World of Apple

Apple retail stores currently offer a great program called One to One training. Here is the description from the Apple site:

As a One to One member, enjoy a year’s worth of personal training sessions for just $99. Sit down for in-depth, face-to-face sessions with your very own personal trainer. Experts in all things Apple, our Trainers help you get the most out of your Apple products. Just tell them what you want to be able to do, and they’ll teach you how. To become a One to One member, visit your local Apple Retail Store.

For that fee you are able to attend one one-hour lesson per week on a wide array of topics. It is not limited to one store nor must you spend the year on only one learning track. Sounds great right? Well, like @mac.com, it is about to go the way of the dodo bird for many customers. As distilled by TheAppleBlog:

Here’s the new deal. Whereas previously anyone could buy a One to One subscription without an accompanying purchase, beginning June 2, Apple will limit new subscriptions to customers buying a Macintosh at an Apple retail store or on the Apple Store web site.

There is no “grace period” for the undecided, either. Customers who want to buy a One to One subscription must do so on the day they buy their new Mac. Existing One to One customers will be able to renew their subscriptions for one further year.

Apple’s focus with One to One is shifting away from convincing customers to switch, to supporting customers who have already made the move from PC to Mac. “We originally set up One to One to get people to switch to the Mac,” Johnson said. “Now we want to expand it to make it even more relevant to people who have bought their Mac.”

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Apple’s senior vice president of retail Ron Johnson said Wednesday that Apple intends to remodel 100 of its retail stores this year and open another 25 brand new stores.

The interview with Johnson which comes via USA Today also reveals that Apple plans to open a fourth retail store in New York City as well as open stores in Paris, Italy and Germany.

Although Johnson reveals very little about the redesign he does talk about how it will help Apple, new display tables will enable “twice the amount” of Mac computers and other products to be on display at one time. The Genius Bar will also gain 50% more room.

Although not directly related to retail stores Apple’s One to One program will see some changes.

But beginning June 2, Apple will limit sign-ups to people who buy new Mac computers at Apple Stores or via its website. Additionally, any of the 500,000 current One to One subscribers can renew.

“We originally set up One to One to get people to switch to the Mac,” Johnson says. “Now we want to expand it to make it even more relevant to people who have bought their Mac.”

One to One sessions will now last three hours instead of the current one hour.

Johnson also admitted that he global recession was affecting foot traffic at retail stores bit insisted that it was still strong.

ifoAppleStoreis reporting that Apple has signed a long term lease “for a northside triangle of land at 1560 N. Halsted Street.” According to ifo the site first became of interest in June 2007, the site now reports that Apple has closed a deal on the 18,000 square feet site for $700,000/year.

ifo goes on to relay reports from The Chicago Business who report that Apple will erect a 15,000 square foot stucture on the land designed by local architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson..

AppleInsider is reporting that the EasyPay system which Apple adopted in 2005 to improve queues at checkouts will be phased out this later this year. The system which currently runs on PDA devices running Windows Mobile will reportedly be replaced with iPhone units running customised point of sale software.

The device will also hook up to an external credit card reader thanks to the new iPhone 3.0 OS and the POS software will reportedly offer concierge, ordering and store management features according to AppleInsider.

The system is expected to hit stores in July with a full rollout by September.

AppleInsider reports that some Apple Stores in North America are selling iPhone 3G units for the full non-subsidised price of $599 for the 8GB version and $699 for the 16GB models.

Earlier in the week AT&T also began selling non-subsidised iPhones with no AT&T contract but limited sales to one per customer, in Apple’s case no such limit applies.

AppleInsider adds that although the iPhones are technically not locked they will still only be supported on AT&T’s network but naturally they could be unlocked for use on other carriers.

This weekend Apple opened its first Apple Store in Germany. On Saturday morning a massive crowd packed into the plaza at Rosenstrasse (Munich), according to ifoAppleStore there were 4000 visitors to the store in the first four hours.

Apple has posted a selection of photos on its website and several Flickr sets are available, of note are the ones from smokeonit and Oifi74. A QTVR panorama (caution, adjusts window) is also available.

It has been reported that Apple has informed its employees that it will have some kind of price-matching program in place for Black Friday.

The report comes after Best Buy announced that it is offering $150 off all Macs.

Back in 2005 we reported that Apple had purchased a large building across from the Empire State Building on 34th street in Manhattan.

Now according to the NY Post plans for a 34th street Apple Store are dead and Apple is attempting to offload the site back to developer Robert K. Futterman. According to one source Apple CEO Steve Jobs visited the site and said, “This is not for Apple.”

The developrrs Web site says the property, which can support about 18,000 square feet on three levels will be available for 13 years starting April 1, 2009.

This week saw the opening of another Apple Store in the UK, on Thursday Apple held the grand opening for the Highcross Apple Store in Leicester.

Apple is also set to extend its presence in Australia, just three month ago the first Apple store in the country busted open its doors in Sydney, that store was followed closely by the Chatswood Apple store.

Now a third store is ready to open on September 13 at 10.00am in Chadstone.

Moving back to Europe, ifoAppleStore is reporting that the first Apple store is due to open at the end of September in Geneva. The store recently received a new black facade that read “Bientôt ouvert,” meaning, “Opening soon”.

ifoAppleStore is also noting that Switzerland’s second Apple store is nearing completion in Zurich at the Glattzentrum shopping mall northeast of downtown.

Orange is hiring actors to stand outside of Polish stores to intensify the hype of the release of the iPhone in Poland. From the Reuters article:

“We have these fake queues at front of 20 stores around the country to drum up interest in the iPhone,” a spokesman said.

Apple sold about one million of the new iPhone models in the United States around the July launch weekend, but buyers in Poland may be reluctant to pay hefty monthly charges.

There were no queues at T-Mobile’s (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Era stores, which will also due to launch the iPhone on Friday.

Fake lines (or any lines) have not formed in front of local T-Mobile stores. Good luck to those who are looking forward to buying an iPhone in their home country!