Apple seems to be taking a very conservative approach to retail in South America, preferring to bulk up reseller support rather than open its own stores. There have been no rumors or tips about stores south of the U.S. border except for Mexico City. Instead, Apple is providing support for resellers in places as distant as Quito (Ecuador) and now Bogota (Colombia). A glass-front store has appeared along an up-scale part of the city with black plastic covering the interior. Printed in unmistakable Apple-font letters is the exclamation, “It’s about time!” See the photos after the break.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
it about time, what??
to be nothing for apple? that for apple, Latin America is just mexico and brazil?
Well, something is better than nothing. By the way, I should point out it’s Ecuador with a “c” not Equator. [IFO -- Oops! Corrected.]
Apple made the same in Brazil. Just gave suport to a Premium Reseller to open a store in Brazil and suport to the opening of some …
The guy that wrotes this post doesn’t know that the country is call COLOMBIA, not colUmbia? Geography please… [IFO -- Look at map, write post. Look at map, write post. Thanks! Corrected.]
I snapped this shot of a stand-alone reseller called MacOnline in Santiago, Chile:
http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2410591575/
The Falabella department store in the same mall as that MacOnline in Santiago was almost completely decked out in Apple ads, from the takeover of the entrance to a pathway on the floor leading to the Apple corner of the store:
http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2411426302/
I will be uploading later a shot I took of a MacOnline in Buenos Aires.
I had a chance to see one of the first Premium Resellers in Brazil last week. It is a store called a2you on Iguatemi Mall in São Paulo, and judging from the accessories they had over there it looks like things are finally improving down here. A buddy took some pictures at the store opening:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonnyken/sets/72157604275218450/
It’s a shame that I can’t send the pictures now, but I saw a “premium reseller” in Santiago, Chile (Falabella, Mall Plaza Vespucio), running an ad for a Nintendo Wii… in a Apple module.
Shame that for Apple, Latin America means “Mexico… and Mexico”. Brazil runs from a completely different office, and the rest of countries have to deal with whatever they can get.
Here’s the Buenos Aires MacOnline store:
http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2504057250/
And here’s the curious logo of the Buenos Aires airport gift shop, which carries the typical wide variety of non-tech items:
http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2407697015/
Finally, the “authorized” section of that airport gift shop:
http://flickr.com/photos/johnlamb/2407698045/
Just in case In Costa Rica we have icon. * Authorized Reseller and Service Provider:
http://www.icon.co.cr/
Tienda APR iCon Multiplaza del Este
Tienda iCon Multiplaza Escazú
Tienda iCon Mall San Pedro
Tienda iCon Paseo de las Flores
Cheers