Gawker
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careers
Mac blogger makes getting a job at Apple look easy
Aviv Hadar, who writes about Apple at MacBlogz.com, got curious about how one joined Steve Jobs's elite priesthood — so he applied for a gig at the local Apple Store, and landed it. The interview process was revealing: According to the manager Hadar talked to, most of his current staff couldn't pass a test with 20 basic technical questions about Apple hardware and software. Some Geniuses! But Apple had set itself up for exactly this kind of comeuppance the day it labeled its stores' repair department the "Genius Bar." Here's the offer letter Hadar got: More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by BobDope: Here's something fun, go to the Apple store and start every interchange with an employee with 'Hey, Genius!' 1 Responses | Other threads
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apple
Report: Best Buy won't profit selling iPhones
Best Buy will begin selling Apple iPhones this September, but it won't make much or any money at all doing so, according to retail analyst Colin McGranahan, who writes in a not the chain won't markup the phone more than $50 if at all. So why's Best Buy doing it? One, to sell higher-margin accessories like iPhone cases and speakers. Two, iPhone buyers are the kind of customers Best Buy wants to see more of in its stores — wealthy, and happily swayed by good marketing into buying the lastest shiny new objects.
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Comment by scamman: All these people have been burned by Best Buy in the past with either their MSN (How many times can... more » | Other threads
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stats
Most iPhones not sold at Apple Stores
Hidden in the math of a Fortune summary of a report from investment bank Piper Jaffray: Apple Store sales only account for 2 of every 5 iPhones sold. AT&T stores sell one in five, and overseas phone stores sell the other 2. Using Piper Jaffray's estimates, you can summarize sales for the upcoming Xmas-gift-driven last quarter of the year as: 2 million through Apple's own stores, 1 million through AT&T, and 2 million elsewhere in the world. Then factor in your Best Buy prediction. What I want to know: What's 2 million times the average wait time in an iPhone line? (Chart by Piper Jaffray) -
apple
Best Buy agrees to sell iPhone
Electronics retailer Best Buy will begin selling Apple's iPhone 3G next month. Until now, only Apple Stores and AT&T outlets carried the phone. Like Apple Store customers, Best Buy shoppers must sign a two-year AT&T contract to leave the store with an iPhone. [WSJ]
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Comment by droopysignal: The article title leaves not more to be said. Still, is it Best Buy finally agreeing to carry the iPhone... more » | Other threads
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retail
Apple's secret to selling iPhones: Windows Mobile
After a rocky iPhone 3G launch, Apple's store operations have returned to a model of efficiency. One of Steve Jobs's secrets: roving sales clerks who use mobile devices to ring up orders anywhere in the store, not just at the cash register. Ah, but which devices? Motorola MC75 handhelds running Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system.
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By Owen ThomasComment by CallieVarus: Apple retail employees report the WinCE devices are buggy and problematic, and that problems with the handhelds actually helped... more » | Other threads
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breakdowns
iPhone day 18: Steve says to tell you we're sorry
LiveJournaler akil writes of a recent visit to the Apple Store, where a new, streamlined process for iPhone buying was in effect: "They started prequalifying people at 6:30 a.m. Within three minutes of arriving, I was given a serialized tag that is linked to an actual iPhone and I'm guaranteed to get one." Separately, an Apple employee who gives his name only as "David G." says Steve has asked him to post regularly on the status of Apple's buggy MobileMe service. (Photo by akil)
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By Paul BoutinComment by droopysignal: I think I'll sit this one out. As much as I want the upgrade, I know I can live without... more » | Other threads
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great moments in customer service
iPhone, day 11: But it was on the Internet, dammit
From a would-be iPhone 3G buyer in San Francisco: More »
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By Paul BoutinComment by TechMeister: In a NY AT&T store you have to get on a waiting list (that takes "ten to twenty days") more » | Other threads
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retail
Downtown San Francisco no longer capable of supporting three Starbucks per intersection
Next year's Macworld may be the last chance to make a shamefaced Starbucks run to the mall-kiosk latte dispenser in the Metreon. Why did the Seattle coffee monoculturist give six months' notice of that coffee-bar's closure, and 599 others? Why, to retrain loyalists on other locations within footsteps. We already know that you drink only at establishments where the coffee pickers are unionized, graduate-degreed, and constantly hugged. And so do we. But here's our map of the remaining South of Market Starbucks — and all the Blue Bottle locations — anyway. Only to show to your sleep-addled board members when they visit for a meeting. More »
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Comment by Web2PointOhShit: You missed the uber seekrit Blue Bottle on Ritch St, between Townsend and Bryant. You seem to infer SoMa... more » | Other threads
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apple store
iPhone day 7: Store getting remodeled, but lines still long
A tipster snapped this late-night shot of Apple's Union Square store being overhauled. You — yes, you waiting in line with your old iPhone — send us photos of the results when the store opens at 10, willya? Separately, we've been told that Apple Store employees at the San Francisco flagship cut off would-be buyers who arrived after 5:30 p.m. Shoppers timed the morning line at 2.5 hours yesterday. That's even more time than I spend watching my BlackBerry reboot.
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By Paul BoutinComment by Conchie Birdie: For now, I think I'll just keep pretending my old iPhone is the new one. more » | Other threads
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journalist math
Apple's weekend profits for the iPhone 3G: $330 million
Apple profited some $330 million from 3G iPhone sales over its first weekend, Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt estimates that . His back-of-the-envelope formula factored in iSuppli's estimate of the manufacturing costs of each iPhone 3G, Apple's numbers on how many iPhones it sold over the weekend, analyst estimates on how much AT&T and other carriers subsidize each phone, and what a survey says about the sales split between the iPhone's $199 and $299 iPhones models. All that, a little bit slower now, in Elmer-DeWitt's bullet points below. More »
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Comment by fresh27: i REALLY highly doubt that 66% of iphones sold were 16GB. that's ridiculous. more » | Other threads
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retail
NJ Mall AT&T Resellers Hand Out Anti-iPhone Propaganda to Customers
It looks like not everyone in AT&T land loves the iPhone. When reader Dennis' mom went to the AT&T stand in the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to ask about iPhone insurance, they laughed in her face. They then handed her a bunch of articles written arguing for the BlackBerry over the iPhone, printed from places like Crackberry.com and Pocket PC Magazine. At the end, there was the name and number of an AT&T regional manager. [Gizmodo]
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By Adam FrucciComment by Karenpercy: Looking at websites for new Iphone info. 20 HoursTime spent boring your co workers about it 50 HoursHow long you... more » | Other threads
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Tim the IT Guy
What Apple can learn from McDonald's
[Editor's note: Tim Woolery, aka Tim the IT Guy, works hands-on in IT in the Bay Area. With nearly 15 years' experience at everything from CAT 5-cabled steel furnaces to intercontinental remote-controlled radio stations, Tim's able to spot and plug holes in the coverage of important tech news. Rather than bone up on change management best practices ourselves, we decided to let Tim post for himself once a week.] More » -
geek love
First guy in New York iPhone 3G line scores a date with hot Apple employee
NEW YORK — I'm sitting outside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store here in New York, writing up a post about the long line for the iPhone, when a pretty girl wearing aviator sunglasses and a white blouse sits next to the guy sitting next to me. She says to her friend: "So I've got a date with Dan." "Who?" the guy asks. "The guy who was first in line — the guy who bought the first iPhone today. He's doing the documentary thing, his name is Dan." More » -
software
Microsoft starts selling Office subscriptions through Circuit City
Microsoft can't convince customers that they need the new version of Office anymore, so they'e begun to sell it as software-as-a-service, bundled with security software. "Security is basically the No. 1 thing that gets attached with a PC," said Microsoft group product manager Bryson Gordon. The product, code-named "Albany" and now known as Equipt, will cost PC buyers an extra $20 a year over the $49 per year price Microsoft charges for its OneCare antivirus software. Why don't they just let users download the software? That might seem easier, but retailers like Circuit City move a lot of Xboxes and Windows PCs, and the software giant can't afford to leave them grounded as computing moves to the cloud. -
rumormonger
Microsoft to open retail stores?
The list of computer companies with failed retail initiatives includes a lot of big names: Sony, Dell, and Gateway, for starters. Only one company, Apple, has beaten the odds. Now Microsoft, which tried and failed with one retail store in San Francisco a decade ago, is rumored to be tiptoeing into the retail waters again. Fudzilla, a rumor site, claims Microsoft will open "many" retail shops dedicated to Microsoft products. The aim of the stores would be to show the "true Microsoft experience." What, random crashes of the cash register during checkout and multiple identity checks before being allowed into the store? This can't end well. A Microsoft spokesperson offered the standard noncomment, which may be wise; if the retail push is for real, I wouldn't want to try and pitch it to the press, either.
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Comment by microserfin: Welcome to the Microsoft store... Watch out for the tumble weeds blowing through, beware of the loud crickets oh and... more » | Other threads
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apple store
Apple hires 3,500 new retail zombies
Apple's retail staff increased 44 percent from September 2007 to December 2007. Over the past two years, the retail division's staff numbers have risen between 2 and 15 percent per quarter. The company now has 11,400 "equivalent" full-time retail positions. At this year's shareholder meeting, head of Apple Retail Ron Johnson pegged the number of retail employees at 15,000, indicating that a huge percentage of them are considered "part-time." More »
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Comment by Cultmember: Telling an Apple fan an unflattering truth about Steve Jobs is like telling Tom Cruise an unflattering truth about L.... more » | Other threads
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geek love
Cosmo's new man-catching hot spot to open up in Pebble Beach
Apple will open a new retail store in Pebble Beach, a tipster tells us. He spotted "help wanted" signs. Julia Allisons of the world, mark it down as another place to find your Kevin Rose. According to Cosmopolitan, Apple Stores are ideal places to "check your email among cuties, take a free workshop on anything from Photoshop to podcasting (a great opportunity to strike up a conversation), or just survey the, ahem, good-looking merchandise." We've heard Apple Stores aren't a bad spot for whale watching, either. (Photo by laffy4k) -
digital tv
Best Buy caught engaging in act of capitalism
Sales clerks at a number of TV retailers in Massachusetts gave inaccurate information regarding the upcoming analog-to-digital television conversion. Imagine that: Sales clerks giving inaccurate information! The switch will require users of older televisions to purchase a basic set-top box partially subsidized by the government, but does not require viewers to buy a new TV. Eric Bourassa, a consumer advocate with MassPIRG, which commissioned the study, says "retailers should do a better job training their staff so that going forward, consumers that go into the stores can get the right information." More »
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Comment by Papa Midnight: @ts: You got a problem with Consumers actually knowing their rights? more » | Other threads
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format wars
Wal-Mart crowns Blu-ray the disc that matters
The high-definition disc battle is over, and Blu-ray has won. We can now move on to more productive matters. Why am I declaring victory? Not because of Warner's switch to the format, and certainly not because of Netflix's. Retailing is not a democracy. There is one vote that matters. No, it's not the consumer's — it's Wal-Mart's. And Wal-Mart, formerly an HD-DVD advocate, is going Blu. Walmart.com currently has its sole HD-DVD player model on clearance, and by June, it will only sell Blu-ray players and discs. Next format war, please.
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By Owen ThomasComment by dalejo: Can anyone who shops at Walmart even afford a blu-ray player? more » | Other threads
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retail
Worst January in 40 years for brick-and-mortar retailers
U.S. retail sales in January 2007 grew only 0.5 percent over the previous year. This is nigh unto a national disaster, if you ask the International Council of Shopping Centers. For the love of God, people, if you don't go to the mall, the terrorists will have won. It was the worst January since 1969 — and we all know what happened in 1968. More »
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Comment by sample032: Wal-Mart's customer demographics mean they'll be the first to get hit. more » | Other threads
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apple
MacBook Air arrives in stores — what took so long?
Two weeks after it was introduced, the MacBook Air is now on display at the local Apple Store for you to play with. But why did it take two weeks for models to go on display? Apple has been taking preorders on the MacBook Air since moments after Steve Jobs finished his keynote at Macworld, but unless you were at the show, you couldn't actually see one until this week. More »
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Comment by WillVille: Why the security chip, did Steve not ship one to Winona?!? More importantly, when I get it home where the hell... more » | Other threads
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retail
Dude, you're not getting a Dell ... at the mall
Dell is closing its 140 mall kiosks to focus on sales through major retailers like Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Staples, all of which Dell has made deals with in the past few months. The kiosks will be be mostly closed within a few days, though Dell kiosks abroad will remain open. More »
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Comment by shiwsup: from a friend who once worked a Dell kiosk back in college: "Fools! Their 'warranty $ per box' ratio is going to... more » | Other threads
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palm
Palm is closing its 34 retail stores as the company "consolidates resources" to compete more effectively. Wait, Palm had retail stores? [News.com] -
comebacks
TigerDirect to resurrect CompUSA everywhere but here
Electronics retailer TigerDirect plans to raise CompUSA from the grave, using its trademarks and a handful of stores to give its own retail presence fresh life. CompUSA went under last month when it was sold to restructuring specialist Gordon Brothers, which is closing most of its stores, including the helpfully located flagship on Market Street in downtown San Francisco, which catered to hordes of Moscone Center convention-goers. If the deal goes through, TigerDirect would pick up the CompUSA brand and website, as well as 16 stores located in Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico — sorry, San Francisco. (Photo by Mary Jane Irwin)
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Comment by BartKela: Yeah, they're ones in the aisles who tell you to buy the wrong stuff. more » | Other threads
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retail
Best Buy Still Using Secret In-Store Website With Higher Pricing [Update]
Even after being slapped in the face with a suit by a Connecticut attorney general, Best Buy is still having an internal bestbuy.com website that offers higher prices than the actual bestbuy.com. The only thing Best Buy promised to do is place a notice on the website to indicate that these are in-store prices, which may not be the same as the prices seen online. The point? Bring a printout or a browser-capable cellphone (don't use their Wi-Fi) so you can show employees the price you saw online, which they're supposed to honor. [Consumerist] [Gizmodo]
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By Jason ChenComment by BBRyan: You want to know how it REALLY works? I work at Best Buy, so here it is on the... 1 Responses | Other threads
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poll
The top 10 Genius Bar whale tail captions
With over 160 entries at last count, we've given up trying to decide on a winning caption for this photo taken in Apple's new 14th Street store in New York. Instead, we narrowed it down to 10. Choose your favorite in our latest Valleywag poll. Feel free to write in candidates you think deserved to make the cut. (Photo by Meredith Scardino) More »
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Comment by aaiou1: These are better captions - "No. No seriously, you have more than enough RAM!", or "How long have you had... more » | Other threads
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dell
Dell has announced it will start selling computers in Tesco stores across Europe, expanding the Texas company's global retail reach. Where would you rather buy a computer? Europe's answer to Wal-Mart or a fancy Apple Store? [Reuters] -
retail
Apple to open 40 new stores in 2008
Megamillionaire Ron Johnson, Apple's senior VP of retail, announced that Apple will open an additional 40 retail stores next year. The company already fruitfully operates over 200 stores worldwide, but this year Apple will focus on international markets including several new stores in the U.K., Brazil, and perhaps Mexico City. I don't know, Ron: Until you reach Starbucks territory, can you really say you have enough U.S. outlets? (Photo by Sarah Baker) More »
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Comment by waynelambright: Hi Ireland, Me Babble, that's entirely possible. Yes on the new Mac I use the OS X Leopard. Here... more » | Other threads
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retail
CompUSA packs it in
Those Brits really have a way with words. The witty writers at British IT rag The Register summed it up so well: "CompUSA goes tits up." The computer retailer, which closed a number of stores earlier this year (including one half a mile from my house, natch), has sold itself to Gordon Brothers, a "restructuring specialist" which plans to close CompUSA's remaining 103 locations. The stores will run through Christmas and offer "attractive bargains" to shoppers. CompUSA.com will be closed once current purchases are shipped. This, folks, is why they call Best Buy a "category killer." (Photo by cubicleman) -
jackpot
Apple SVP made $112 million yesterday and you didn't
Ron Johnson, Apple's senior VP of retail, exercised options for 700,000 shares of AAPL at a strike price of $23.72 yesterday. He sold later in the day at around $185. That's a net of over $112 million. Not a bad payday, but he certainly earned it. Johnson has led Apple's retail strategy from day one — and the former Target executive is arguably more responsible for Apple's retail success than Steve Jobs. -
nokia
First Apple, now Nokia. We guess opening a store in China is the fashionable thing nowadays. Nokia is opening its seventh retail store worldwide in Shanghai. The store will even include some ridiculousness that sounds good in a press release but probably doesn't sell phones: "Consumers will be able to send text messages to change the glass walls in the store to colors of their choice." Ah yes, that really makes me want a craptastic Finnish phone. [WSJ] -
apple
Apple is opening a retail storefront in China next summer, just in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. We're glad Apple's sweatshop workers will finally be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor and buy themselves some overpriced gadgetry. With a year or so worth of wages. [IfoAppleStore] -
retail
Apple Stores are the new Starbucks
OK, that's it. Apple Stores are officially the new Starbucks. They're everywhere. Rumors have a new store opening in Brooklyn and a megastore opening on 34th Street in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Apple is opening a superstore in my hometown of Boston to go with the eight already in Massachusetts. There are new stores planned for San Francisco, Zurich, Chicago, Maui, Berlin, Taiwan, another in Manhattan near NYU, two in Paris, at least three in Japan, several in Canada, a few in Australia, some in South Africa, Hong Kong and Munich. At least they're decent to look at. I shudder to think what Zune kiosks, probably appearing soon at your local megamall, will look like. (Image by sarahbaker)
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Comment by kraptek: This is an interesting move. It seems they are trying to connect with the consumer, something even retail brands are... more » | Other threads
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apple
The best place to score a Mac in SF
Apple is continuing their retail expansion with a new store on Chestnut Street in San Francisco's Marina District. ifoAppleStore reports that Apple overcame neighborhood opposition to destroy a previously existing building with historical tiles. Please. Like a few historical preservationists are any match for Steve Jobs's retail designs. A mere 2.8 miles from the Stockton Street flagship, the store gives us another place to get iPhones repaired instead of having to wait in the chaos of the Stockton location. But there's another, smarter option for getting your Apple fix. More »
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Comment by j-c: stonestown store is closed for the next few weeks for a remodel more » | Other threads
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