You realize, of course, that Apple has its own real estate unit, headed by former Gap v-p George Blankenship and focused on finding just the right locations for retail operations. But on the other side, there are mall developers out there just itching to move Apple into a nice 30-foot space in one of their [...]

read more...

I’m in the Oakley store trying to find some "Straight Jacket" polarized sunglasses, when I notice a guy at the cash register trying to buy 100 pair of M-frame sunglasses. Whoa! So what’s with that, I ask? He explains that when you crank up a 3.5 kw laser on the stainless steel cutting machine, you [...]

read more...

I’ve posted my coverage of the Stonestown Galleria (N. Calif.) retail store grand opening on Saturday.

read more...

Mandy has posted photos, and reports the person first-in-line arrived at about 11 p.m. the previous night for the Country Club Plaza (Mo.) grand opening, and several others arrived at 2 a.m. By 7:45 a.m. there were only 36 people in line, but that increased quickly as opening time approached, including people from Dallas area [...]

read more...

Thanks to Aaron, who has posted a trio of coverage for the Country Club Plaza store, including photos, a video and a blog with all the details. He was #38 in line, was let in with the first group of customers, and came out with a dual 2.5 GHz G5 for his parents, who were [...]

read more...

I’ve finally finished the Shinsaibashi (Osaka) store video that shows the actual grand opening. It’s about 4-1/2 minutes long. [mirror 1]

read more...

Here are the first photos of the Stonestown (N. Calif.) retail store–they had black paper covering the windows until 8 a.m., and a shoplifting alarm sounded for 30 minutes! Albert was first-in-line at 5:30 a.m., but graciously let 10 year-old Nick be the first through the door, with about 150 persons in line behind him [...]

read more...

Watch a video of the Stonestown (N. Calif.) retail store.

read more...

You’ve seen angles and views of the Country Club Plaza (Mo.) store on this Web site, but thanks to Scott we can now see the entire spectacular storefront, which is a beautifully-decorated and unique building for Apple, nearly ready for the grand opening on Saturday.

read more...

And in case you’re thinking of being first in line at CCP, here’s the guy to beat (right)! Apparently he’s related to someone in the store, and expects to hit the line very early! Oh, there’s a street art fair in the district on Saturday, too.

read more...

Journalist Leander Kahney has written the book "Cult of Mac" that describes in great detail the culture, outlook and behavior of those to loyally follow Apple’s products, including the retail stores. The book chronicles the early efforts to staff CompUSA and Sears with enthusiastic volunteers who would guide customers to Mac gear, to those who [...]

read more...

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple sales in Sweden on on the rise, prompting the company to 10-15 Pro Stores in that country, and another 10 stores in the remaining "Nordic" countries.

read more...

Buzz, buzz, buzz! The crew down at the True Value Hardware over on Gedes Street was having a quiet day until someone ran in yelling, "Crosscut, buzz, mitre, band, circular, rip…get me a saw!" After calming the fellow down, the TVH gang found out there was a big emergency over at the Carousel Mall (NY) [...]

read more...

So, me and a bud are sitting around the Starbucks (love that Wi-Fi!) talking about old music. I say the Beatles hit American shores in early 1964, but my friend claims it was late 1963. I guess we were arguing a little too loud, because a gal from the table behind us taps me on [...]

read more...

Apple stores with a full presentation theater have a sophisticated audio-video system that includes a set of slides promoting the upcoming topics and times. By punching in a number code, the presenter can display an animated slide listing that day’s specific topics, and then dissolve to a description of the next topic. Audio from the [...]

read more...

Thanks to Aaron, who somehow managed to squeeze information from me, and massaged it into an interview.

read more...

The Boston Globe notes the popularity of the new iMac G5 at the Cambridgeside (Mass.) store, and that it’s generating 50-75 telephone calls a day just to determine if the store has the new computer model.

read more...

It’s pretty much official–several stores scheduled to open this weekend have been delayed for an unspecified reason, but probably related to final design decisions rather than construction problems.

read more...

The Country Club Plaza (Mo.) store facade is now completed, with stainless steel and back-lit Apple logo. The front windows are covered with brown paper in preparation for the grand opening.

read more...

Ouch! "Super Saturday" seems to have turned into "Duo Day" for the Apple retail stores. I’ll at least be at Stonestown this Saturday for the grand opening of one-half of the new Apple stores.

read more...