Retail Stores

The banter in Sydney shockingly still revolves around the Wake Up flash mob that emerged in front of an Apple store a week ago. Was it Samsung? How about RIM? Hell, let's throw HTC in as a suspect for good measure. Or maybe it's Nokia!

You've probably heard about the incident by now. A big black bus pulled up in front of the Apple store in Sydney. The bus signage screamed Wake Up. Then a bunch of people emerged from the bus to do the same thing. There were chants and everything.

This tale has captivated me … Read more

Apple made out well on a number of its pending patents today. The iPhone-maker was granted 25 new patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to Patently Apple.

Time Machine, iTunes Store, iMac, iPad Smart Covers, and Apple Store displays are just a few of the products that this round of patents cover. Many of the other patents are for items like connectors, security, and networking, according to Patently Apple.

Some of the patents are exclusively for different applications of Apple products, for example, the iTunes store patent, which is called "Content Rental System" and … Read more

The 35th anniversary of the Apple II introduction today takes me back. I sold Apple IIs in high school. It was the best summer job I ever had, even if I didn't, at first, make much money selling them.

When the Apple II first came to our store, Computer Connection, it really didn't move at all. The little putty-colored console wasn't especially powerful or capable. Our store was in the middle of San Francisco's financial district, and the businessmen who came in to look around were, for the most part, more interested in the Northstars and … Read more

The stickers Apple slaps on iPods encased in see-through plastic packaging to show off their features could be replaced with real onscreen visuals, thanks to a technology the company wants to patent.

In a new patent application for "active electronic media device packaging," which was published (pdf) today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and picked up by Apple Insider, Apple details packaging design that can slurp up wireless power and deliver it to the gadget inside.

This design does two main things, the filing argues: one is keep the gadgets charged and updated with the … Read more

Samsung has opened a new retail shop in the U.K. And it seems to feature some rather familiar design ideas.

According to Engadget, which visited the Oxford Street store in London earlier today, a host of Samsung's popular mobile products are on display, including the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Note, and Galaxy S II. In addition, the shop is currently in the process of training staff, so they can be well-versed on just about any question that might be posed by visitors.

Interestingly, Samsung's shop is right around the corner from one of Apple's London … Read more

Tablet buyers around the world eager to buy the new iPad will get a chance at 8 a.m. Friday.

Apple's retail stores and online store will start selling the third-generation iPad at 8 a.m. local time Friday across several countries, Apple announced today. The shift represents an early opening for Apple Stores, which normally unlock their doors at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.

The new iPad will initially be sold in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.… Read more

Apple today sold out of its initial batch of new iPads in online presales.

Buyers in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia now face varying delivery delays if they wish to pre-order the device from Apple's online store. In the U.S. it's currently an extra three days' wait past the brick-and-mortar launch date of March 16 to get your Web-ordered iPad. Across most of Europe and Japan it's now a two to three week delivery delay for new orders.

"Customer response to the new iPad … Read more

Oh no, Apple. If you start to sell out of big-box stores again, you'll cheapen your brand. Don't let the iPad suffer the same fate as Calvin Klein jeans.

That was my first thought last month when I heard that Apple plans to create Apple boutiques within some Target stores and supply the merchant with even more gadgets and gear to sell. Then, last week, 9to5Mac reported that Apple was considering whether to do something similar in Sam's Club.

There's no mistaking what's going on. Apple continues to increase its presence in mass-market retailers after … Read more

Despite making a clean break with wholesale retailer Costco in late 2010, Apple could be looking to expand its footprint with one of its rivals, a new report suggests.

Citing anonymous sources, 9to5mac says Apple is in talks with Sam's Club, a membership-only chain operated by Wal-Mart Stores, to expand a current partnership. That could take the form of a store within a store at the wholesale retailer, similar to the deal announced last month between Apple and Target, according to the blog report.

Those store-within-stores would end up at 47 Sam's Club locations in the U.S., … Read more