Filed under: Apple Corporate, Hardware, Retail, Mac ProWhile researching MacBook Pros, the folks at cmyplay produced an infographic charting the relative prices of MacBook Pros around the world. The variation is amazing.

The lowest cost was found in the US ... mostly. Certain models cost less in Hong Kong, but as the author notes, that could be due to exchange rate fluctuations. Prices were significantly higher in South Africa. For example, an entry-level 13" MacBook Pro 2.26GHz in South Africa retails for about the same prices as a mid-level 15" MacBook Pro (2.53GHz) in the US. Note that Apple does not have official representation in South Africa.

However, the highest prices were found in Brazil (where Apple does have official representation). As cmyplay notes, "For the amount to purchase a top-of-the-line MacBook Pro 2.8GHz in Brazil, a person could buy two of the same machine in the US." One Brazilian commenter noted that Brazil's import duties and sales tax, especially on electronics, is very high.

Good work, cmyplay! Your graphic is beautiful and offers a perspective we might not otherwise have considered. Make sure you visit the post to see the full image.

[Via Gizmodo]TUAWMacBook prices around the world originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Retail, AppleThe San Jose Mercury News is reporting that Apple may be moving its store in downtown Palo Alto, CA to a new, larger space that would be "a new prototype for the company." Planning documents quoted by the newspaper describe a store that has a completely transparent facade at street level and huge interior skylights. There will be so much daylight in the stores that trees can be grown inside the building.

The store is planned for 340 University Avenue, where a Z Gallerie furniture store was formerly located (see photo at right). The architectural review board for Palo Alto voted 3 - 0 in favor of allowing the project to move forward.

According to the article, the architectural firm involved in the new store is Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. This firm designed the Apple flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, which is a huge glass cube above ground level with the store located beneath the cube. Apple has declined to comment about the proposal, and the applicant for architectural approval was not specifically named, but the architectural review board chair, Alexander Lew, says that "a lot of people have kind of guessed" that the tenant is Apple.

The developers sent the city a note stating that "The proposed store is a new prototype for the applicant. Fully half the function of the store serves to provide education and service to business as well as customer patrons in addition to product sales. The store is a commons for the applicant's community to gather."

The memo continues to say that the glass storefront "dissolves the boundary that traditional store facades create. By not breaking the horizontal ground plane of the sidewalk with opaque wall or landscape element, for example, the street is made part of the store's interior; the pedestrian is in the store before entering it."TUAWApple prepping new prototype retail store in Palo Alto, California? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mercury News found that Apple's going to kill its downtown Palo Alto store and build a crazy one one block over. Essentially, it's the California equivalent of a transparent NY cube, which means it has trees inside. The architectural firm responsible for the skylights that will feed the trees inside is the same one that built that transparent cube in New York, and plans to make the store 10,700 square feet and basically make the thing sort of inside out. The point? To "[minimize] the transition from outside to inside and [draw] customers in." [Mercury News via Macrumors]

Filed under: RetailFukubukuro, or "Mystery Bag," is a Japanese New Year's Day tradition during which merchants sell sealed bags of various items at a substantial discount, often as high as 50%. Shoppers may get some great deals on the contents of these bags - even if they don't know what exactly they're buying. Japanese Apple Stores have participated since 2005. Once again, this year, they're offering mystery bags to Japanese Apple Store customers.

Stores will begin selling a limited number of Lucky Bags for the equivalent of $380US on January 2nd. But the fun doesn't end there. Each store will offer workshops on photography, video-making and presentations to kids aged eight to 12-years-old. Adults can share in the fun too, as a contest will be held to find the best New Year's greeting card created on a Mac. All contest participants will receive a small gift.

If you attend, let us know. Last year, a reader received an 8 GB iPod touch, a Nike iPod sensor and armband, a Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere2 speaker set, a cool, re-useable bag (above), a commemorative T-shirt and a 2009 calendar for the approximate equivalent of $384US. Shoppers began to line up at midnight the day before in 2009, so hop to it. Those lines aren't going to get any shorter.

Update: The lineup has begun!

[Via ifoAppleStore]TUAWJapan's Apple Stores continue Lucky Bag tradition originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Hardware, Retail, iMac There's probably a number of reasons why this might have happened (and we're sure you can come up with more than we can), but nevertheless, here you go: overall Mac sales are up by 21 percent in October and November since last year at the same time, according to Gene Munster (not pictured), analyst at Piper Jaffray. Desktop Mac sales are especially huge, with the rise as high as 74%, which seems like a typo next to MacBook and MacBook Pro increases of just five percent. In fact, those gigantic desktop sales, some reason, might actually be the reason behind the recent iMac delays.

At any rate, no matter why, Apple is making a boatload on Macs this quarter already. Even without the bulk of the holiday season, the desktops were already flying off the shelves in huge numbers compared to last year.TUAWOverall Mac sales up 21%, desktops up 74% year over year originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Oh c'mon, don't act so surprised. Amazon started out small selling books and CDs, but as of today, you can purchase just about anything on iconic e-tailer's website. From lawnmowers to HDTVs to upright freezers, Amazon now sells a wide enough variety of wares to warrant the stocking of standard office envelops and truck-sized brown boxes for shipping purposes. To that end, Times Online is reporting that the outfit may be secretly looking for brick-and-mortar locations to open its first store(s) across the pond. We're guessing that the first store would land in the heart of London, but the report does state that at least some locations would be on the outskirts of town in order to easy potential parking worries. There's no doubt that an Amazon B&M location would benefit greatly from the whole "order online, pickup in store" agenda, but can the outfit maintain the leanness that has enabled it to strive in tough times when it starts paying property taxes on more than just warehouses? Guess we'll see, now won't we?Amazon secretly scouting B&M retail locations in England? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink TG Daily  |  Times Online  | Email this | Comments

Is Amazon prepping the U.K. for a British retail chain invasion? Possibly, says a report in the Times today. Indeed, says the source, as part of a move that goes against the shrinking retail space, Amazon would open a number of branded retail stores there, and soon. It's not entirely crazy. As we reported earlier this year, Amazon has already jumped headfirst into the peripherals market with a line of low-cost branded merch called AmazonBasics. Now there's allegedly a secret land grab going on behind closed doors to stock some of that merchandise. The sites are described as "high profile," possibly in locations recently vacated by the Borders book chain. [Times Online]

So we know the iPhone has been slumming it and selling itself on Walmart shelves in the US for a while now, but it's retained a somewhat more dignified cachet over here in Europe. Until today, that is. Just "in time for Christmas," British retailer Tesco will make it possible for you to buy your socks, no-frills groceries, and shiny smartphone all in the same place. You'll still be riding O2's network, thanks to the Tesco Mobile service, but the department store chain is likely to price its contracts more aggressively, as it already has a £30 per month plan that includes unlimited calls, texts, and web surfing. Maybe there's something to this whole "competition" thing after all then, eh?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]iPhone to be sold by Tesco in the UK, hemorrhages cachet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink BBC News  |  Tesco  | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Apple Corporate, RetailAt a media preview event yesterday designed to create buzz for Apple's newest store opening in Manhattan, Ron Johnston, Apple's senior vice president of retail announced that Apple would be opening 40-50 more Apple retail stores in the coming year.

One focus will be on opening larger stores overall. While this is great news for anybody who has been frustrated by the zoo that is any Apple store on any given day recently (careful what you wish for when you wish for your platform of choice to finally get the market share it needs to ensure continued development), the bulk of these stores will be overseas in cities like Paris, London, and Shanghai.

So if you live in Paris, London, or Shanghai, congratulations! You, too, will have a store you can try to shop in when all you want is a new set of earphones for your iPhone and you can't get anywhere near the display.TUAWApple to open 40 to 50 new Apple Stores next year originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

While every Apple Store is in some sense a place of reverence, the new Upper West Side store unabashedly evokes that feeling, more than any other. It used to be a Victoria's Secret. Update: For everybody asking for full-sized pics, you can grab 'em here, off my Flickr page. I call it a temple because the architecture conveys a nearly religious aesthetic, a place to worship Apple, beyond any other Apple store you've ever been to. The top floor's a vast open space, enclosed by spartan stone walls which support a massive glass ceiling. The rows of tables in the main room feel like pews. I can't tell you—and the pictures can't show you—how utterly open and expansive the room feels. Apple says it has more demo units than any other store in the world. To give you an idea of the space, the walls are 45 feet tall, and could fit 11 Apple 5th Avenue Cubes inside. It's the spareness that's breathtaking. It's cold. Not literally, but the stone walls, the glass, the sheer space rob it of any sense of warmth or feeling. The only sense of life in room is the products. It's a temple to them, really. The beating heart, where things actually happen is tucked underground. The Genius Bar and personal training space is the biggest ever in an Apple store, able to handle up to 100 customers at once at 45 feet long. It's pretty much like any other Apple store down there, just bigger. It's impressive. The store, at 67th and Broadway, opens Saturday. And they're giving away 2500 commemorative shirts if you're that kind of crazy. Apple Store Upper West Side Opening on Saturday, November 14 NEW YORK-November 12, 2009-Apple® will open its newest retail store on New York's Upper West Side on Saturday, November 14 at 10:00 a.m. Set beneath a breathtaking all-glass arched roof, the street level of the Apple Store® Upper West Side offers more Macs, iPods and iPhones than any store in the world for an incredible hands-on experience. The lower level features the largest area ever created by Apple for personal training and technical support, including a 45-foot Genius Bar. Located on Broadway at 67th Street, the Apple Store Upper West Side is just minutes from Lincoln Center and Central Park. "We opened our first store in Manhattan seven years ago, and the response has been incredible," said Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice president of Retail. "We hope our new store on the Upper West Side will become as much a part of the community as our stores in SoHo, the Meatpacking District and on Fifth Avenue." A highly trained team of more than 200 employees brings the unique Apple retail experience to the Upper West Side, offering the same legendary services that Apple stores provide around the world. At the Genius Bar, customers can get free advice and expert tech support from knowledgeable experts. Customers who buy a Mac® at the Apple Store Upper West Side can join the popular One to One program for personal set-up service and personal training for just $99. Visitors can also get free tips from Specialists who are on-hand to help shoppers find the perfect gift or choose the right Mac, iPod® or iPhone® for themselves. In time for the holiday season, customers can now reserve their favorite Apple product online at http://www.apple.com/retail/reserve and pick it up at their local Apple store between December 15-24. Apple retail stores will also gift wrap any iPod or portable Mac for just $5. The Apple Store Upper West Side is the fourth in Manhattan and Apple's 15th in the New York metro area, joining the hugely successful Apple Stores SoHo, West 14th Street and Fifth Avenue. Nearly 170 million people on four continents have visited Apple retail stores this year. Apple now operates 280 stores in ten countries including the US, UK, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, China, Switzerland, Germany and France. The Apple Store Upper West Side is located at 1981 Broadway, on the corner of West 67th Street. The first 2,500 visitors to the store will receive a limited edition, commemorative t-shirt. Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Filed under: RetailIt's scheduled to open to the public on Saturday morning, but Apple gave a sneak peek of its newest US retail outlet to press and photographers this morning -- no, I wasn't invited, and yes, I did ask nicely.

Gothamist is there, though, and snapping some snazzy pictures of the grand glass roof and huge sales space. The word that comes to mind is 'dramatic,' and then the next word that comes to mind is 'big.'

How big is this new store? Ron Johnson tells the site that the ground floor could fit eleven of the iconic glass cubes from the 5th Ave store. Yowza. More pictures here from ifoAppleStore cover the store's unveiling.

If you're planning to attend the store opening on Saturday, drop us a line or send in a link to your photos & videos.TUAWApple previews Broadway store for press originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Hardware, Retail, iPod touchLast week, we learned that Apple would be revamping some US retail stores, including a new iPod touch-based point-of-sale (POS) system. A new scanner accessory allows Apple to replace the old Windows CE-based sales handhelds.

Gary Allen of ifoAppleStore has given AppleInsider an exclusive look at the thing, and it's pretty cool (that is, if retail hardware is your bag). It's an iPod touch with a magnetic stripe reader, a barcode scanner and Apple's proprietary payment-processing software. The iPod rests inside what AppleInsider calls a "slip-on shell" that plugs into the dock connector; it includes its own battery to power the two scanning peripherals.

Apple Store employees will use the devices to accept purchases made with credit cards, debit cards and cash; they can even make returns and activate a new iPhone.

It looks like a clever device. If you see one in the store (or if you use one), tell us what you can.

[Via The Apple Blog]TUAWA look at Apple's iPod touch-based EasyPay system originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Imagine for a second that you're Microsoft: unimaginably rich, a bit bloated after years on the Office hog, and worried about a few big projects you've been meaning to finish if only you could find the time. So what day would you choose to launch your brick-and-mortar stores back into retail if you were David Porter, vice president of retail stores and former Wal-Mart exec? If it was us, we'd choose October 22nd, the official Windows 7 launch. That's exactly what a number of tipsters are telling us courtesy of an in-person briefing by Kevin Turner, Microsoft's COO. Specifically, the Scottsdale store will swing the doors wide on the 22nd, we're not sure about the Mission Viejo location. According the Wall Street Journal, the stores will sell Windows-based laptops and cellphones and allow consumers to play Xbox 360 games on a 94-inch in-store screen. It'll even have a Genius Bar "counter" where people can bring their Microsoft gear for help. In fact, the WSJ claims that the Scottsdale store interior is a "nearly exact replica" of the store created on Redmond's campus -- something we covered back in January (pics in the gallery below). Who knows, this could be the beginning of http://www.peopleofmicrosftstore.com as Internet trends go. Gallery: Microsoft builds pretend retail store [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Filed under: Misc. GadgetsMicrosoft store opening October 22nd, insides revealed? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Disney retail stores, like many other venerable chains, have been suffering in recent years. But Disney's got an ace in the hole (or, more accurately, on their board): Steve Jobs. Think Apple Store meets Zac Efron. Weird, I know. Good old Stevesy runs pretty much the most profitable retail chain in the country, the Apple Store, and coincidentally also owns Pixar—and thus sits on Disney's board. So he heavily consulted with Disney when they decided to totally redesign their retail store's image, and it shows. From minor details like mobile checkout (employees carry small receipt printers on them) to bigger philosophies like community (there'll be a small theatre, like in Apple Stores) and interactivity (karaoke, touchscreen kiosks, "live chat with Disney stars"), Steve's fingerprints are all over the new concept. Hell, Disney store employees will even carry iPhones (or iPods Touch) to communicate. And that's a good thing, in our opinion: Apple Stores certainly aren't perfect, but they are a decidedly individual and interesting shopping experience, which Disney apparently needs. A Disney rep, apparently a fan of Fox angryface Gordon Ramsay, referred to some of the current stores as "a dog's breakfast." Disney is rebooting 340 of these stores, with a possible flagship store in, of course, Times Square, and is spending about $1 million to do it. They're still working with real estate agents and ironing out the final details, but this could actually work out: Disney + Apple has previously equaled Pixar, and that formula has worked out pretty spectacularly. [NY Times]

Filed under: Apple Corporate, RetailIf you're an Apple retail employee, you might want to keep an eye out for coy glances across the Genius Bar or little notes emailed to your iPhone -- someone may be trying to offer you a job. Word comes via The Loop, citing anonymous sources, that Microsoft's ramp-up process to launching its new line of retail stores has resulted in the harvest & hiring of some Apple Store managers, who in turn are making offers to their hand-picked lists of colleagues with the promise of higher wages in Microsoft's mall outposts. Some managers have been offered relocation assistance to go along with their salary boosts. You can't blame Microsoft for going after the best in the effort to build out a retail presence (and apparently this kind of bodysnatching goes on all the time in the retail sector), but one does wonder how well the Apple team members will make the transition over to working for Microsoft -- it's a bit more of an adjustment than going from Victoria's Secret to Lady Foot Locker. It might not just be the lure of more money that draws the iCrew over to the new shops; some may be profoundly dissatisfied with their current working environment, according to an ifoAppleStore report noted by AppleInsider. Frustrations between employees and management at the Alderwood Mall store in Washington have led to the threat of a walkout scheduled for October 3rd, which would be the first such demonstration of labor power by Apple retail employees, according to the post. If you're an Apple Store employee and you've been approached by Microsoft directly or by colleagues who are jumping ship, drop us a line at tuaw.com/tips and let us know what's going down. Illustration via the Iconfactory, in belated honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.TUAWMicrosoft's new retail hiring policy: shop at Apple originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Retail, Odds and ends, AppleWhile the past few days have seen a spy saga of a stolen laptop and a few rapidly recovered stolen iPhones, the story at the Sagemore Apple Store in Marlton, New Jersey is more of your basic "five guys vs. a plate-glass door." A well-organized 2 am robbery at the store netted the team a substantial haul of 23 MacBook Pro laptops, 14 iPhones and nine iPod touch handhelds.

Even though the store was staffed with a security guard, the thieves were able to time their run right after his rounds, and clear the merchandise from the store in 31 seconds flat. Security video of the theft is in the 2nd half of this post.

Anyone with tips on the identity of the masked bandits is being asked to call police at 856-983-1118 or the confidential tip line at 856-988-4699.

Thanks to Justin for sending this in.Continue reading More from the police blotter: Sagemore Apple Store hit by burglarsTUAWMore from the police blotter: Sagemore Apple Store hit by burglars originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Retail, Rumors, iPod nano, iPod classic

If you're looking to own a current-generation iPod, you best buy one before they're gone. Ars Technica notes that vendors inside Apple's Authorized Reseller network are reporting that dwindling stocks aren't being met with new shipments, lending further credence to the presumption that September's press event will be about new iPods.

Apple typically introduces new iPods in September, just in time for back-to-school shopping. We've heard rumors that the whole line will get cameras, including the Classic. With 120GB of storage, that thing could hold a lot of photos. It's also quite likely that there will be a storage boost, but if the shuffle gets any smaller it'll simply cease to exist.

Personally, this just means I'll have another opportunity to call my fat nano an ancient artifact. TUAWCurrent iPod SKUs are disappearing originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

That would be the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City. Newmark Knight Frank Retail estimates it pulls in over $350 million in revenue a year, or about $35,000 per square foot for the 10,000 square foot space. To put that in perspective, Tiffany & Co., who says diamonds has sales of about $18,000 per square foot. In fact, it might be the highest grossing retailer on Fifth Ave. ever, according to an estimate by Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate. $350 million. Kee-rist. Good luck touching that, Microsoft. [Bloomberg via ZDNet]

Microsoft's official line on those leaked store plans were "early concepts," but besides the short timeline between the plans' July 7 date and construction, Microsoft's filed a trademark for the "INCLUSIVE EXUBERANCE" flower-power logo detailed inside. That would suggest at least some of the stuff in the leaked plans is definitely a go. I wonder if they've decided whether it's going to be Guru Bar or Answers Bar? [PC World]

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Retail, AppleMicrosoft's announcement that the company will open stores near the locations of existing Apple retail outlets came as no surprise to many people. After all, why not try to get a little overflow traffic from Apple Stores and sell a few Zunes in the process? Perhaps they'll have charming and pleasant retail employees like Lauren or Sheila from the "laptop hunter" ads...TechFlash is reporting that the company has hired George Blankenship, former Apple real estate chief, to consult on securing prime locations for the Microsoft stores. Blankenship moved to Apple from The Gap, and he joins former Wal-Mart executive David Porter, who is now Microsoft's corporate VP of retail stores. By consulting for Microsoft rather than being a direct hire, Blankenship can skirt many of the issues brought on by the NCA (non-competitive agreement) that all Apple executives sign. The demographic information that Blankenship might use to pinpoint Microsoft store locations is available publicly, and the techniques used by Apple to successfully open retail locations have been widely discussed since the first Apple Store opened in 2001.While the locations, products carried, and general look and feel of the Microsoft retail outlets are still under wraps, the first stores are expected to open prior to the October 22nd launch date for Windows 7.[via ifoAppleStore]TUAWMicrosoft hires ex-Apple real estate chief to consult on retail outlets originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments