An SEC filing from computer security specialists Symantec reveals its former Chief Accounting Officer Phillip Bullock has joined Apple to head up the Cupertino company’s tax department.
Apple’s decision to make Best Buy an official partner for the iPhone is certainly paying off. With 1,100 outlets across the U.S. and an online store, the retailer is now selling almost as many iPhones as Apple itself, according to a survey of customers who purchased the device between December 2011 and February 2012.
Having slipped to 2-3 weeks last week, shipping times for the new iPad through Apple’s online store have already eased to just 1-2 weeks.
Add this to your list of things Apple is worth more than. As the Zero Hedge blog notes, “A company whose value is dependent on the continued success of two key products, now has a larger market capitalization (at $542 billion), than the entire US retail sector (as defined by the S&P 500).” Nuff said.
Over at 9to5Mac, everyone’s favorite teenage tech space Tintin, Mark Gurman, managed to get his hands on some soon-to-be-posted retail art that confirms the new iPad will go on sale starting at 8 a.m. on Friday. In other words, doors at your local Apple Store will be opening two hours early to accommodate the crush.
Will you be waiting in line for one? What time do you plan on getting there? Let us know in the comments.
Apple officials have reportedly confirmed that the company will not be taking its pop-up retail store to this year’s South by Southwest Interactive Festival, which kicks off on Friday, March 9. The decision suggests Apple’s iPad 3 will not be ready for shipping next week.
![apple_store_fith[1]](https://cdn.cultofmac.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/apple_store_fith1.jpg "Apple Stores Top List Of America’s Most Profitable Retail Outlets")
If you’ve read the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson, you may remember that Apple’s board was initially very hesitant to give Jobs a green light about creating Apple’s retail stores. A decade later, the stores have been an amazing success with hundreds of outlets around the world. They have also become the most profitable retail outlets in America.
Research company RetailSails ranked the country’s top retailers using the common retail metric of annual sales per square foot. Apple nabbed the top spot with sales averaging $5,647 per foot – nearly double high-end jeweler Tiffany and Co., which came in a distant second.
We first heard about Apple’s plans to open a retail store within London’s world-famous Harrods department store back in January, but we had little information on the store’s launch date. Sources “inside Harrods” are now reporting that it will open its doors in time for the iPad 3 launch in mid-March.
25 iPhones worth over $16,000 have been stolen from an Apple Store in Northlake Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. Unlike the familiar attacks in which thieves smash in Apple’s trademark glass doors, the suspect in this case was an Apple store employee and had easy access to the store’s stock room.
Apple has been forced to cease online sales of its iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and 3G-equipped iPad 2 in Germany after Motorola triumphed over the Cupertino company in a Mannheim court, securing an injunction against several of its 3G devices. Those affected are no longer available to purchase from Apple’s online store, though they can still be obtained from its retail stores.
Apple’s decision to hire John Browett as its Senior Vice President of Retail has come under fire from a small but vocal minority of Apple fans who believe he may not be the right man for the job. Brits in particular, who are familiar with the Dixons stores in the U.K. that Browett used to control, are concerned he is not a suitable replacement for Ron Johnson.
But Apple CEO Tim Cook has no doubts about the company’s decision, and has labeled Browett the best man for the role “by far.”
Following the violence that spoiled Apple’s iPhone 4S launch at a number of retail stores throughout China earlier this month, the Cupertino company has introduced a new iPhone lottery system in Hong Kong that will make it incredibly difficult for scalpers to purchase the device. Those hoping to bag the device in-store must first request an iPhone reservation, then provide government-issued ID when they arrive to collect the handset.
When’s the last time you went shopping at JC Penney versus the Apple Store? The venerable retailer, overshadowed by the cheap-chic of Target, is looking to reshape itself by putting the iPhone maker’s former retail chief in charge. Ron Johnson, a 10-year veteran of Apple’s retail effort, explained the retailer and Cupertino, Calif. tech giant share much in common.
Apple could be set to bring its popular retail stores to India following the Indian government’s decision to allow 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in the retail sector. The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) claims Apple is already interested in opening stores in India, with the Cupertino company reportedly in the process of finalizing its business plan.
Apple seems to be pushing its “store-within-a-store” concept this year. The Cupertino company has already established stores within Best Buy in the U.S., and it has plans for a further 25 to be installed within Target stores. But it seems the concept is going international, with plans for an Apple retail store within the world famous Harrods department store in London.
It seems the refurbishment to Apple’s Fifth Avenue retail store in New York City may have been a practice run for something a little more elaborate. Take a look at the picture above; that’s a new Apple retail store that’s coming to France and it’ll be almost entirely transparent.
Do you live in an area too small to support an Apple Store but has a Target retail location? Apple reportedly will launch later this year “store-within-a-store” sites at 25 of the chain’s larger U.S. locations. The plan would expand the Cupertino, Calif. company’s retail reach already available at more than 600 Best Buy stores.
You probably throw most product warranties in the trash without reading them. Not so for an Italian antitrust group, which found Apple retailers’ one-year guarantee lacking and fined the Cupertino, Calif. company 900,000 euros or $1.2 million.
Still haven’t done your Christmas shopping? No need to go on a panicked last-minute expedition to the local gas station like I usually do (“Ho ho ho! Santa brings cartons of cigarettes, Bic lighters and air fresheners!”). Apple has upgraded its free holiday shipping offer in the United States to include next-day shipping for all in-stock products, guaranteeing that as long as you don’t procrastinate past tomorrow, you’ll get your gifts in time for December 25th. Merry Christmas!
[via MacRumors]
We published a couple images of the inside of Apple’s new Grand Central store in New York yesterday, which is due to open on Friday, December 9. Plenty more images are set to surface later on today, with media entering the store for the first time at 10 AM local time.
However, someone with a camera seems to have already gained entry, because we now have even more photos of this terrific store.
Amazon is using its Price Check app for the iPhone to lure shoppers away from physical retail stores by offering tasty discounts that can only be used online on Saturday, December 10. The company issued a press release today in which it announces its plan to “incentivize” shoppers to buy online, “ensuring they are really getting a deal.”
Apple’s new store in Grand Central Terminal is set to open its doors this Friday, December 9, and the company has added a new page to the retail section of its website that provides some information on the new store. In addition to its official address, the page also reveals that the store will open at 7 AM Monday to Friday to accommodate early commuters.
New York State regulators are investigating whether Apple got a ‘sweetheart deal’ when it leased space for its largest store in the city’s Grand Central Station. Reportedly, Apple paid the city’s MTA $60 per square foot for space that normally leases for more than $200. Did Apple throw around its marketing muscle to gain preferential treatment? Politicians are up in arms as Apple preps the the location for a Saturday unveiling.
Apple’s new retail store set in the heart of New York’s Grand Central station is set to open its doors next week, according to a report from the New York Post. And thanks to Apple’s infamous negotiation skills, the Cupertino company paid peanuts for the lease.
It’s the crown jewel of Cupertino’s 10th anniversary in retailing: Grand Central Apple, a backdrop for the tech giant’s largest site that’s flooded with history. Although the site isn’t complete, images are leaking out, including an homage to the setting — a huge ticker above the main passageway like those from yesteryear. Instead of arrivals and departures, however, the sign urges visitors to grab an iPod for that long commute. So cool!