Apple's retail stores continued their year-over-year revenue slide last quarter, but a new report predicts that the brick-and-mortar locations could show growth again before the end of 2009, thanks, in part, to Windows switchers.
Microsoft plans to compete directly against an already-established Apple Store in Mission Viejo, Calif., as the Windows maker announced this week its first two planned retail store locations, scheduled to open this fall.
A leaked presentation has exposed Microsoft's tentative plans for its retail stores — and the high degree to which they'll imitate Apple stores, down to their layouts and even the presence of a dedicated "Guru Bar" for help.
Apple's 254 retail locations managed to sell 492,000 Macs to 38.6 million store visitors during the June quarter, with half of those sales going to customers who had never before owned a Mac.
Once one of the cornerstones of Apple's early retail efforts, real estate expert George Blankenship has switched sides and is now providing advice to Microsoft on plans for its own stores.
In a not-so-subtle move, Microsoft says its retail stores will deliberately open near those run by Apple. Also, Steve Jobs has shown a rare public display of his love of music by attending a Coldplay concert, and the first Apple store in Canada's capital city is due to open this Saturday.
Arlington County police are still looking for the armed suspect who shot and seriously wounded an Apple employee at the Apple Store Clarendon this past friday and have released a pair of surveillance videos to the public that could aid their search.
An unidentified man fired at least one shot at the Apple Store Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia shortly after the store opened Friday morning, wounding at least one, a person with knowledge of the situation tells AppleInsider.
With just hours to go before the iPhone 3G S reaches its stores, Canadian provider Rogers and its sister brand Fido have promised heavy discounts for existing iPhone 3G customers trading up to the faster model. Also, Apple stores in the country will finally let customers buy the devices there instead of carrier stores.
Having already promised to open its retail stores early, Apple now says that all its available stores will start selling the iPhone 3G S even earlier than expected. Also, the Mac maker has released Safari 4.0.1 and Bluetooth Firmware Update 2.0.
Signaling a likely repeat of Apple's iPhone sell-outs of the past two years, AT&T is already warning that those making iPhone 3G S pre-orders that they won't get their handsets on launch.
Apple has let fans know that its stores around the world will open up to two hours early to accommodate the iPhone 3G S' launch, while those eager to buy their phones at AT&T could receive theirs an hour earlier.
While Apple retail stores this week have been waiting on the first shipments of new Mac notebooks announced Monday, the company has quietly introduced end-of-life pricing on previous generation models to help its shops clear remaining inventory.
With Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference slated to begin in roughly two hours, a handful of last minute tips have surfaced regarding the naming scheme for the next iPhone, some brief changes to MacBook pricing that were quickly reversed, and reports of extended hours for retail staffers this week.
An architect's portfolio has purportedly revealed a very different design Apple's second retail store for China's capital city — one that would embrace ancient traditions while thriving on the Mac maker's signature glass and metal.
Apple's two largest New York City retail stores are now known to be some of the town's largest retail cash cows, with the 5th Avenue flagship alone having drawn in $440 million in one year.
Apple on Tuesday detailed changes to its unparalleled retail-based personal training service designed to help customers get set up, get trained, and get going with new Macs purchased from the company's direct sales channels.
A series of changes to Apple's retail-based One-to-One training service slated to go into effect on Tuesday may have been driven in part by the popularity of the program, which is rapidly swelling to complex proportions.
While the tough economy is prompting many retailers to cut back on their spending, Apple plans to pour millions into remodeling roughly 40% of its stores and will soon introduce new One-to-One services and other changes geared towards better customer service.
Careless iPhone owners who've submerged their handsets in some form of liquid can now take Apple up on an unadvertised policy that offers replacements for a flat fee of $199.
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Katie Marsal
Slash Lane
Sam Oliver
AppleInsider Staff
