App Updated with Personal Pickup and EasyPay

Two weeks ago Apple began rolling out a new initiative that allowed customers to order products through the online Apple Store and go to a retail store to collect them. Apple quickly trialled the initiative for three San Francisco stores before rolling it out to the rest of the Apple Stores in the Bay Area and New York City. Following speculation that suggested Apple could release an updated Apple Store app last Thursday, and then on Friday alongside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store renovations, the company has released Apple Store 2.0 in the App Store last night, enabling a number of functionalities such as Personal Pickup and EasyPay.

Personal Pickup lets customers decide to order an item online and pick it up at a local retail store. Apple says most products will be available within an hour in the US, although rumors claimed customers would be able to walk into sa store within 12 minutes after the purchase, skip lines and pick up their order. There’s no confirmation of this except that the feature is US-only for most in-stock orders.

Another new feature is EasyPay, a built-in functionality of the app that lets customers complete an in-store transaction for select accessories by quickly scanning a barcode with the iPhone’s camera. The feature is US-only and it requires the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S, and an Apple ID with iTunes credit will be used to complete transactions.

Last, the updated Apple Store app comes with a new order status section in the More tab to track current and previous orders.

This 2.0 update largely falls in line with rumors from the past weeks, focusing on self-checkout and in-store pickups as the main new features for customers and Apple retail employees. These new features are, apparently, something Apple is heavily betting on to facilitate the shopping experience at its retail stores, and they are available now in the free update from the App Store.

iPhone 4S Sales Now Reservation-Only At Retail Stores In US and Canada→

iPhone 4S Sales Now Reservation-Only At Retail Stores In US and Canada

MacRumors reports Apple has updated its website for customers in the US and Canada, noting that the iPhone 4S is only available for in-store reservation. On the other hand, European stores such as the UK one still report walk-in purchases on a first-come, first-served basis are available.

Apple has updated its “how to buy” page for the iPhone 4S to note that Apple retail stores in the United States and Canada are now selling the device on a reservation-only basis. Customers will need to visit Apple’s site after 9:00 PM each evening to reserve a phone for the following day.

In the UK, however, walk-in purchases are available for iPhone 4S on contract, not unlocked devices sold SIM-free. This particular measure has been likely put in place to avoid the long lines of grey market buyers that characterized the iPhone 4 launch last year; in the US and Canada, bigger markets for Apple than other launch countries of the iPhone 4S, reservation-only means Apple is perhaps trying to avoid the long lines and disappointed customers of last year, whilst retaining a retail distribution channel (which grants customers a free Personal Setup session with an Apple employee) at the same time. It’s very likely that this “restriction” will fade alongside Apple’s initial launch window (Apple also had to ramp up production of the 4S for 22 more countries on October 28th) and that remaining stock at the end of the day could be distributed to walk-in purchasers.

Earlier today, Apple announced over 4 million iPhone 4S units were sold during the first weekend, making the iPhone 4S the most successful iPhone launch in Apple’s history.

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iPhone 4S Lines Around The World

As the iPhone 4S begins its international rollout, lines have begun forming at Apple retail stores in preparation of tomorrow’s product launch. The iPhone 4S, announced at a media event last week, will go on sale tomorrow at 8 am in seven countries: US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Australia. The device will be available in two colors (black, white) and three storage sizes (16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB); in the United States, it will be available on carriers AT&T, Verizon and, for the first time, Sprint. Soon after the pre-orders for the device started online, Apple announced they had already topped 1 million; those who haven’t been able to pre-order an iPhone 4S, or have decided to avoid the online process altogether, are now camping out hoping to get one tomorrow morning.

As we did with our iPad 2 coverage earlier this year, we’re collecting some of the best photos and videos people waiting in line at Apple stores are posting online. We’ll be updating this post throughout the next 24 hours, so make sure to come back later for the latest updates and photos from around the globe.

If you want to send us photos or videos from your local Apple store line, send us an email at: tips at macstories.net

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Apple Continues Opening New Stores This Weekend

Apple has been very active the last few months in opening numerous new Apple Stores across the world and this weekend is no exception, with a total of six new stores opening. It starts with the Nanjing East store in China opening tomorrow (Friday, September 23) and then the IFC (Hong Kong), Hornsby (Australia), Centro Sicilia (Italy), New Haven (Connecticut) and Metrotownn (Canada) Apple Stores will open on Saturday.

The Nanjing East store (shown above) is the third Apple has opened in Shanghai, but this one is a little more interesting because in addition to spanning two floors, ifoAppleStore notes that three additional levels will be used as training rooms, meeting rooms and administrative offices. Jump the break for some picture of the store.

Over in Hong Kong, Apple will this Saturday open a store in the IFC Mall (shown below), the first to be located in Hong Kong. ifoApple Store notes that the store will occupy two levels and feature a unique design:

The rear wall of both levels are glass windows looking out towards the city. On the inside, the lower level has two wide stainless steel walls, with a visitor entrance in the middle. The walls include back-lit display cases promoting Apple’s products. The upper level has an all-glass front window visible from the mall hallway.

[Via ifoApple Store [1] [2], Shanghaiist]

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Apple Introduces Their Online Store For Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and UAE

Apple customers in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates can today finally purchase Apple products and accessories directly from the online Apple store. The introduction of the online stores in these respective countries is the first avenue in which Apple can directly sell products to consumers located in those countries. Apple has no physical Apple retail stores in these countries and did not previously operate an online store. Consequently, until today the only way to purchase an Apple product from within these countries has been from authorised Apple resellers or importing.

The introduction of the new Apple Stores is displayed prominently on the front of the respective Apple websites in the four countries. The United Arab Emirates banner is shown above, it features a welcome slogan and confetti streaming down in the nations colours. You can see the Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary versions below the break.

[Via MacRumors]

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Apple Tweaks Italy Prices As VAT Rises to 21%

Apple’s online store with updated prices

Apple today took down its online store in Italy, raising prices for several products in order to account for Italy’s increase of value-added tax (VAT,  known as IVA – “imposta sul valore aggiunto” – in Italy) from 20% to 21% as part of the recently approved austerity bill.

iOS devices have seen a small bump in prices with the 1% VAT increase. The 16 GB iPad 2, for instance, rises from € 479 to € 483; the 32 GB and 64 GB models have changed to € 583,83 and € 684,65, respectively. The entry-level iPhone 4 rises from € 539 to 543,50; the iPod touch goes from € 239 to € 241. The iPod line sees another minor bump with the iPod nano (€ 169 to € 170,40), iPod shuffle (€ 55 to € 55,45) and iPod classic (€ 247 to € 249,05). The Apple TV goes from € 119 to € 120.

As for the Mac, the biggest change can be seen in the standard configuration of the Mac Pro, updated from € 2399 to € 2419. Apple’s online store just came back online, and its VAT (IVA) footnote still reports 20%. Changes, however, can be compared in the screenshots above and below.

When the UK’s VAT rate changed from 17.5% to 20% earlier this year, Apple took down its online store to modify the prices accordingly, without absorbing the tax increase by reducing their prices.

Apple’s online store before the VAT increase

[image via setteB.IT]

3G iPad 2s Receive Regulatory Approval In China, First Hong Kong Apple Store Opening Soon

The Wall Street Journal is today reporting that the 3G models of the iPad 2 may eventually be launching in China after the Chinese ‘Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center’ approved the device. Although a specific launch date is not yet known and China Unicom declined to comment to the Wall Street Journal.

Based on the information contained in the Wall Street Journal report, the model (A1396), is the same as the US model that went on sale in March. Those in China have been able to purchase the WiFi models of the iPad 2 since it launched on May 6th but the 3G models were forced to go through additional regulatory approvals.

According to China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China. The device, listed under model number “A1396,” is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple’s local iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Interestingly, the 3G versions of the iPad 2 mysteriously appeared yesterday, and promptly disappeared, from the official Apple website. Penn Olson managed to take a screenshot of the page which details prices starting at 4,688 RMB for the 16 GB version, 5,488 RMB for the 32 GB version and 6,288 RMB for the 64 GB version - all of which had estimated shipping times of 2-3 weeks.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Apple has confirmed that they will be officially opening this quarter, with Engadget China claiming a September 24th date. The store is located in the International Finance Center’s IFC mall and is currently covered up in large, striking red banners with the slogan “The new center of Central”.

[Via MacRumors]

Apple Upgrading their Fifth Avenue Store with Larger, Seamless Panes of Glass

Apple’s flagship retail store on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, is getting a new glass frame according to a new informational sign posted on the outside barrier of the store.

We’re simplifying the Fifth Avenue cube. By using larger, seamless pieces of glass, we’re using just 15 panes instead of 90.

Detailing the upgrades in an informational notice, Apple shows off past and present examples of the Fifth Avenue retail store, showing a reduction in glass panels from 90 to just 15 large strips (three vertical panes on each side and three on top). The appearance of the renovated Fifth Avenue will be much cleaner, and visually more seamless. According to MacRumors, the $6.6 Million upgrade includes work on drains, pavers, and the plaza bollards in addition to the glass replacement.

[via MacRumors]