In the first acknowledgment of congestion at Apple retail stores, the company announced today that it is now blocking access to the MySpace Web site from stores’ display computers. “Nearly 2 million people visit Apple stores every week. We want to provide everyone a chance to test-drive a Mac, so we are no longer offering access to MySpace in our stores,” the company said. Up to now, the stores have not restricted access to the Internet, which is part of a deliberate strategy to attract visitors, create buzz, and make the stores a destination spot. That philosophy has indeed generated visitors, but it has also meant that display computers were unavailable for those wanting to investigate a computer purchase.
The number of visitors to the stores has continued to increase, both in total and per-store. Apple tallied 81.1 million visitors during fiscal 2006, compared to 50.7 million the year before. On a per-store basis, visitors jumped from 372,700 in fiscal 2005, to 491,500 in 2006, an increase of 31.8 percent.
In April 2006 information surfaced that various social networking Web sites were blocked at Apple stores. However, it was learned that the restrictions were unofficial, imposed by individual store managers to regain access to display computers for potential buyers. Tipsters said that retail executives told the mangers to remove the blocks to allow full Internet access.
A visit to any store–but particularly flagship stores–will find that all computers are occupied by people checking their Hotmail or Gmail accounts, snapping pix with PhotoBooth, writing memos with Word, or surfing various social networking sites. In many cases, computer users are literally camped at a computer, with coffee cups, notebooks, bookbags and other personal property strewn across the display tables.
The issue of store congestion has been raised before within Apple. During a September, 2006 talk to financial analysts, Sr. V-P Retail Ron Johnson said that Apple store customers love the free Internet access. “The question I get all the time is, ‘The store’s too crowded. How do people buy anything?’ But we all know what we like–we like busy places,” Johnson said. He continued, “Free Internet access is the way we bring people into our stores. And people touch a Mac for the first time and they go, ‘Wow! That’s just like my computer. Macs and PCs aren’t that different.’ Big part of the story.”
During his talk, Johnson recalled the origins of the retail store initiative. He recalled thinking, “We’re going to break the norm. We’re going to be a store for everyone. PC owners, Mac owners. Small business, consumers. Eighty year-olds trying to connect with their grandkids. Grandkids trying to get on a computer for the first time. Forget the conventional wisdom of retail that it’s all about specializing.” He imagined the stores as a public place, like a library, where people could come to visit and participate. “What if we built a retail strategy that was a place to belong? What if our store was really a part of the community…it’s was a place to be, not just a place to buy?” he explained to the analysts.
When I visited the San Francisco store last Christmas, I found the full range of users at the display computers, preventing their use by anyone interested in a purchase. I also found the same situation at the SoHo (NYC) store when I visited last May, just after the new black MacBooks were introduced. There wasn’t a free computer among the 70 or so on display, and there were two or three persons standing behind each user waiting their turn. When I visited the Regent Street (London) store last March, I found that computers no the ground floor were unblocked, but that some on the second level near the theater were blocking some major Web sites.
Bandwidth at the stores is apparently not an issue. Speed tests at most stores consistently show 2 Mbps uploads and downloads.
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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
YEAH!!!, it is about time.
Also, if they could do something about PhotoBooth, things would be a lot better!!
Photobooth will be difficult to ‘do something about’. It’s an appealing function of most Macs and the way it works together with built-in iSight cameras is a feaure that draws many people to Macs. I agree that like MySpace, Photobooth can and has become a problem in some stores, however I always recommend that rather than focusing on finding ways of limiting or elimanting Photobooth and it’s users at the stores, one should rather capitilize on the opportunity to demonstate how it works together with iLife or something such as iChat AV and tie in to a complete Mac experience. Apple Store staff can definitely use this as a sales tool.
Thank God. MySpace is the worst web site on the web and it shows how far American culture has fallen. I’m sure Apple has made the employees and interested buyers very happy with this decesion.
Can’t really make a sale to a 12 year old killing time after school, between visits to See’s Candy and Hot Topic. As great a lure as free Internet is, mobs of loud kids setting up shop for an hour isn’t what it was intended for.
Corporate finally listened to its retail employees.. Now if only they would block MSN customers could have a real test drive. And to anyone checking there bank statements on a demo computer… you are really dumb.
I can personally say that this will make aboit 99% of Apple Employees happy. Myspace and other social networking sites cause a lot of unnecessary issues in Apple Stores. Myspace also tends to attract people who will be extremely loud and rowdy, generally driving potential customers away. All in all, this is a very good move by Apple.
I hate myspace but many of my friends use it (i’m 30 not 12 by the way!). I was really chuffed when a pal myspace-messaged me whilst on holiday in canada (i’m in the uk). It was just a quick short message to say he was in an apple store thinking of me, knowing what an apple geek i was. It was better than a postcard! I think myspace, like anything, is ok (and can even be good) in moderation but too much is .. well, too much! I think its a shame they have blocked it completely.
Well, this is a good thing. When in the New York flagship store recently, I had to wait about 20 minutes to find a free computer to show a friend the cool new Apple features he was interested in learning about. We almost gave up as it appeared whole banks of computers were taken over by whole families of tourist who were clearly taking care of their own business, and groups of kids that were playing online video games….
I just hope they never block eBay. I often pop into the local Apple Store to check on my bidding!
Thank God!
Bexster Apple has a stores to sell and make money. Not cater to people’s journey to mecca. Its business and thats all it is.
well once myspace is blocked…..here comes facebook!
Blocking myspace is a little extreme. Sure, there are customers who spend hours looking at teenagers on myspace, but that’s what remote desktop is for. I guess this might keep “loud and rowdy” kids from mall stores; people come into the flagships no matter what. As for checking your bank statement on a store computer: it’s pretty easy to reset Safari or even restart the machine so it reverts to the disk image; as long as you’re using a wired machine you’re cool.
remote desktop? you’re an idiot, as that doesn’t stop them from using other means to gain access to myspace. I’m not about to tell anyone here how to do it though because myspace users are scum.
reset safari, restart machine, revert to image, you’re still an idiot.