All Articles Tagged Apple Store

Apple Insider claims to have gotten their hands on a three page memo from Apple to Apple Store staff containing a form of Frequently Asked Questions. We say “a form” because the officially dictated answers to almost all customer questions are pretty much variations on “we dunno.”

Highlights include:

• No holding iPhone 3G’s
• First come, first serve
• No personal shopping reservations
• No info regarding upgrades
• iPod Touch is competitive due to lack of contract requirement
• No info on future iPod Touch price drops
• Talk to AT&T about activations
• Talk to AT&T about corporate and bulk purchases
• Talk to AT&T about roaming
• Wait for AT&T to release detailed rate plans

Should be easy, given that it’s only a few weeks before release, and we still know so very little…

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BoomBoom. BoomBoom.

Would, for Kiefer’s sake, that it was an episode of 24 and he could just ask the writers to script him in a tasty new iPhone 3G (or just work out a product placement with Apple). Sadly, in the real world, no matter who you might think you are, how entitled a cele-bratty you may have become, and how much fiction has become substantially linked with fact in your braid, no one — and we mean no one — plays the snob card better than Apple.

So, if you walk into a New York Apple Store and demand the manager give you a pre-lease iPhone 3G, even if you’re the star of a decreasingly popular, increasingly formulaic serial drama, don’t expect to leave with anything more than a perfectly balance, elegantly finished, state-of-the-art DENIED for your trouble.

(Most likely, the manager, like 99% of other Apple employees, hasn’t even held the iPhone 3G yet, much less been given a secret stash to pass on to celebrity walk ins. Either that or the manager must have feared Kiefer would try to unlock the iPhone right there in the store. He is, after all, a well known pirate… Video proof after the break…)

Update: Or maybe not: Jules lets us know in the comments that it was all just a fun game by The Defamer. Still any chance to watch Kiefer take down a Christmas tree is one worth taking. - Dieter

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We repeat, this is not a drill! The Apple Store is Down! Reports are flooding in from all over the globe… Details are sketchy but authorities urge everyone to stay calm and proceed to TiPb where live meta-blog coverage of Steve Jobs’ WWDC 2008 Keynote will begin soon.

Now find your loved ones. Cling to them. And hold to hope. The Apple Store WILL be back. And it will once again restore your childlike sense of wonder.

Boom-time approaches people…

First up, Engadget reportedly got their techie mitts on a leaked version of the iPhone’s (final?) 2.0 firmware and are kind enough to share the following juice details:

Infineon PMB6952 / S-GOLD3 six-band UMTS / HSDPA transceiver (as we’d heard)

• Murata LMRX3JCA-479 tri-band amplifier (we’re assuming for the 3G)
• Sony SP9T antenna switch for GSM / UMTS dual mode
• ARM 1176JZF-S - Main CPU (same as in 1st gen iPhone)
• Skyworks 77427 chip - UMTS / HSDPA tx 1900MHz, rx 2100MHz
• Skyworks 77414 chip - UMTS / HSDPA 1900MHz
• Skyworks 77413 chip - UMTS / HSDPA 850MHz
• Internal build model number: n82ap (1st gen iPhone was model m68ap)
• UMTS Power Saving option - on or off
• Hooks for Global Locate Library (GLL), software that handles A-GPS related commands for the host processor

No processor speed bump is a downer, as everything from video size to MobileSafari rendering speeds are CPU bound tasks. Am I saying bye-bye to my 720p 480p dreams? And will Webkits spiffy new SquirrelFish Javascript engine make up for at least some of this (if it’s included, come showtime?)

Next is word from Ars Technica that Apple Stores have received “secret” shipments and new display signs under strict orders (and lock and key!) not to be opened until D… er… WWDC day. Whatever it is Apple’s announcing tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, it just may be in the building…

Okay, so their names weren’t really Harold & Kumar (Fukaba and Vincenti, for the record), but then again it doesn’t really sound like they were banned for life from the Apple Store as initial Interwebs rumor mongering suggested, b’okay?

Seems some Palo Alta teens were waiting for a classmate, ducked into the Apple Store to burn some time, and ended up getting burned instead. You know the story, boy finds iPhone, boy Jailbreaks iPhone, boy downloads Raging Thunder, to show another boy, Apple Store management, security, police, and parents become involved and hilarity ensues. (Though perhaps not for our hapless hax0rs and their two friends).

Fake Steve has the full fake details on what sounds to me like a bit of a fake — or more accurately overblown — story.

Hopefully no iPhones were bricked in the course of these shenanigans and the boys will be back to giving all their money to Apple again in the near future.

24 hours. 7 days a week. 365 1/4 days a year.

That’s how often the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City is open. Don’t know which one I’m talking about? The big glass cube on the most expensive street in the world! This flagship store is perhaps the brightest jewel in Apple Retail, often hosting performances from the likes of Maroon 5 & Linkin Park and becoming a new landmark for tourists to visit in the city that never sleeps. It’s open all day, everyday.

Well, if you don’t count today.

The Apple Store on 5th Ave. is closed from Thursday, May 29 3:00 p.m. to Friday, May 30 9:00 a.m. Apple Store Employees have been telling customers that a commercial is being filmed and reports are floating around saying its a 3G iPhone commercial. Remember, Apple doesn’t close this store for any old reason, the only times it has been closed before: the original iPhone launch and the release of Leopard. Hmm..

What do you think?

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Well known consumer-friendly site, the appropriately named Consumerist, brings the confessions of an anonymous Apple Specialist. While these cover everything Apple sells, from Macs to iPods, they certainly apply to the iPhone.

Top tips? If you can’t reset or restore your iPod (or iPhone!), it’s done. AppleCare extends your warranty, that’s it. .Mac and ProCare may not be worth the cash, but One-to-One is a deal. If your item (and iPhone?) is outside the return date, Apple may take it back if it’s still sealed, maybe even if it’s not. No insider info on unreleased product. And the email survey is your one way ticket to managerial ear-time.

Of course, your mileage, and your individual Apple Store, may vary, so buyer still beware.

Store.apple.com is down right now, which usually means one of tow things. Either Apple’s IT staff is performing maintenance on their servers, or new products are about to be posted. Nope, neither is the case. The real reason; I bought a second iPhone today, and that brought the online store to its knees. Yes, that’s it. Take that, Apple. Fortunately the store went down after my iPhone shipped.

Now to track my package and bring Fedex down as well.

[update:] It’s back up and it appears to be nothing more than a maintenance update. I noticed the site was having issues throughout the day, shortly after I placed my order.

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As some of you early risers noticed, Apple’s online store was down in the wee morning hours, receiving a slight make over and badly needed paint job. When it went back online one product was conspicuously absent; the 4GB iPhone model. It seems Apple has quietly but publicly executed the iPhone that nobody seemed to want.

This was expected since Jobs slashed the price of the popular 8GB to $399, and made no mention of the 4GB model. So no surprise here. Move along, nothing to see here.

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Oh cheer up, guys. Sure it’s only $100…but think of all the wondrous things you do with that trifling sum. Why, you can buy half an iPod. Or .0000001% of a MacBook Pro. Or a king’s ransom in iTunes music. Har har.

Seriously though, I know this offer won’t pacify all of my outspoken readers, but it’s something anyway. Take the money, use it to buy yourself something nice, like an iPod or MacBook. Life is too short to fret over money. Go enjoy yourself, and have a nice weekend!

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Someone pick up my jaw, I’m stunned. In a totally unexpected move Steve Jobs posted a personal letter to customers delivering a peace offering to angry iPhone users upset over yesterdays dramatic price cut. Jobs goes on to reiterate his stance that price cuts come with the territory of being an ealry adopter, but also concedes that we are the pioneers that propelled iPhone on the road to success.

In short he’s rewarding our loyalty by offering a $100 coupon good towards the purchase of any new Apple product, redeemable at any Apple Store, for iPhone users not covered under a 14-day rebate, regardless of whether their iPhone was purchased at an AT&T or Apple Store. You can read Steve’s open letter here. A method for claiming your coupon will be available on Apple’s website next week.

That my friends is class. As the saying goes…always dance with the one that brung you, and he did. Way to go Steve.

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Psst! Hey buddy, over here. Yeah, you - the one in front of the keyboard. You looking to buy a notebook or iPhone, real cheap? I know where you can get a “hot” bargain. These here just ahem fell off the truck, as they say.

My supplies are rather limited, at least until another “shipment” arrives. Heheh.

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Apple is now listing refurbished iPhones at store.apple.com for those who desperately want an iPhone but can’t swing its premium price tag. These units sell for $100 less than the price of their shrink wrapped counterparts, which isn’t a bad deal, depending on the condition these iPhones are in (these are pre-owned remember).

If this deal sounds sweet you better act quickly while supplies last. Only a handful of units are currently available. Get ‘em before the vultures swoop in.

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The circus has come to town. At least that was the scene at Apple’s flagship shop in downtown San Francisco. Something tells me the iPhone campers weren’t having three rings of fun.

And for an up to the minute report, iLoser is unconscious, this time in shirtless repose. The last shred of dignity this poor guy had when out the window when he drifted off to sleep with his hands in his pockets.

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Hello, Manning? Ah good you’re awake. Say, I just received this press release from Apple - apparently they’re launching this smashing new iTelephone thing and they’ve invited us to some kind of red carpet event. Do let’s meet at the Apple Store for a round of gawking, shall we? Wonderful. Afterworlds I thought we might pop over to Pacific Catch for some Calamari. That’s a good chap. Read the rest of this entry »