Apple Retail

Austrian newspaper derStandard is reporting that Apple is close to finalizing contracts to open its first Apple Store in the country, on the upmarket shopping street Kärntner Straße in Vienna. Kärntner Straße (shown below) is described as ‘a magnet for international brands,’ with most major retail chains having a presence there.

The company is said to be taking over the flagship premises occupied by fashion company Esprit …

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Image via Rich Brome/Twitter

The World Trade Center Apple Store opens tomorrow at noon in Santiago Calatrava‘s Oculus terminal.  But some are getting a sneak peak at the store this evening according to a couple of our tipsters who work in the area.

https://twitter.com/fcs132/status/765313492220076032

We first saw building permits 6 months ago on the site which was conceived 2 years ago.  The Oculus store was designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson which also was the design architect for close to 60 Apple Stores worldwide and the six other Apple Stores in Manhattan including SoHo (the first high profile store), Fourteenth Street (Meatpacking District), (iconic cube entrance) Fifth Avenue, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and Williamsburg (Brooklyn).

Many more close up images from passersby follow:

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Apple has released a new version of its Apple Store app for iPhone and iPad with a new app icon included. Features include recommendations based on which Apple devices you own, better in-store alerts, and when favorited products are available in stores you’re visiting.

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I’ve always imagined that working in an Apple Store is one of those jobs where you see it all, and a Thrillist interview with three anonymous staff members confirms that – rather literally.

The stuff that would pop up on people’s computers when we would do a data migration… when the photos imported into iPhoto, it would flash each photo on the screen as it was importing. So. Many. ****. Pics. Some things just can’t be unseen.

Not all of the stories they tell sound quite as credible, but one of them did have a great tip if you’re looking to get a free replacement for a damaged product without AppleCare Plus …

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In a report by Bloomberg, Apple is said to be preparing an update to its iOS Apple Store app, where customers can buy Apple’s hardware and accessories online. The new update will feature recommendations for suggested purchases, in a new ‘For You’ tab (mirroring Apple Music).

The privacy implications of the move are unclear; Apple will use a customer’s purchase history to suggest additional relevant products for them to buy, a tactic already heralded by most other online stores like Amazon. For example, if a user buys a set of Philips Hue lightbulbs, the app may also suggest adding other smart lighting HomeKit products to their cart, from the same range as well as other brands like the Lutron light systems, for instance.

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The first Apple Store in Singapore looks set to open in November, according to a construction works plate on the site. The plate says that the anticipated completion date of the additions and alterations to the building is 31st October, suggesting that it is likely to open sometime the following month …

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Six New York residents were charged today after authorities discovered they were attempting to make fraudulent purchases at various Apple retail locations in the Chicago area. According to the Chicago Tribune, the six people were charged in “an organized criminal enterprise.”

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Earlier this week 9to5Mac reader Matthew shared that the scaffolding has come down around the anticipated location of the first Brooklyn Apple Store, and today Apple has updated its website with official grand opening details. The Williamsburg Apple Store opens next Saturday on July 30th at 10am local time. The latest New York City location can be found at 247 Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.

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We’ve been hearing conflicting reports on whether or not Apple will be allowed to open retail stores in India ever since Tim Cook met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi last September. A new Bloomberg report suggests that Modi may be about to finally give the go-ahead.

While India is currently a very small market for Apple, Cook has repeatedly described the country as the next China. The huge population and growing middle-class means that India has enormous future potential for Apple, but a law has so far prevented the company from opening official Apple Stores there …

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Apple today has drastically simplified the iPhone trade-in program that allows eligible smartphones to be traded in for credit towards the purchase of a future device. Today’s changes allow customers to use the trade-in credit to help lower the cost of the a new iPhone purchase or to reduce monthly payments made to a carrier.

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If you’re looking for something to entertain kids aged 8-12 over the summer, and the chance for them to learn some useful tech skills into the bargain, you may want to register them for this year’s Apple Camp. Apple holds annual workshops at its retail stores intended to help kids make creative use of technology. This year’s workshops are focused on coding & robotics, movie-making and story-telling.

Campers can work with visual blocks and solve puzzles while programming Sphero robots. They can learn filmmaking skills: storyboarding, shooting video, and editing soundtracks. Or they can create interactive books complete with their own illustrations and sound effects. At Apple Camp, kids and their creativity are the heroes … 

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Opening Apple Stores in India has been something of a challenge for the company. The law normally requires companies to manufacture at least 30% of their products within India before they can open a single-brand store under a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) rule, but TNW is reporting that a decision to liberalize the FDI deal will finally provide the go-ahead for Apple Stores.

Apple will likely be allowed to avoid sourcing products locally for eight years – three years as per the new norms and an additional five years if it can prove it deals in ‘state-of-the-art’ and ‘cutting-edge’ technology that’s unavailable in the country.

If confirmed, the ruling will be an important one for Apple, which Tim Cook has described as the next China. An eight-year deal does, however, seem unlikely …

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Thieves dressed as Apple Store staff have stolen a total of $66,000’s worth of iPhones in two separate thefts at retail stores in New York. Apple’s Upper West Side store was targeted back in March, when 67 iPhones worth almost $50k were stolen, followed by the theft of 19 phones worth $16k from the SoHo store last week.

Police now believe that the same thieves may be responsible for both. The criminals seemed to have done their research well, notes Gizmodo …

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After our attempt at explaining the 500% markup on Apple’s new solar array yesterday, further information has now confirmed that Apple’s new stores – starting in the brand new San Francisco location – will be utilizing a new walkable solar glass floor technology for electricity generation. According to a document on Onyx Solar’s website, Apple “has decided to commit itself to OnyxSolar’s designer photovoltaic technology for its new stores. The first of these is located in the heart of San Francisco, the company’s home town.”
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Apple and its retail chief Angela Ahrendts today previewed the company’s brand new San Francisco retail store at Union Square ahead of an official grand opening this weekend.

“Fifteen years ago today Apple opened its first two stores and we’re thrilled to mark the occasion with the opening of Apple Union Square in San Francisco,” said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail and Online Stores. “We are not just evolving our store design, but its purpose and greater role in the community as we educate and entertain visitors and serve our network of local entrepreneurs.”

The images above and below were shared online today by @harrymcracken, @panzer and others attending the preview event for press. The new store features a number of new design elements, including changes to the layout for its Genius Bar that will be known as “Genius Grove” at the new store, and a number of new specialized areas throughout. 

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