Apple Store

Best Buy can’t keep up with iPhone 5 preorders, report says

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

So, you pre-ordered your iPhone 5 the minute it was announced. Turns out, you may have better luck landing an iPhone by standing in line. The latest victim of the iPhone's own success: electronics giant Best Buy. The company now says it may not have enough of the highly-sought handsets to meet demand, emailing some unlucky souls that they'll need to wait up to mid-October.

"Based on current inventory allocation, we understand we will not have enough iPhone 5 devices to fulfill all pre-orders this weekend," according to a Best Buy internal memo obtained by 9to5Mac.

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Walmart stops Kindle sales, following Target’s lead

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Amazon's $199 Kindle and low-price retailer Walmart would appear to be a match made in discount heaven, right? Then how do you explain today's news that Walmart is kicking Amazon to the curb? In a statement, Walmart only says the decision is part of its "overall merchandising strategy."

"Recently, Walmart Stores, Inc. made a business decision to not carry current Amazon products beyond our purchase commitments and existing inventory," the Bentonville, Ark. firm told store managers Wednesday. In the memo reported by Reuters, Walmart officials said the stores will continue to offer "a broad assortment of tablets, eReaders and accessories at a variety of great price points."

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Apple sold 2 million iPhone 5 in first 24 hours, ‘shattering’ iPhone 4S record

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Another confirmation this morning just how fast the new iPhone 5 is selling: Apple says it sold 2 million of the new handsets in just the first 24 hours of availability with demand outstripping supply. Preorders for the slimmer, faster iPhone "have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S," Apple's marketing head Philip Schiller announced.

Indeed, demand is so off the scale that the Cupertino, Calif. company said the "majority of preorders" will be delivered to buyers on Sept. 21 with new purchases set for delivery in October. Earlier today, AT&T said it set a "sales record with iPhone 5 over the weekend, making it the fastest-selling iPhone the company has ever offered".

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People are already in line for the iPhone 5 at New York Apple Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

If you weren't able to place your iPhone 5 pre-order last week, and still want to pick one up on launch day, I have some good news and some bad news for you.

The good news is, Apple and other retailers will start offering the handset this Friday at 8 AM. The bad news is, it looks like some folks are already lining up...

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Smart App Banners spotted at the online Apple Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

iOS 6 comes with a handful of nice little Safari tweaks that one discovers and learns to appreciate over time. Among them, so-called Smart App Banners that let web sites display an interactive banner at the top of Safari to promote their associated App Store apps.

The new feature does require some work on part of web developers who will need to add code to tap the app launching UI and functionality portion of Smart App Banners.

Conveniently enough, with just five days until the iPhone 5 unveiling next Wednesday, Apple has turned on Smart App Banners on its online store...

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Apple now offering personalized online support service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Apple Store Geniuses are some of the most recognizable employees in the industry. Where as most retailers have moved to phone tech support, Apple takes pride in its in-store helpers.

So much so, in fact, that it's starting to offer the personalized support to online shoppers as well, meaning customers can now get Genius-level help without ever leaving their house...

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Latest iPhone 5 hint: Apple paying to recycle your 4S

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Most are confident we'll see the iPhone 5 in mid or late-September. Because Apple isn't a blabbermouth about such things, its fans are left reading tea leaves looking for hints to divine Cupertino's exact intentions. The latest signal comes from the mothership itself. Apple will pay up to $345 for your old iPhone 4S.

The Apple Store is making the offer as part of its support for recycling old technology. Your gently-used 64GB white iPhone 4S could net you a $345 Apple Store gift card, while a 16GB black 4S will recycle $285 into your pocket. Apparently, Apple is hoping you'll use your windfall to buy the new iPhone 5.

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Apple’s secret Genius Training Workbook surfaces online

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Want to know the secret behind Apple's highly-regarded retail experience? Then today's you're lucky day. The company's 'Genius Training Student Workbook' has just leaked onto the internet.

The contents of the book are quite fascinating, essentially telling Geniuses-in-training how to think and what to say in nearly every kind of customer situation, and how to "sell gadget joy."

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Most Apple owners say free service keeps them coming back

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Despite thoughts of a service call as akin to a root canal, iPhone maker Apple has turned service into a selling point. Nearly 60 percent of current Apple device owners say they'll buy another product from the Cupertino, Calif. company as the result of in-store service.

According to a survey by NPD Group, almost 90 percent of consumers who used Apple's Genius Bar tech service rated the experience extremely or very satisfying. "A major part of their satisfaction came from the fact that only a small percentage actually paid for their service. According to the report, 88 percent of Genius Bar consumers said their service was free compared to 78 percent of all consumers."

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Samsung denies new Sydney store copies Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. However, Samsung wants no talk of its new Sydney, Australia store looking "Apple-esque." Particularly while the South Korean company is being sued for allegedly imitating Apple's iPhone and iPad.

Despite the store being located just a block from Apple, using the same Apple minimalism, the same Apple-like packaging and staffed with the same blue-shirted employees, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company "didn't even come into the equation when we were looking for a location," Samsung Australia's vice president of telecommunication, Tyler McGee, tells the Sydney Morning Herald. In the business, we call that a non-denial denial...

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Report: Apple to open Moscow ‘Apple Rus’ in 2013

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

First came the U.S. Apple Store, then London and Paris. Now the iPhone maker is preparing to open stores in Moscow, according to a Russian newspaper. The move would allow Apple to sell directly to Moscovites, rather than using local distributors.

As part of the effort, the company has registered "Apple Rus" to directly sell iPads and iPhones in stores near Moscow and St. Petersburg...

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