Not to pile on after Sebastien's review of the Nexus 7, but I just had to share this little tidbit of information.
I emailed Google customer service over an issue that I had with the Nexus 7, and I received a response. The problem is, the response came 17 days later. Yes, a one followed by a seven. 408 hours after the fact.
It's just another reason why Google has a long way to go before they can come close to the Apple experience...
Apple's chain of retail stores have seen unprecedented success over the past decade. They make more money and see more foot traffic than just about any other store on the planet.
Unfortunately, more foot traffic means longer wait times and other inconveniences for shoppers, which can lead to a poor customer experience. But Apple is looking to change that...
There was a graphic that started circulating the internet several months back, demonstrating how Apple has affected the smartphone industry. It showed what handsets looked like before and after the original iPhone was released. And the differences were tremendous.
There was a similar image that showed how Apple has impacted the tablet market. Before the iPad, tablets were 2-3-inches thick, had styluses, and ran desktop operating systems. And then after it, they all became thin, multi-touch tablets running mobile software.
Now it looks like it's time for someone to make another graphic showing how Apple has affected retail stores...
In China, each of Apple's retail stores serves on average 216 million customers. Therein lies the catch to its expansion in the 1.33 billion people market - Apple needs way more stores in this huge country than it can possibly build, and it needs them yesterday.
China is important not just because it has recently displaced the United States as the world's leading smartphone market, but also because it now contributes to one-fifth of Apple's total revenue. Also, Apple says China stores have become its highest trafficked and among the highest revenue stores.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently toured China, talking greater investments with local officials and paying a visit to Foxconn's new manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou. It was a telling acknowledgment of the importance of China at the highest level, but barely enough to change the fact that the iPhone maker is in serious danger of becoming a victim of its own success in China...
You're no doubt aware of The New York Times' coverage of Apple's retailing woes and Cupertino's response: it raised wages and is mulling a career path for employees. The story is making the headlines and becoming a meme, so it goes without saying that Joy of Tech has a take on it.
Joy of Tech is a webcomic created by Canada-born Liza Schmalcel and Bruce Evans and iDB loves their funny takes on the various topics that have been occupying the greatest minds in tech (yeah, I meant that as an irony).
My favorite from their Apple Store comic: before putting on an Apple Genius shirt, please apply "New Apple Smell" scented deodorant, as instructed by your Hygiene Manager. What, didn't you know? that there's a fragrance which recreates the Apple unboxing scent?
This past Saturday, The New York Times ran an eyebrow-raising profile of Apple's retail business. A part of the paper's ongoing iEconomy series, the controversial story deals with the 30,000 of the 43,000 Apple employees in the United States who work in Apple Stores, as members of the service economy, many of them making just $25,000 a year.
And while Apple Stores almost double per-square-foot revenue compared to second-ranked Tiffany, Apple’s retail army remains long on loyalty but short on pay, the piece concludes. Those youthful faces that greet and service you at Apple's 327 global stores aren't in it for the money: a retail employee makes an average of $25,000 a year, but nets Apple approximately $473,000 annually.
That's why the company can get away with paying a modest hourly wage and no commission, offering no career path whatsoever. In fact, many former and current employees describe working for the man as a dead end. According to a new report, Apple is about to change this and has outlined a new career path initiative to employees in yesterday's Apple Retail quarterly meetings across the United States...
That's it folks, the Apple Store has just gone offline ahead of today's WWDC keynote, which begins in a little bit more than two hours. Are you feeling the excitement yet?
As the big event approaches, possible specs of Apple's new MacBooks have leaked, indicating that MacBook Airs will come with 4GB/8GB RAM flavors and a 512GB SSD option. SSD in these new Airs should use SATA3 and some of them are said to be based on Samsung’s crazy fast 830 series.
New MacBook Pro and Mac Pros are also in the cards and the AirPort Express base station is said to be due for an upgrade as well...
Apple has finally obtained ownership over the 'aplestore.com' domain name through arbitration.
Furthermore, the iPhone maker is still fighting to win control over a bunch of other interesting domain names, including 'itunes.net' and thirteen others.
By the way, wouldn't you have liked to had registered that one?
Reuters reports that Apple is planning to open two new stores in Chinese cities Chengdu and Shenzhen, regardless of its ongoing legal spat with China's bankrupt display maker Proview over the rights to use the iPad moniker in the 1.33 billion people market.
Chengdu and Shenzhen are also homes to the world's largest manufacturing sites. It's also where contract manufacturer Foxconn runs production facilities where iOS devices are being made...
According to a newspaper report out today, Apple has big plans for its upcoming retail outlet tot be located right in the neighborhood of the company's existing Stanford store in Palo Alto, California.
It's gonna feature exquisitely designed interior with a stone wall separating the store into two distinct areas, coupled with Apple's trademark floor-to-ceiling glass walls on the outside and light-colored roof overhead...
During Apple's most recent earnings call, Tim Cook cited constrained supplies for the new iPad as a reason its tablet sales were a little off. But that doesn't seem to be the case any more, as availability continues to improve.
Just two weeks after we saw iPad shipping estimates drop to 5-7 business days, shipping times have once again decreased. It looks like folks wanting to order a new iPad online will now only have to wait a measly 3-5 days...
Finally, all of the speculation can come to an end. Remember that ridiculous 'wake up' flash mob that hit an Australian Apple store a few days ago? Of course you do, we've been hearing about it nonstop.
Well as it turns out, Macworld was right. RIM was behind the whole thing. How do we know? Well, because the BlackBerry-makers just gave a statement to Macworld Australia confirming it...