Apple Store
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Apple Store is a chain of retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc., dealing in computers and consumer electronics. As of April 2008, Apple has opened 209 stores, including 181 in 37 US states, 15 in the UK (14 in England, one in Scotland [2]), seven in Japan, and five in Canada. Recently, Apple opened its first store in continental Europe, in Rome in Italy. In 2008, Apple will be opening three Australian stores, one located in Melbourne and two in Sydney.[3][4]
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[edit] Design and history
The stores, designed by San Francisco based design firm Eight Inc., carry Apple computers, software, iPod music players, iPhone cell phones, third-party accessories, and other consumer electronics such as the Apple TV. Many stores feature a theater for presentations and workshops, the Studio for training with Apple products, and all stores offer a Genius Bar for technical support and repairs, as well as free workshops available to the public.
The first two Apple Stores opened on May 19, 2001 in Tysons Corner, Virginia and Glendale, California.[5] Apple opened its 200th store on October 26, 2007 in Gilbert, Arizona, 2,251 days after opening its Tysons Corner store.[6] Many stores are located inside shopping malls, but Apple has since built several stand-alone "flagship" stores in high-profile locations. Flagship stores have opened in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, Osaka, London. A flagship location in Montreal will be opening soon. On May 15, 2008, a flagship store opened in Boston on Boylston Street, which is the largest store in the United States. Each flagship store was designed to suit the needs of the location and have a unique style. Apple has received numerous architectural awards for its store designs, particularly its SoHo location.[7][8]
Recently, Apple has introduced a new store layout and design with metallic walls and backlit signage. The new store design lacks a dedicated point of sale station due to increased emphasis on the handheld EasyPay system.[9][10]
Hiring at the retail store is said to be competitive. During one talk, Senior Vice President Ron Johnson said Apple hired 978 store employees during 2002 from an applicant pool of 16,438, an 'acceptance rate' of 5.95%.[11]
[edit] Genius Bar
All Apple Stores feature a Genius Bar, where customers can receive technical advice or set up service and repair for their products. The Genius Bar provides software support for Mac OS 9 or later, and hardware service on products that are not classified vintage or obsolete. However, in many cases the Geniuses will at least attempt to assist customers with older hardware.[12] Originally, visitors to the Genius Bar were offered free Evian water. Apple dropped this amenity in February 2002.
To address increasing numbers of iPod customers at the Genius Bar, some new stores also feature an iPod Bar. First seen at the Ginza store in Tokyo, then at the New York locations, the iPod Bar has become a common feature at newly built stores.[13]
Most new stores feature a station called The Studio, a Genius Bar-like setting where customers can meet with a "Creative" and receive help with projects ranging from organizing a photo album to music composition to film editing. Some of the older stores are being considered to carry a Studio in a future remodel, in some cases replacing the older theaters.
[edit] Store openings
Store openings have become special events among avid Mac users. Opening day attracts thousands of customers who line up early in the morning or even the night before. The first one-thousand customers receive a free T-shirt bearing the store's name. Most high-profile stores have more shirts and additional prizes, 1,500 free T-shirts were given away at the Buchanan Street opening in Glasgow, and 2,000 free T-shirts at the West 14th Street store in New York City. Other attractions include discounts and the so-called "lucky bags" at flagship store openings.[14]
[edit] Locations
The first two Apple Stores opened in the United States in 2001 (see history above). In 2003, Apple expanded its operations into Japan, opening the first store outside of the United States. This was followed by the opening of stores in the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy and soon three stores in Australia[15]. Apple is expected to open new stores in many more countries across the world, including France and Germany. There is also a plan to open an Apple Store in Mexico City; opening depends on the construction of an eight story annex for Torre Mayor. If so, it would become the first Apple Store in Ibero-America.[16] Reliance Retail is in talks with Apple to open an Apple Store in India.[17] Raffles Systems also plans to open a similar store in Lahore, Pakistan - the second largest city in that country. [18]
| Country | First store opened | Future stores | Total open stores |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States |
19 May 2001 | 50 (approx) | 181 |
 United Kingdom |
20 November 2004 | 4 | 15 |
 Japan |
30 November 2003 | 0 | 7 |
 Canada |
21 May 2005 | 7 | 5 |
 Italy |
31 March 2007 | 0 | 1 |
 Australia |
19 June 2008 | 3 | 0 |
 Mexico |
— | 1 | 0 |
 Germany |
— | 1 | 0 |
 Switzerland |
— | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | [16] ~70 | [16] [19] 209 | |
[edit] References
- ^ Apple Store Fashion Valley San Diego. Find a Local Guide. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ^ Official UK Apple Stores
- ^ http://www.apple.com/jobs/au/store/
- ^ http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/apple-plans-third-australian-store/2008/03/12/1205125970544.html
- ^ Timeline of Apple Stores.
- ^ Apple nearing milestone opening
- ^ Apple, a Success at Stores, Bets Big on Fifth Avenue. The New York Times (2006-05-19). Retrieved on 2006-05-19.
- ^ Apple Computer Retail Stores: Gold, Environments. Industrial Designers Society of America (2002). Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- ^ Store Redesign Photos. ifo Apple Store (2006-09-22). Retrieved on 2006-10-04.
- ^ Apple Store's Easy Pay. Adding Understanding blog (2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-04.
- ^ ifo Apple Store - Retail Store Hiring
- ^ Old School Genius. Tech Today (2005). Retrieved on 2006-10-04.
- ^ iPod Bar Japan: Great Service But The Cocktails Need Work. Gizmodo (2005). Retrieved on 2006-10-04.
- ^ Grand Opening Lucky Bags. ifo Apple Store (November 28, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- ^ Sydney Construction Underway. ifo Apple Store (April 10th,2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-21.
- ^ a b c ifoAppleStore Chronology. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
- ^ India Store. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
- ^ Pakistan Store. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
- ^ ifoAppleStore Chronology 2001-2005. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.
[edit] External links
- Apple Store official site
- ifo Apple Store — news and information about store openings
- Virtual tour of Fifth Avenue Apple Store (Google Maps Street View)
- Eight Inc. — Design Firm that has designed many of the Apple Stores
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