A rendering of the expected look when renovations are complete
Apple’s first retail store in Brooklyn has been a long time coming. Following years of speculation, the plan was confirmed back in 2014, when it was revealed that the location would be at 247 Bedford Avenue, in Williamsburg, though the project later fell behind schedule.
As Apple continues to fight a court order asking it to unlock the iPhone of one the San Bernardino gunmen, the company is also involved in a similar case in New York. Last week, a New York judge ruled that the government couldn’t force Apple to unlock a device, but now, Reuters reports that the Department of Justice is fighting the ruling and is again citing the All Writs Act as reasoning.
The battle between the FBI and Apple continues to be played out in the media. On the same day that Apple SVP Craig Federighi said that the FBI wanted to create a weakness that could be used by hackers and criminals, NYPD’s head of counter-terrorism weighed in during a radio interview. The Daily News quotes John Miller accusing Apple of providing aid to murderers, among other things.
I still don’t know what made [Apple] change their minds and decide to actually design a system that made them not able to aid the police. You are actually providing aid to the kidnappers, robbers and murderers.
He cited the same quote used by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance during the Congressional hearing to support this contention, that a criminal described iOS 8 as ‘a gift from God’ …
While Apple has not yet officially announced that it will open up a store in the World Trade Center’s new transportation hub in New York City, there have been reports that such a store has been in the plans for the past two years. Today, a source who has been inside of the yet-to-be-opened Oculus shopping section of the hub has sent us photo evidence that Apple is preparing to open up a store in the shopping area. Above is a photo from this week showing the space for the store, but formal construction has not yet begun, according to the source.
A new bill proposed in New York could see that all phone manufacturers be required to implement a way for law enforcement agencies to access and decrypt user devices. This bill is somewhat similar to the Investigatory Powers Bill currently being debated in the UK, which Apple has voiced its opposition towards. Apple and Tim Cook have repeatedly stated that government agencies should not have any access to user devices or data, whether be through a built-in backdoor or other means.
Customers and employees at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York had somewhat of an interesting experience today. According to a report from ABC 7 NY, a man entered the store and headed to the iconic clear glass staircase and began waving around a samurai sword while screaming.
After setting up shop just a few blocks away from Apple’s signature retail store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, Microsoft says that iPhone users will be welcome to drop into the new Microsoft Store opening today, reports the NY Times.
“If you bring your iPhone in here, I’d love to show you how to use Office on it,” said Kelly Soligon, senior director of retail stores marketing at Microsoft.
While the piece notes that previous Microsoft Stores have seen few visitors, the company is hoping that its recently-launched Surface Books will change that.
Photo: Engadget
T-Mobile CEO John Legere has tweeted that iPhone 6s preorders are more than 30% higher than those of the iPhone 6 last year. While there have been a number of clues that the iPhone 6s launch was going to be big, this is the first sign of any hard data.
Apple said a week ago that it was ‘on pace’ to beat last year’s opening weekend record of 10M sales, Phil Schiller later adding that customer response had been “incredibly positive.” We’ve also seen that the first batch of both 6s and 6s Plus are sold out worldwide for delivery by Friday …
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An original Apple I is being auctioned by Bonhams in New York in October, and is expected to sell for upwards of half a million dollars, reports Quirker. It has been authenticated as one of the first 50 constructed by Steve Wozniak in Steve Jobs’ garage, and is said to be fully working and in fantastic condition.
Corey Cohen, Apple-1 expert and member of the Board of Directors for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists Museum said: “It’s in incredible condition. It’s nearly 40 years old, next year. It’s one of the best condition Apple-1s we’ve ever seen – not just at auction, but at any physical place at all.”
The machine is believed to be one of only six original Apple I computers in working order, a previous one selling in 2013 for $671k. Owner Tom Romkey sold a previous Apple I in 2014 for a world record £564k ($857k).
This model was apparently traded in at a computer shop by the original owner, who had used it only once and didn’t like it. Bonhams auctioneer Cassandra Hatton described the trade-in as “probably the worst financial transaction in history” – though we’d have to disagree.
That would probably be the third Apple cofounder, Ron Wayne, selling his 10% of the company back to the two Steves for $800 – stock that would now be worth billions. Even the original founding contract for Apple Computer sold back in 2011 for $1.6M.
Via Gizmodo
Apple has announced on its website that its first retail store in Queens will open on Saturday 11th July at 1oam. We exclusively revealed that the store was on the way back in February, with the first construction shots seen later the same month and signage appearing in May.
The new store is located on the second floor of the Queens Center mall in Elmhurst and will be one of the largest of the eight Apple Stores in New York …
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[tweet https://twitter.com/angelaahrendts/status/609827140612132864 align=’center’]
As previously reported, the Upper East Side New York Apple Store opened today and Apple’s head of retail was on hand for the occasion. Angela Ahrendts tweeted from the event (above) and took photos with visitors (below). The store is at 940 Madison Avenue on the corner of 74th St, a block from Central Park.
We noted previously that the almost 100-year old building that Apple restored used to be a bank which included a vault that Apple turned into a VIP room for Apple Watch Edition try ons. The VIP space includes a large TV/Display, couches and other niceties (more images below).
https://instagram.com/p/33w5KuApm2/
In addition, the decor and showcasing is unique to this location with a new kind of recessed showcase, large chandeliers and black and white artwork.
The new store will help alleviate some of the traffic that the Fifth Avenue Store loses while it relocates to the smaller FAO Schwarz location for upgrades. Not everyone is happy with the store opening. Local residents have complained that it will bring throngs of shoppers to this somewhat quiet (by Manhattan standards) upscale neighborhood. Apple has promised to open later and close earlier than other nearby stores in order to appease the neighbors.
[tweet https://twitter.com/kledaras/status/609717365086003200 align=’center’]
Many more images below:
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Apple is continuing to aggressively expand across China with several stores, and the latest location is opening up in Chongqing on March 7th. This marks the third store in the region, and this one’s address is 55 Xiejiawan Street in the Jiulongpo District. While the first pair of stores in this region were located on busy streets with magnificent exteriors, this third store is placed inside of the area’s MixC shopping mall, which opened up in fall 2014. Apple executives Tim Cook and Angela Ahrendts frequently note how critical China is to Apple’s success, and the pair have said that dozens of stores are opening in China over the next couple of years. Over the past year, China has become the vast majority of where Apple’s revenue is sourced from across the globe. (Via @iFostore)
Bloomberg reports that a Manhattan District Attorney is challenging recent moves by Apple, Google and other tech companies by suggesting government pass laws that prevent mobile devices from being “sealed off from law enforcement.” In an interview this week, the government official called it “an issue of public safety.”
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The team at uBreakiFix was recently invited to Corning’s Gorilla Glass testing facility in Corning, New York for an inside look at the science behind the ultra-durable glass found on iPhones, iPads and several other smartphones and tablets. The five-minute spot goes behind the scenes at Corning’s strength testing lab to show how durable Gorilla Glass is under stress and bending tests.
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After many years of speculation, the NY Post reports that Brooklyn is finally getting its first Apple Store, expected to open in April of next year. The above render shows what the building is expected to look like once renovations are complete.
The tech-products powerhouse has signed a long-term lease for a 20,000-square-foot store at 247 Bedford Ave. at the corner of North 3rd Street, brokerage community sources definitively revealed.
This will make the opening around five years since then Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz made a video plea direct to Steve Jobs …
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Apple has for a long time hired engineers around the globe to contribute to making its Maps experience better. While positions for its team outside Cupertino usually consist of Maps Quality Analysts and Ground Truth managers that submit region specific corrections for Maps, a new job listing on Apple’s website hints at a “data-collection project” planned for New York.
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With more and more retailers, event spaces, and others deploying Apple’s Bluetooth LE iBeacon technology in order to beam iPhone and iPad users context and location aware notifications, we still haven’t seen much data on how the beacons are improving ad engagement for marketers. InMarket, a company installing iBeacons in grocery stores around the country that talk to a number of apps from its advertising partners, today shared some of the first stats from a specific consumer brand using the platform.
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The New York Post reports that a 21-year-old woman has died after falling in front of a subway train while trying to catch the iPad she had dropped.
The woman who was crushed to death by a subway train at Union Square on Saturday lost her balance after fumbling with her iPad, causing her to fall onto the tracks, officials said.
Police said that it appeared the woman had lost her grip on the iPad and made a grab for it as it slipped, losing her footing and falling onto the tracks just as a train was arriving. The conductor reportedly spotted the woman on the rails but was too late to stop the train.
Cautionary note: the linked report has a photo which appears to show some of the remains of the victim – we’ve cropped it out of the above photo.
Photo: R Umar Abbasi/New York Post
This week the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City recognized its completion ahead of its public opening on May 21st, and today an official 9/11 Memorial Museum app for iPhone and iPod touch has been made available.
The app’s purpose is to aid museum attendees and enhance the tour experience by turning your smartphone into a personal tour guide. The primary tour, Witnessing History, is narrated by actor Robert De Niro, who has supported the Museum’s effort alongside former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The tour consists of thirteen sections total, each accompanied with a 1-3 minute narration and transcript.
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http://vimeo.com/83270004
inMarket, an in-store marketing platform that recently started rolling out iBeacons to retailers, today announced an interesting new twist for the platform: the first consumer packaged goods brand to take advantage of iBeacons in a retail environment. That means that rather than the retailer controlling the entire iBeacon experience and the location-based notifications that get beamed to shoppers, inMarket’s Mobile to Mortar (M2M) platform is giving that same opportunity to the individual brands on the store’s shelves. We’ve also learned it’s about to expand and continue its rollout of iBeacons in retail locations across New York, Boston, and Miami.
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We’ve been seeing more and more interesting implementations of iBeacons, Apple’s Bluetooth LE standard that opens up a ton of opportunities for location-based experiences as iOS devices communicate with the beacons around them. This, however, might be the most unique use of iBeacons we’ve seen yet: For the UN’s International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action taking place on April 4, New Museum in New York City will host an exhibit that uses iBeacons to simulate a virtual minefield and let anyone experience the danger of land mines.
Visitors will download an app called Sweeper for iOS or Android that will allow them to experience the fear of land mines as they walk through the space. Here’s how it works:
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NewsDay reports Republican Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano was sworn in for his second term today using an iPad and Bible app when officials were unable to locate a physical copy of the Bible:
Addressing a standing room audience at Bethpage High School, where he graduated in 1980, Mangano took the oath of office on an iPad featuring a text of the Bible when a printed copy could not be located.
Not surprisingly there is much debate heating up online over whether or not an iPad and Bible app should qualify as a replacement for the real thing. Video from the ceremony is available here.
Verizon’s problems with LTE capacity in NY are almost at an end, claimed CEO Lowell McAdam during an investor conference on Monday. Describing the issues as “a short-term blip,” he said the company was “now back to where we want to be.”
Verizon identified 49 cell sites in the New York area where capacity was insufficient, and said that all but seven of them had been strengthened.
AT&T, meantime, said that it has become the first U.S. carrier to offer international LTE roaming thanks to an agreement with Rogers Communications to allow customers access to LTE data when visiting Canada. The Rogers LTE network covers approximately 70 percent of Canada.
Roaming is not, however, cheap. For occasional use, you’re charged $15.36/MB. Alternatively, you can sign up for a Data Global Add-on packages at $30/month for 120MB, $60/month for 300MB or $120/month for 800MB. The two more expensive packages also give you 1GB of wifi usage where available.
Full AT&T press release below …
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVHjvNHRITw]
When Burberry shot video of its London fashion show entirely on the iPhone 5s, one had to suspect this was purely a PR stunt, given that it occurred shortly before it was announced that the company’s CEO was joining Apple as head of retail.
A cynical mind might suspect the same of any video shot with iPhones, but in a piece in The Loop, LeAnn Rimes’ co-producer Darrell Brown insists the decision to use an iPhone to shoot the video for her new single Gasoline and Matches, directed by Ian Padgham, was purely a practical one.
“Using the iPhone camera for the stop motion video made it easy, affordable and portable for us—because of time factors,” said Darrell Brown, the Co-Producer of the record and video. “I had to get Ian to Dublin to film LeAnn while she was there. I had to get Ian to New York State to film Rob. It was so easy to lug around three iPhones instead of other heavy gear. iPhone to film, IPhone for playback of song and iPhone to document the fun.”
Rimes said she was “blown away” by the result.
It’s not recorded which iPhone was used, but the 5s introduced a new camera with larger sensor, wider aperture, dual-color flash and a 120fps slo-mo mode.