Well, this is a bummer.
Gary Allen, perhaps the most respected voice and enterprising reporter in the Apple Community when it comes to Apple’s retail presence worldwide, is retiring from the blog he founded, ifo Apple Store.
Founded in 2001, shortly after the opening of the very first Apple Store, Allen has tirelessly followed the evolving world of Apple retail for nearly 15 years now. During that time, he’s visited over 140 Apple Stores around the world, and even camped outside of his share of them. But all good things must come to an end, and so Allen has decided to step away from writing about the Apple Store.
Allen describes the reasons for his departure:
Back in 2001, It seemed like I was the only person studying the stores. In fact, most onlookers were skeptical of the stores’ future success.
More recently, interest in Apple retail has expanded to financial analysts, designers, architects and other special interests.
Now, everyone is interested in the Apple stores—and most of them also seem to be writing about the stores. Who am I to keep up with them?
So, I’m doing to focus on my family and friends, drop the demands of writing and get back to what it was before—just fun.
Although Allen says he hopes to keep some of ifo Apple Store’s listier reference articles up to date, he’s otherwise stepping back to enjoy more time with his family. His parting advice?
[D]on’t overthink Apple. Instead, remember Steve Jobs and his boundless enthusiasm and joy—especially on stage—for what the products can accomplish and make possible. It’s fine to speculate on sales numbers and stock price. But it’s more pertinent to wonder how FaceTime or other Apple product feature can bring distant people together, to help diverse cultures understand one another to make a better world.
ifo Apple Store was a surgically focused, wholly original blog that helped shape and form the online Apple community as we know it today. Gary, your unique voice will be missed.
Source: ifo Apple Store
