Apple talks China retail plan, cash hoard with investors
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pApple’s retail plan for China, its massive stockpile of cash, and the environment were all topics of discussion during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday. Though it was a fairly average shareholder meeting, these tidbits helped reassure investors that China’s plan for Asia is as serious as the company says and that Apple’s plan for its money is to keep investing in talent./p
pOne of the biggest tidbits of news out of the meeting was that Apple plans to open “up to” 25 retail stores in China in the near future. The company’s first store was a href=”http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/03/apple-moves-first-china-store-down-the-road-opens-in-summer.ars”opened in Beijing in 2008/a, not long before the 2008 Olympic Games took place there. Apple has always said that it has big plans for the Chinese market, so the news isn’t so much a surprise as it is a commitment to expanding Apple’s presence in a huge market. According to a href=”http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232/play/1/video/1424724283/”CNBC/a, the time frame for these stores to open is within the next 24 months./p
pOn top of the China news, Steve Jobs defended Apple’s $40 billion cash hoard by saying that it gives the company “tremendous security and flexibility,” according to the a href=”http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Apple-CEO-Jobs-favors-apf-120261537.html?x=0amp;.v=6″Associated Press/a. By flexibility, he means it lets Apple a href=”http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/01/apple-looking-to-spend-some-of-its-multi-billion-bankroll.ars”strategically buy companies/a like Lala and Quattro in order to acquire talent and expand its business operations. “Who knows what’s around the next corner?” Jobs reportedly said. /p
pApple’s board also discussednbsp;a recent sustainability proposalnbsp;with shareholders. Jobs told investors that the company had taken numerous steps with suppliers to use nontoxic materials and reduce waste, though environmentalists still wanted more out of the company. Extra measures might have included a detailed report out of Apple or even a sustainability committee, but those proposals were voted down by shareholders./p
pA a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10459872-260.html”few jabs/a at Apple board member and environmental frontman Apple Gore took place, as well as numerous a href=”http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/02/25/inside-apples-shareholders-meeting/”observations/a about the health and appearance of Steve Jobs, but otherwise it was largely a run-of-the-mill meeting. In the past, Jobs has a href=”http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/03/steve-jobs-names-possible-successors-talks-cash-reserve.ars”speculated about possible successors/a (COO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer, of course), but it seems this time around that no one is wondering whether Jobs is here to stay#8212;at least for a while longer./p
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Steve Jobs uncharacteristically approves upcoming biography
Fans and critics alike may soon have access to the first authorized biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. According to the New York Times, former Time magazine editor Walter Isaacson has been selected to work with Jobs. Currently, neither Isaacson nor Jobs have confirmed the report, but the paper claims to have spoken to multiple individuals with inside knowledge of the project.
The last known published biography of Jobs was published in 2005 by John Wiley & Son and was of the (usual) unauthorized variety. The book, entitled iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business, caught the ire of the ornery CEO, leading to removal of all John Wiley & Son books from Apple Store shelves. This included the Mac OS X Bible, and Mac OS X Illustrated.
The new book is in the early planning stages and will most likely be published by Simon & Schuster, the firm responsible for Isaacson’s other works. Jobs has already authorized a tour of his childhood home for the author, according to the report.
One can only hope that the biography will be balanced and talk about the lesser-known aspects of Jobs’ life. We also hope to hear some of the more controversial aspects, including his temper, his relationship with his daughter Lisa (after which the Lisa computer was named), and details regarding his health history. Regardless of the content, though, the book will surely sell piles of copies due to Apple’s current level of popularity.
Week in Apple: 10 years of Mac OS X, tons of tablet rumors, future Macs
Tablet gossip is reaching fever pitch this week as the rumors keep coming. In the meantime, we take a look at 10 years of Mac OS X reviews, talk about OpenGL in upcoming Snow Leopard builds, and a prototype Apple Store makeover. Read on to catch up:
Here’s to the crazy ones: a decade of Mac OS X reviews: Ars Technica’s John Siracusa looks back with a decade’s hindsight at his early reviews of Mac OS X. He talks about what went right, what went wrong, and what he’s still waiting on.
Intel’s MacBook Pro update slip: what to expect: It looks as though Intel has outed a forthcoming MacBook Pro update featuring Core i5 processors. We consider what to expect if Apple announces something later this month.
Palo Alto will be prototype for revised Apple Store design
Apple is planning to build a new Palo Alto store to serve as a “prototype” for future Apple Stores, featuring a completely transparent front and an indoor atrium “feel.” The revised, more open design will serve as a “commons for [Apple's] community to gather,” according to documents filed with the City of Palo Alto’s Architectural Review Board.
Though Apple is not named in the filing, uncovered by Silicon Valley Mercury News, the architect for the project is Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, who also designed the 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York. That store is well known for its large glass cube entryway for the underground retail area, open 24/7. Palo Alto planning manager Amy French told the Mercury News that it is her understanding that the location will be a new Apple Store.
“Apple is pretty secretive about that kind of stuff,” ARB chair Alexander Lew told the Mercury News. “But at the same time, when you look at it, the design is pretty unique—I think a lot of people have kind of guessed [that it's an Apple Store],” he said.
The filing notes that the project will replace the façade of the current unoccupied retail structure at 340 University Avenue with a glass front that will make the street “part of the store’s interior” so that “the energy of the store is shared directly with the street and the larger community.”
In addition to the open glass façade in front, the roof will be modified to include large, open skylights. The natural light coming in will help three large trees, planted near the rear of the store, to grow inside. These features, along with materials choices and other energy efficiency design cues, will qualify the remodeled building for LEED certification.
The renovated location will occupy 10,700 square feet. The existing Palo Alto Apple Store, located just a block away, is about 6,500 square feet. The added space will include plenty of room to offer training for businesses and individual consumers.
The ARB recommended that the city approve Apple’s proposed renovations in a unanimous vote.
New York’s flagship Apple Store doing great business
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Retail, Apple Financial
New York City’s flagship Apple Store, located on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, is doing tremendous business. According to The New York Post, that store raked in $440 million in one year. Of course, the location doesn’t hurt. It’s right by Central Park and the huge, glass cube is a real tourist draw.
The Post also notes that the SoHo store pulled in $100 million, but didn’t provide any stats on the West 14th Street store. In the meantime, construction has begun on what’s rumored to be a fourth NYC store, expected to open at the corner of 67th and Broadway on Manhattan’s Upper West Side later this year. If that store and a rumored Brooklyn store are opened, NYC would boast six stores total (including the Staten Island store).
Apple intends to open 25 new stores for fiscal year 2009, half of them outside the United States.
[via AppleInsider]
TUAWNew York’s flagship Apple Store doing great business originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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New Aussie, Swiss Apple Store openings
We’ve been inundated with emails today talking about the two international Apple Store openings.
The first new store is in Zurich, Switzerland. Reader Greg sent us a link to his Flickr gallery with plenty of documentation of the new Bahnhofstrasse store. Here’s a pic of part of the huge crowd just before the opening:
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another Apple Store will be opening in a few short hours in Melbourne, Australia. The new Doncaster store appears to be a wide-body layout in a mall, and is the second Melbourne store. We’re hoping to get pictures from our friends down under as soon as the opening occurs. Here’s a photo taken on Friday (yesterday in Melbourne) of the store prior to the opening:
TUAWNew Aussie, Swiss Apple Store openings originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 22 May 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Chicago Apple Store bricked Tuesday night
Filed under: Retail, Odds and ends
Police say an inebriated man threw a brick at the front window of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile Apple Store on Tuesday night. The man also broke another window a short distance away.
A Tribune photo shows a single broken panel of glass in front of one of Apple’s “giant iPhone” displays. From the photo, it looks as if the brick did not go through the glass, and the display appears unharmed.
Robert Grilly, 61, of Chicago was booked on two misdemeanor counts of criminal property damage, Chicago PD said.
Thanks, Paul!
TUAWChicago Apple Store bricked Tuesday night originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Contest: Design the first three-sided Apple Store
Filed under: Retail
Chicago’s Halsted Street will soon be the site of a unique Apple Store — the first with three sides exposed. When seated on the odd piece of land, the store will offer visibility from every direction and 650 linear feet of storefront.
As you can see from the map at right, the architects at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson have a tough task ahead with this project. ifoAppleStore.com wants to know, how would you design this store? They’re running a contest now to find the most interesting or clever design. Submit your drawing to gary@ifoAppleStore.com by June 15, 2009, and the winner will receive a $100 Apple gift card.
They note that you needn’t worry about the store’s interiors in your drawing. Note that Apple’s chunk of property is 215 feet on Clybourn Ave., 220 feet on Halsted St., 123 feet on W. North Ave., and a curving 81 feet at the back of the transit station.
Have fun and good luck!
TUAWContest: Design the first three-sided Apple Store originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 14 May 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple Store window displays receive awards
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Retail
When I was a young lad in Scranton, Pa, pierogi in one pocket and anthracite coal in the other, my mother and I would wait for the Colts bus in front of the Globe Department Store. Now, before you assume that this post will be nothing more than endless, irrelevant Andy Rooney-style sentimentality from Dave, I’ll tell you that it’s only in the first two paragraphs.
The Globe staff created ornate window displays with those animatronic figures that seemed festive at the time but would later scare the daylights out of me. I was reminded of Scranton and The Globe last winter during a visit to Boston’s Boylston Street Apple Store, where I photographed the elf at right. The adjacent window had a similarly-stylized Santa holding an iPhone, and both were very cute with a 1960’s claymation appeal.
The Association for Retail Environments must have liked them as well, as they awarded Apple’s “Holiday Santa iPhone” window display “Best Visual Presentation,” along with the “Back to School” and “Cherry Blossom Nano” displays. You can read more details on the awards here or download a PDF with additional details. Well done, Apple!
TUAWApple Store window displays receive awards originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 12 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple permitted to fly flag
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Retail
Just this week, Apple was granted permission to fly a 19.5 square-foot flag at the forthcoming Santa Barbara, CA Apple Store. The only other Apple Stores to have a flag London’s Regent Street and Pasadena, California. The odd thing is that the flag will be this store’s only external sinage.
When Apple was developing the store on Boston’s Boylson Street, they had trouble getting the facade approved by the Back Bay Architectural Commission and went through several revisions before everyone was satisfied. The Santa Barbara store, which is likely to open next month, will be California’s 43rd location.
[Via ifoAppleStore]
TUAWApple permitted to fly flag originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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