Retail

Apple building ‘visually stunning’ Palo Alto store next to Microsoft

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 17, 2013

While most Apple retail locations which grab headlines are in China or New York City, the iPhone maker is working hard to finish work on its flagship store in Palo Alto, California. Unlike other huge glass Apple flagship stores, this one is most known for overwhelming a nearby Microsoft store built just last year to out-do Apple.

Aside from the one-upsmanship between the two rivals, the 12,000-square feet store in the city's Stanford shopping center expected to open in November may have been one of the last decisions made by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. According to a report Monday, Jobs approved the store's design just six months before Tim Cook became CEO...

Best Buy $150 trade-in program could net you a free iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2013

In another sign that Best Buy could be clearing stock (or simply enticing customers to pick up an Apple handset), CNET reports the retailer will trade-in your working iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S on Sunday for a $150 credit, which can be redeemed against the purchase of a new iPhone. Given that Best Buy normally sells the entry-level iPhone 5 on a two-year contract for $150, the promotion lets you trade-in your old iPhone and purchase Apple's latest and greatest handset without paying a dime - of course, excluding the obligatory carrier activation fee and any applicable sales tax...

Payleven teams up with Apple to sell its Chip & PIN card reader

Cody Lee ∙ May 29, 2013

Look out Square and Paypal, Payleven has inked a major deal with Apple to sell its mobile payment solution. The Rocket Internet-backed startup is now selling its Chip & PIN at a number of the company's retail and online stores.

Payleven says it has been talking to Apple about a global distribution deal for several months now, and the two sides only recently reached an agreement. Apparently the company is as protective of its retail stores as it is its App Store...

German online Apple Store now accepts PayPal

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

Although Apple has long offered PayPal as a payment option in the United States for both digital consumer sales on iTunes and volume software purchases by education customers, the firm never instituted paying for online store purchases using PayPal.

That's ostensibly changing now as users in Germany now report being able to complete purchases on their localized online Apple Store using their PayPal account.

It remains unclear why exactly Apple enabled the feature in Germany (could be part of the broader Apple Store changes), but the move could signal a staggered worldwide roll-out...

Online Apple Store gets Father’s Day revamp

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 22, 2013

After being down for nearly four hours, Apple last night tweaked its online Apple Store with a cleaner look and Father's Day gift promotion.

Gone are the navigation columns on the left and right sides to make room for product teasers that now occupy the entire width of the page.

As part of the redesign, key product hubs (the Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod) are now lined up horizontally across the store's top and the images are now larger. And because Father's Day is drawing near, Apple now prominently features its iPhone 5 and iPads on the store’s homepage...

JCPenney airs TV ad apologizing for chickening out of Ron Johnson’s vision

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 2, 2013

Former Apple SVP of Retail, Ron Johnson, lasted barely a year on the job. After the struggling department store chain reported a $13 billion annual decline in revenue, the board ingloriously booted Johnson whose greatest sin was trying to change way too many things at the same time, namely insisting on his shop-in-shop concept.

The irony of it: the boutique store approach could have easily breathed a new life into JCPenney's garage sale concept and stood a good chance of reinvigorating the firm's fugly brick-and-mortar locations.

Figuring the best thing to do at this point is wash its hands of this whole Ron Johnson adventure, JCPenney yesterday begun airing a new television commercial. Titled 'It's No Secret' it's a pathetic attempt at apologizing for chickening out of Johnson's vision for the company. The video is right past the fold...

Apple to obsolete original iPhone on June 11

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's iPhone, which celebrated its fifth birthday last June, will soon reach 'obsolete' status at Apple's retail stores. This comes via an internal Apple communication which reveals that Apple Stores will downgrade the original 2007 iPhone model to 'obsolete' status come June 11, 2013.

Between its January 2007 introduction and the June 29, 2007 debut, the iPhone had enjoyed an unprecedented amount of media attention that fueled the media frenzy to unheard-of levels. But even the phone that changed the cell phones forever deserves retirement. By obsoleting the device, Apple will no longer be providing service parts...

Poll: should Apple offer Ron Johnson its still open Retail boss job?

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 8, 2013

Apple's former SVP of Retail Ron Johnson just got booted as the CEO of JC Penney over dismal earnings and for failing to sprinkle a little bit of Apple's magic dust to fix the retailer's depressing mid-range brick-and-mortar department store biz.

And in a fitting twist of fate, it just so happens that Apple, where Johnson spent a decade refining the retail experience which is epitomized in the Genius Bar concept, has been struggling to find a suitable replacement to Johnson for nearly two years now.

We're asking you to take a moment, asses the situation and make an educated guess as to whether Tim Cook should make an offer to Johnson or just ignore him in order not to send the wrong kind of message, that people can leave Apple on a whim resting assured the company would always take them back...

Ron Johnson booted as JC Penney CEO, will Cook re-hire him to lead Apple Stores?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Ron Johnson, 54, Apple's former SVP of Retail and the guy largely attributed with turning the beleaguered computer maker into America's greatest retailer at the turn of the century, nearly two years ago left Cupertino to take the job as president of the mid-range department store chain J.C. Penney.

He was supposed to apply some of Apple's secret magic sauce to JC Penney's outdated retail stores. But alas, the company instead has continued to struggle under his leadership and has experienced its worst sales year in more than two decades. Johnson’s Apple experience obviously didn’t translate well to Penney’s customer base of bargain hunters. Hopefully, Tim Cook still has Johnson on speed dial...

T-Mobile stores gearing up for iPhone launch, Sprint’s Virgin Mobile offers $100 to switchers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

Although it hasn't yet begun officially dressing up its nationwide stores ahead of Friday's iPhone launch, T-Mobile USA is now gearing up for the big day. As part of the preparations for the D-day, the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco last Friday started accepting pre-orders for iPhones. And earlier today, T-Mobile’s retail locations were spotted getting ready with brand-new iPhone-themed uniforms and demo inventory is already en route, but don't expect these devices to crop up at T-Mobile stores until the night before the launch...

Samsung Experience Shops coming to 1,400 Best Buy stores to fight Apple’s retail lead

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated May 2, 2017

Responding to Apple's retail lead, the South Korea based maker of Galaxy smartphones and tablets has made a major move in partnership with Best Buy, which also sells Apple products. Samsung is calling it the final component in a three-legged approach to competing with Apple in the United States. Beginning Monday, April 8, the South Korean smartphone maker will open hundreds of so-called Samsung Experience Shops in Best Buy stores across the country.

The 460 square-foot shops will be at the front of the stores, staffed by Samsung product experts. In a first of its kind move, Samsung will gather all of its products, showing how the Galaxy S4 smartphone can transfer content among the company's smart TVs, laptops, and tablets. By June, the firm hopes to have smaller mini shops in around another 1,000 locations owned by the retail electronics giant, according to a Thursday report...

Apple reportedly partnering with Barclays on Apple Store $99 T-Mobile iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 2, 2013

Apple's been experimenting with installment payments in emerging markets for some time now. For example, installment payments coupled with increased marketing helped quadruple Apple's single-digit iPhone market share in India. And in China, the online Apple Store offers 1, 3, 6 and 12 payment installment options with no interest, thanks to Apple's partnership with China Merchants Bank.

That being said, in what appears to be another effort to improve its standing in the US market, Apple has reportedly partnered with Barclay's to offer a no-interest option on T-Mobile iPhone 5 sales at Apple Stores...