Retail

Angela Ahrendts makes good first impression in first weeks at Apple

Cody Lee ∙ May 19, 2014

Apple's former SVP of retail John Browett left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. After just six months in the position, it was pretty clear he wasn't right for the job, and Tim Cook fired him. And not only that, but he spent over a year finding a proper replacement.

The good news is, that replacement was Angela Ahrendts, and by all accounts she's nothing like Browett. In fact, according to a new report from 9to5Mac, she has already visited a number Apple Stores in the the San Francisco area, and the employees love her...

More evidence of Fall iPhone 6 launch as Apple blocks off employee vacations in September

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 14, 2014

With all the rumors seemingly pointing to Apple sticking to its Fall release schedule for iPhones, established with the October 2011 introduction of the iPhone 4s, today the company again hinted at an upcoming iPhone 6 release by blocking off employee vacations for September 15–28 at its German outlets.

September is Apple's usual iPhone launch window (new iPads typically come a month later).

What's different this time around is Apple blocking employee vacation dates four months in advance versus a few weeks ahead of a major new product introduction, like before...

AT&T introduces in-store pickup for online orders

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

If you plan on buying a smartphone or a tablet from AT&T anytime soon, you'll love the carrier's new in-store pickup option. Introduced Monday, the service allows you to order your mobile gear online - be it a smartphone/tablet, a piece of network equipment such as routers and 4G MiFi hotspots or various wireless accessories - and have it delivered to a nearby brick-and-mortar store.

Verizon for quite some time has been offering in-store pickups for online orders - as has been Apple - so this new service will improve AT&T's ability to compete and potentially help increase foot traffic at its own stores...

Apple cuts refund times for returns in half

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

One of Tim Cook's latest tricks meant to improve shopping experience and boost sales at Apple's online store is decreased refund turnaround times for product returns, according to a Reuters report Monday. Previously, it took about ten working days to get a refund, according to estimates by retail-intelligence firm StellaService. These refund times have now been cut in half so customers can get a refund in a less than a week...

Apple kicks off in-store iPhone upgrade event

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

As rumored earlier in the week, Apple has kicked off a new in-store iPhone upgrade program today. The company has put up signs and other marketing materials in its retail stores, and has begun emailing customers with older model handsets.

The purpose of the event is to get those who still have an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4s into a 5s or 5c, as Apple attempts to move remaining stock ahead of the fall's anticipated refresh. The company has even upped its trade-in offers to sweeten the deal...

iPhone 5s/5c is half price at Best Buy until Sunday

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 8, 2014

Best Buy, the nation's popular consumer electronics retailer, is offering latest iPhones with a notable 50 percent discount until this coming Sunday, May 11. The entry-level iPhone 5s model with sixteen gigabytes of storage is now available for $99 after a two-year wireless contract with Verizon or Sprint.

The 16GB iPhone 5c - which normally costs $99 after a two-year contract over at the Online Apple Store (and through many other carriers/retailers) - will now set you back $49.95 in upfront payment. Higher-capacity iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models are half price, too...

Apple now number two online retailer behind Amazon

Cody Lee ∙ May 6, 2014

According to data from e-commerce research firm Internet Retailer, Apple is now the number two online retailer in the world. Amazon, of course, still has a large lead in the number one spot, but the Cupertino firm recently surpassed Staples to take over second place.

The jump in position is due to a couple of factors. For one, Staples saw flat online sales of $10.4 billion over the past year, representing just a 1% increase over 2012. And two, Internet Retailer is accounting for both hardware and digital content sales for the first time...

Apple to host iPhone upgrade event this week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Folks looking to purchase a new handset soon may be interested to hear that Apple is expected to host an iPhone upgrade event this week at its retail stores. The news comes from 9to5Mac, who says the company will begin emailing owners of older iPhones tomorrow, notifying them of the program.

According to the report, the move is part of a larger effort to boost handset sales and the promotion will kick-off on May 8th. The deal will be offered in a number of states across the US, and will 'blend nicely' with Apple’s retail store-based iPhone trade-in program it introduced in August of last year...

Apple’s new retail chief Angela Ahrendts awarded $68 million in stock

Cody Lee ∙ May 5, 2014

Talk about a signing bonus. After officially joining Apple last week, word got out today that Angela Ahrendts has already received 113 thousand units of restricted stock. At today's prices—remember, APPL is back up around $600—the shares would be worth roughly $68 million.

This makes the company's new SVP of retail and online stores one of the highest-paid executives in the industry, but of course, she'll have to wait to cash in. According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the full amount won't be available until 2018...

Angela Ahrendts starts role as SVP of Retail and Online Stores at Apple

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Angela Ahrendts has left fashion retailer Burberry and started her new position at Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores, according to an update to Apple's Executive Profiles website on Friday.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, confirmed on the company's quarterly earnings call last week that Ahrendts would be starting at the Cupertino-based company this week, following now-false rumors she would be staying on at Burberry until June.

Amazon launches new Wearable Technology store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

In case you needed any more proof that wearables aren't just a passing fad, Amazon launched a new storefront this week dedicated specifically to the space. Dubbed the 'Wearable Technology' store, the page highlights health trackers, smartwatches and more.

Since it's likely that many of Amazon's customers aren't familiar with the new devices just yet, the company has supplemented its retail offerings with other content like 'Learning Center' videos, product comparisons, recommendations and editorial reviews...

Apple launches replacement program for iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake button

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple announced a new replacement program today for folks having issues with the Sleep/Wake button on their iPhone 5. The program allows for the replacement of the button on select iPhone 5 models where it has either stopped working completely, or only works intermittently.

The Cupertino firm says that it will offer the service free of charge to iPhone 5 customers with models that exhibit this issue, and have a qualifying serial number. It has set up a website with all of the details on the program for the 'small percentage' of people that have been affected...