Apple store employees received official notification today of the membership changes in One to One training. Previously anyone could purchase a $99 annual membership, but as of Tuesday, membership will be limited to purchasers of Macintosh computers on-line or at an Apple retail store. Apple has also added new Web resources for One to One membership, including a personalized on-line account to allow members to reserve sessions, review session notes, complete on-line training, and view projects from their own and others’ training sessions. It’s not clear exactly why Apple made the program changes. By limiting membership to Mac buyers, it leaves current Mac owners without a store training option, encouraging them to buy a new Mac to qualify for One to One membership–and increasing revenues for Apple. The change also seems to eliminate any One to One gifting options, and the use of One to One training to help convince potential Switchers of Mac’s superiority.
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Any other company might simply install a light switch on the wall of its retail stores–on or off. Not Apple. Inside each Apple store, a sophisticated system of lighting controls are linked to custom-designed fixtures, located and arranged to play light according to an interior designer’s plan. According to those who have seen a typical store lighting plan, Apple has spent thousands of dollars on lighting designs, specifies only the best lighting gear and uses an expensive control system to present a bright and attractive interior space for customers. A typical mall-sized store might have 100 separate fixtures in the retail area, including soft diffused fluorescents and spot incandescents, and another 75 fixtures in the back-of-house area. read more…
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The future Halsted Street (Chicago) retail store will offer a unique opportunity for Apple’s architects: It sits on a odd-shaped piece of land with visibility from all directions, and offers about 600 linear feet of storefront, Apple logos, windows or even open space. Architects at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson are responsible for the official design–what will they devise? More important, what would you design if you were in charge? Well, the contest is open—design and draw your best architectural vision for the future Halsted Street retail store, including the use of space within the property lines, the building’s height, the exterior wall materials, windows and doors, and use of Apple’s logo. Share your talents–and share some fun–with the Apple community. The prize: $100 Apple gift card. Details after the break. Good luck! read more…
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In a rare glimpse into the future of Apple’s retail store initiative, the company said it will revise its fee-based customer training service and that it has scheduled 100 stores for a remodel this year. In a USA Today story, Sr. V-P Retail Ron Johnson also confirmed for the first time new stores in Paris, New York City, Italy and Germany this year. Johnson said the $99-a-year One to One training service previously available to anyone will be limited after June 2nd to only those who purchase Mac computers on-line or at an Apple store. Current subscribers will be allowed to renew, he said. Training sessions previously limited to one hour can be extended to three hours, Johnson said, but there may be up to three participants in the sessions. He explained, ”We originally set up One to One to get people to switch to the Mac. Now we want to expand it to make it even more relevant to people who have bought their Mac.” The stores host about 600,000 personal training sessions each quarter, company officials have previously said. read more…
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A public records request by a Santa Barbara (Calif.) newspaper reporter has resulted in a rare glimpse inside the financial side of Apple’s retail stores. According to Apple’s business license application, the company expects the just-opened State Street store to generate $20 million in annual revenue. That figure would put the store nearly dead center for average revenues, according to those with knowledge of individual store financial results. Reporter Ray Estrada of The Daily Sound wrote that when he requested a copy of the business license, the city routinely notified Apple of the request so the company might file a confidentiality request to prevent release of the license. A local attorney representing Apple asked Estrada not to publish the sales figure, but later he did not file paperwork with the city to prevent release of the data. Estrada said that based on state sales tax rates, the Apple store will generate about $200,000 in annual sales tax for the city. Read the on-line article here.
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Just two weeks after the first Apple store opened in the Brisbane (Australia) region, local Web sites have discovered a second store is planned for the Westfield Chermside mall in the northern suburbs of the metro region. The mall is Queensland’s largest and, with 400 shops, is also among the country’s largest malls. Like the existing Robina store, this store will serve a huge population of residents and tourists along the Sunshine Coast. The store could open by year’s end.
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In a demonstration of the power of women and geeks, the Rome chapter of the Girls Geek Dinner group met at the Roma Est Apple store on May 16th for an evening of instruction and camaraderie. Creatives Simone and Riccardo gave the group of 14 women an out-line of social networking and productivity applications, and fielded questions from the geeks. The one-hour session was part of the Apple stores’ on-going education and outreach programs. The GGD group was first formed in London to, “create an informal platform where technical girls and women of all ages can network and learn from others alike in our local community.” There are now 40 chapters in 18 countries. The first Italian chapter was formed in Milan in 2007, and the Rome chapter was created in 2008. View photos of the Apple store visit, and read a story about the visit on the group’s Web site. Also read an outline of the Creatives’ presentation. Information about the world-wide GGD group are here.
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A music performer’s dare for his fans to “convert an apple store into an all out party” brought security guards and local police to the Third Street Promenade (S. Calif.) store last Thursday night to control an enthusiastic crowd of over 1,000 fans who jammed the downtown pedestrian mall and sent store employees hiding in the back rooms of the store. Joel Zimmerman, a 28 year-old DJ and mixer performing under the name Deadmau5 (“deadmouse”), told his MySpace audience he’d be appearing at the store a 7 p.m., and, “lets ram that friggen store and make a scene :)” A waiting line formed hours before the planned performance, but store management cancelled the event after realizing the huge crowd in front of the store could not be formed into an orderly line and presented safety concerns if allowed inside. Zimmerman later posted an apology, saying the crowd had exceeded the store’s capacity. read more…
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Apple will be closing several vintage stores during June for major renovations that will continue plans to erase original design features across the chain. The Menlo Park (NJ) store (#47) will close from June 1-24 for a major upgrade, most likely eliminating the wood floor and glass partitions, and relocating the Genius Bar to the rear of the space. The Kenwood Town Centre (Cincinnati) store (#16) will close from June 1-11 for its upgrade, also for a floor refinishing and glass partition removal. The Wellington Green (Fla.) store (#35) will receive a similar upgrade from June 1-25, and the Short Pump Town Center (Virg.) (#64) from June 1-11. Lastly, a newer store, the Northbrook (Ill.) store (#112) will close May 25 – June 6 for a renovation. The renovations are part of an on-going project undertaken during the slow Spring period to covert older stores to the current interior design.
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The interior of the new Bahnhofstrasse (Zurich) retail store has been revealed in photos that show a very narrow glass stairway leading to a basement level where the Genius Bar and other product displays are located. It’s only the second store after Fifth Avenue (NYC) to have a stair leading down to a below-ground retail space. The storefront mirrors the new open-front design with a small, suspended Apple logo over the front door. Inside, the design includes the standard stone floor, wood display tables and stainless steel walls. A huge crowd formed before Friday’s grand opening, according to reports by MacPrime, who added an air conditioning glitch left the store very hot during the opening. Check photos after the break. read more…
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Passersby on West Jefferson Street in Naperville (Ill.) say that the space of the former Sharper Image store at #120 is empty, and the front and rear walls are missing, all in preparation for a future Apple store. Construction is in the early stages, and reportedly will include expanding the 100-foot deep building into the rear parking lot to provide space beyond the 5,500 square-feet as originally built. Job listings for the store appeared last August, indicating a Spring 2009 grand opening. However, the store now appears to be on-track for a pre-holiday opening.
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It was a decision that confounded the computer community and was criticized by financial analysts. But it made perfect sense to Steve Jobs to open Apple’s own chain of retail stores. And so today we celebrate the May 19, 2001 grand opening of the first store at Tysons Corner Center (Virg.), and three hours later the grand opening of the Glendale Galleria (S. Calif.) store. At the time, the company used the catch-phrase “5 Down. 95 to go” to indicate a desire to increase the company’s market share. In full-page national newspaper ads, Apple noted that five percent beats the market share of BMW and Mercedes. “But that’s not enough for us,” the ads said. “We want to convince those other 95 people that Macintosh offers a much simpler, richer and more human-centric computer experience.” The ad continued, “And we believe the best way to do this is to open apple stores right in their neighborhoods.” View the original May 19th Web site.
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The fifth Apple store on the continent of Australia will open this Saturday at Westfield Doncaster, in the suburbs of Melbourne. The store is set inside one of the country’s largest malls, and is about 30 minutes from the existing Chadstone retail store. The doors will open at 9 .m. and will include the traditional commemorative T-shirt give-away.
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Apple’s third store in Switerland will open this Friday at 77 Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich. As reported by MacPrime the store will have a noon opening. There is an existing store in Zurich at the Glattzentrum shopping center, and another in the city of Geneva.
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The waiting line for Saturday’s grand opening of the State Street (Santa Barbara, Calif.) retail store has formed up. Spencer and Chris arrived at 4 p.m., and Dieri came in around 10 p.m. The unique store is 55 feet wide and about 75 feet deep, and blends into the city’s Colonial Revival architecture. The storefront is framed by five arches held up by masonry columns. The wooden double-door is topped by a half-circle window, and the display windows are set back about 10 feet from the sidewalk line to form an inset. The red brick sidewalk extends into the setback to provide continuity. Apple’s black banner hangs over the front with a white Apple logo. The ceiling of the storefront recess is wood, painted with a floral pattern. Inside, the store looks expansive, although the standard-height ceiling gives it a more cramped look (it should have been Chestnut Street height). E-mail your grand opening photos to ifoman-t35j@post.me.com, and view the photo gallery. read more…
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