Apple Tops Amazon Lists (UPDATE 2X)
25 December 2007 02:04 EST
Kenn Marks
The most purchased computer at Amazon.com this holiday buying season was an Apple MacBook MB062LL/B 13.3" White (2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, 8x SuperDrive) for $1,219.00 after a Rebate of $75. Another MacBook (#9) (2.0GHz White combo drive) and the MacBook Pro (#10) (2.2GHz Super drive) also made it to the top 10. In the Top 20 were the Black MacBook (#19) (2.2 GHz Super drive), iMac 20" Desktop (#16) (2.0 GHz Super drive), and a Mac Mini (#17) (1.83 GHz combo drive). An iMac 20" Desktop (#23) (2.4 GHz Super drive) pulled down position 23 right after Apple Care for MacBook/iBook. Every Apple computer was sold with a discount ranging from $25 for the Mac Mini to $150 on the MacBook Pro the only exception being the iMac 20" Desktop (#16) (2.0 GHz Super drive) which sold for the Apple list of $1,199.00. while the iMac at position 23 received a $75 rebate making it available $1,419.00. Sony VAIO notebooks pulled down three of the top 20 positions (6,11,15 respectively) with the 15.4" Core 2 Duo leading the pack for only $1,159.00 followed by the two 14.1" models identical except for color where Indigo beats the Dove variety. Three internet devices made the Top 20 with a Nokia N800 (#3) Internet Tablet PC coming in third place followed by Asus Eee 4G-Galaxy (#8) 7" PC Mobile Internet Device Pearl White trailed by it's Black twin at (#12). Since we have covered the the first and third place devices we should give kudos to HP and their HP Pavilion DV6626US 15.4" Entertainment Notebook PC for making the second most purchased computing device at Amazon.com here on Christmas Eve. All remaining positions (4,5,7,13,14,18) were filled by an HP Pavilion model, all Entertainment Notebooks except for numbers 5 & 7 which were AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core processor desktops. A Compaq Presario 15.4" notebook using a Pentium Dual Core Processor managed to garner the 20th slot on the list.
So in conclusion...
Click the headline jump for the full story and UPDATE ...
If you wish to make any last minute Apple purchases at Amazon.com click on our link at the right so the PowerPage gets advertising credits for purchases from that link.
All data is valid as of 3:00PM EST 12/24/07. Amazon updates the ratings hourly, so an update will be made closer to Midnight Eastern time on the 24th.
Let us know your experiences and what you think over in the comments and forums.
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W 14th Street Apple Store Riots
08 December 2007 02:11 EST
Kenn Marks
As most of us are aware Apple opened its largest retail presence in the US today December 7th at the corner of 14th Street and 9th Ave. By a little after 3PM there were just over 300 people calmly waiting in a light snowfall for the 6:00PM opening bell.
Person number one arrived from the Bronx at 2:00 AM this morning because he said he received an email from Apple stating the first 10 people in line would receive a free laptop.
Person #5 was a writer for ifoAppleStore (The information source about Apple Inc's retail stores) and by 6:15 AM there were now 16 people in line all waiting for either their free laptop or free iPod which was an announcement made by Radio stations WQHT Hot 97 (97.1 FM) "Where Hip Hop Lives" and WWPR Power 105.1 (105.1 FM) "Hip Hop and back in the day joints". Both of those radio stations morning shows said that free iPods would be given to anyone in line over age 21. That explains why the line looked more like a Hip Hop R&B concert line than a line waiting to enter the newest technology mecca in New York City.
Click the headline jump for the full story...
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Apple to Raise iTunes Store Movie Prices, May Be Close to Deal with 20th Century Fox
04 December 2007 09:42 EST
Chris Barylick
In a rare move to improve terms offered to movie studios for resold content, Apple will reportedly increase the average selling price of movies sold through the iTunes Store. According to Electronista, Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield has stated that the company will boost the average price of an iTunes Store-sold movie to US$15, only US$3 below the average sales price for a DVD.
The move is currently seen as a necessary condition to lure in studios such as 20th Century Fox, which has been hesitant to embrace iTunes in the past. Greenfield commented that Fox in particular would roll out both its latest titles and earlier movies in exchange for the deal.
Such a move is also seen as helping to help secure support for iTunes on enhanced DVDs which include a portable, pre-encoded version of the video. Titles such as "Live Free or Die Hard" include a special version with mobile video and studios such as Universal will release the latest Harry Potter movie this month with a similar feature. Apple is also reportedly intent on guaranteeing that these videos are compatible with its own products such as the Apple TV and the iPod.
Enhanced DVDs with these features often command a premium of US$3-US$4 and some of the proceeds would go towards Apple.
The price increase may also stem from pressure through retailers such as Wal-Mart. Greenfield has suggested that stores which rely heavily on sales of physical copies have allegedly threatened to end or reduce support for studios if retail avenues such as iTunes significantly undercut their business.
Whether Apple will alter video quality or add the special features often missing from its iTunes video purchases has not been mentioned in the Pali Research report.
I didn't think much of the most recent "Die Hard" movie, but if the second "Aliens" movie could find its way into my iTunes library, complete with additional features, I wouldn't complain...
Let us know how you'd like to see this go in the comments or forums.
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Time Machine - Life Saver Now Cost Saver (Update 2X)
24 November 2007 08:40 EST
Kenn Marks
As mentioned in the previous Time Machine - Cost Saver article, large external hard drives are a must to use Leopard's new Time Machine. Drive capacity should be at least twice the capacity of the drive you are trying to back up and use the fastest interface your computer can muster (FireWire 400 or 800).
As mentioned in the last article, CompUSA had a Maxtor OneTouch III ONE TERABYTE drive for US$289 after an instant $100 instore rebate. Well after standing in line at Staples this Black Friday morning they passed out a flyer that has that exact same drive for US$289.98 after a US$110 instant in-store rebate. This special price is only good for November 23 & 24. So if you have not taken the plunge to start your Time Machine backups, today or tomorrow might be the day to take that step and save a c note plus ten greenbacks in the process.
UPDATE: A reader commented on poor reviews for this drive so I researched the review status of the Maxtor One Touch III 1TB and yes I did discover a large number of bad reviews by users, The publication reviews and benchmarks were all very positive. What I did see and will report on is the fact that the vast majority of the bad reviews were from PC users who were either using USB or Firewire 400 because they could not get a third party FW800 card to work properly in Windows. The remainder of bad comments came concerning the bundled software, we don't care, this is going to be a Time Machine backup drive. The only valid concerns I did read and will pass on is that one customer had a drive that deep sixed after one month and there were several reports of poor customer service. That's pretty much the bottom line on reviews. One word of caution the drives (There are 2 500GB) they are RAID 0 Mac Formated which means that the drives are written alternately to provide maximum data throughput. That in turn means if one of the two drives fails, as with the reviewer who lost his drive after a month, all data is LOST. The drive can be reformatted to RAID 1 which is mirroring then each drive is written separately with identical data and now you will only have a 500GB backup drive. Unfortunately the Maxtor controller does not indicate when a drives dies. If the RAID 1 formatting is done, if it can, via Apple's Disk Utility then Apple's software will alert you to the drive failure.
Although the Staples sale ends Saturday night, November 24, at Midnight you might want to keep your eyes open for other sales during the Holiday buying season. FYI this drive originally sold for $900 back in Feb 2006 when it was introduced.
Let us know what you think and other sightings over in the comments and forums.
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Come to the Geek Aisles This Friday (Update)
20 November 2007 10:00 EST
Kenn Marks
Friday being Black Friday, we welcome you to visit with us the Geek Aisles of Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Costco Staples, and others. We are only going to visit the sights of interest to our vacationing Geek friends, the technology hot spots. The items found are not a recommendation from this writer or the PowerPage, but just the least expensive offerings of some items of interest.
If one of these items catches your interest, then you should do further research to make sure the exact specifications meet your needs. The main reason for the list is so you can make your shopping list before getting up early Friday morning to stand in line, only if you feel the price merits the waiting. All information was gleaned from www.blackfriday.info. We will have to wait to a little later in the week to see what the Apple web site will be offering on Friday, but if past years are an indication, expect some decent discounts on some of our favorite hardware.
UPDATE: Apple's "Ready. Set. Shop." shopping event is available only at the Apple Online Store on November 23 from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. PST and at Apple Retail Stores. Check your local Apple Retail Store for special hours. Sale prices are limited to stock on hand and while supplies last.
Items like:
Motorola Bluetooth H300 Headset - $9.99
Jabra BT125 Bluetooth Wireless Headset - $17.99
Jabra BT2040 Bluetooth Wireless Headset - $9.99
Plantronics Explorer 220 Wireless Bluetooth Headset - $29.99
SanDisk 2GB Cruzer Micro USB Flash Drive - $7.99
SanDisk 4GB USB Cruzer Micro Flash Drive w/ReadyBoost for Vista - $21.99
Samsung 22" LCD Widescreen Monitor - $199.99
Envision 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - $149
Nikon S51 Coolpix 8.1MP Digital Camera - $199.99
Seagate 320GB SATA Internal Hard Drive - $59.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB Internal SATA Hard Drive - $99.99
Maxtor 500GB OneTouch 4 External USB/FW400 Hard Drive - $79.98
Memorex 50 Pack Of 16X DVD-Rs - $9.99
Today's Chuckle
Microsoft Zune 30GB MP3/Video Player - $99.99 (can they give them away?)
Click the headline jump for the full story...
Let us know what you think over in the comments and forums.
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Apple Store Observation - Personal Hygene
08 November 2007 11:45 EST
PowerPage Contributor
I made the trip to the Apple Store (South Hills Village, Pittsburgh) to return an accessory I had purchased a week earlier. My observation at the store was the poor personal appearance of the staff.
I was shocked to see a store employee wearing a pair of flip flops with no socks. Flip flops are something one would wear to the shower in the locker room or at the beach in the summer. All the remaining staff with the exception of one gentleman who was probably 55 to 60 years of age looked like they had slept in their clothes and forgot to comb their hair and wash their faces.
I spent about a half hour in the store browsing around the new Macs and iPods as I was contemplating updating to a MacPro or an 24 inch iMac. The store was rather crowded and I got to overhear many questions by customers and the answers from the employees. About half the answers were explained in a manner that most customers looking at Apple would understand, about a fourth were answers that only a true Mac Geek could understand and the remaining fourth were confusing.
Example: A poor woman thought that she was buying an iPod nano with 2,000 songs and all the movies that the demo was showing in the store. Boy, is she going to be disappointed.
(Contributed by a regular PowerPage reader that asked to remain anonymous)
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Apple Store Says You Must Have Dropped Your Laptop
04 October 2007 11:51 EST
PowerPage Contributor
Last Wendesday, I was sitting in my dorm room by myself, doing homework on my Macbook, which is less than two months old. After typing my essay for a while, I went on my bed to do some other homework. Nobody else was in the room at all during this time, just me. After about 10 minutes, I returned to my computer, opening it only to see that 1/3 of the screen was broken.
My MacBook has never been dropped, I didn't bump it, close it with any more force than I had ever previously closed it with, hit it on or with anything, nothing fell on it, and nothing (such as a pen) was resting on the keyboard when I closed it. I opened it, and the screen was cracked.
After freaking out and not being able to sleep all night because I was worrying about it, I went to the Apple Store in Chestnut Hill, MA for my appointment with the Genius Bar at 6:30pm. The genius, Jason, who helped my mother and I, was really awesome. I cannot say anything negative about him. He did what he could to help us, which was to tell us that, essentially, my $250 AppleCare warranty was basically a waste of money because now I had to pay $755 to have my screen fixed because it wasn't covered under the warranty.
Uhm...excuse me?
Tags: apple, macbook, repair, retail, genius
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New Pennsylvania Store Opening - Lehigh Valley Mall
28 September 2007 09:50 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Apple is opening their fifth Pennsylvania retail store this weekend in Whitehall, PA. Whitehall is adjacent to Allentown, PA and while hardly a major metropolitan area, the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania has become a bedroom community for New York City. It's curious why Apple didn't chose Harrisburg, PA for their next Apple retail store though. It's the state capital and only about 80 miles west. Apple already has two stores in the Philadelphia area (Ardmore, PA and King of Prussia, PA) and two in Pittsburgh (Shadyside and South Hills Village). Mad props to all of our peeps in PA. Send us your pics.
Apple has scheduled the grand opening of the Lehigh Valley Mall (Whitehall) retail store for this Saturday, September 29th at 10 a.m. It’s the fifth store in the state, and the first beyond the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metro areas.
ifo Apple Store :: New Pennsylvania Store OpeningTags: apple, retail, store, grand, opening
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Apple Store Retail Locations to Close From 2 to 6 P.M. for iPhone Launch
26 June 2007 01:59 EST
Chris Barylick
If you're camping out for an iPhone, expect a calm before the storm.
According to iLounge, Apple has just updated its retail store web page to announce that it will be closing its doors from 2 P.M. to 6 P.M. on Friday to prepare for the iPhone launch.
The announcement mentions that the handsets will be sold on a first-come, first serve basis.
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The Apple Core: Apple dominates three Amazon categories
28 December 2006 08:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Yesterday I crowned Apple the new king of retail when it was revealed that the company's retail stores brought in more annual sales per square foot than any other retailer including heavyweights like Best Buy, Neiman Marcus and Tiffany & Co.
In addition to Apple's impressive sales per square foot it's also worth noting that Apple currently holds the top spot in three categories at Amazon.com: MP3 players, notebooks and desktops.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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Apple Retail Employees Canned for Downloading Leopard
22 August 2006 12:00 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
At least five employees of Apple's retail stores have been fired after admitting to having downloaded copies of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard from the Internet that were distributed to developers at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference two weeks ago. "Dozens" more also face termination, Think Secret has learned.
Think Secret - Briefly: Leopard downloads prompt Apple retail firings
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Apple Retail Store Opens in Atlantic City
19 August 2006 11:26 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
We arrived the at the grand opening of the new Apple retail store in in Atlantic City, NJ at around 10 a.m. for an 11 a.m. opening. There were only about 40 people in line. By 10:30 a.m. there were over 400 people in line and it was building fast. There was a definite herd mentality in play here, people were willing to line up because they heard that someone was "giving something away."
Once inside I was able to get a quick appointment with a Genius to look at the soggy space bar on my MacBook Pro's keyboard. The Genius (Patrick) quickly hooked me up and ordered a replacement and told me he'd call me when it came it. I should have brought the cranky iBook G3 12-inch that is sitting on my desk... Note to self...
We'll I'm off to snag one of the 1000 t-shirts, rumor is that there are less than 500 left. Enjoy the pictures.
Some images from the Pre-Opening (back in July) and today's Grand Opening - posted live from the Genius Bar.
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Atlantic City Store Grand Opening
15 August 2006 12:25 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
If any PowerPage readers from the Garden State want to get together for a Grand Opening party - get in touch!
Apple has officially announced the grand opening of The Pier at Caesars (Atlantic City, NJ) store for August 19th at 11 a.m. No doubt because of the store’s location, it will be open unusual hours: 11 a.m. to midnight every day. The grand opening will feature the usual sweepstakes (Digital Lifestyle Collection valued at $2,229) and 1,000 commemorative T-shirts.
ifoAppleStore - News and information about Apple Computer's retail stores
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Two New Apple Stores Coming to the Garden State
03 July 2006 09:00 EST
PowerPage Contributor
Good news for Apple heads living in New Jersey: two new Apple retail stores are coming to the Garden State.
The Pier at Caesars (Atlantic City, NJ) mall began their phased-opening last Tuesday with only 12 of forty stores opening for business. Several restaurants and nightclubs are set to open after Labor Day, according to IFOAppleStore.com, and the Apple store will probably open in late July.
Cherry Hill Mall (Cherry Hill, NJ) will be the 10th Apple store in NJ. According to IFOAppleStore.com "The mall has 165 shops and a 13-stall food court, and is anchored by JC Penney and Macy's. The new store will be just 8 miles from the existing Sagemore (NJ) store."
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Buy a MacBook, get a Free iPod nano
06 June 2006 08:07 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Apple has launched a new back-to-school promotion: purchasers of a new Mac (MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Power Mac G5) before 16 September 2006 will receive a free iPod nano by mail-in rebate:
Mac - it's the perfect college companion. It runs Microsoft Office, so you can get your work done. It lets you video chat, build a blog, create a podcast, and more - right out of the box. And it has great security features to keep all your stuff safe and out of harm's way.When you buy a Mac and iPod Nano by September 16, 2006, your iPod nano is free after mail-in rebate. Or choose another iPod and enjoy big savings after mail-in rebate. Plus, use your education discount on other products to save even more.
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Apple Store - Back "Within the Hour"
16 May 2006 07:56 EST
Bob Snow
The Apple Online Store is closed, but will be back within the hour. It's probably the new MacBook replacement for the iBook... Stay tuned.
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New Apple Store in the Hotbed of the "Three Cs?"
10 May 2006 09:17 EST
PowerPage Contributor
First off, the "Three Cs", for the uninitiated, are conservatism, Christianity and Chevy Suburbans. This bedroom community of Los Angeles with about 110,000 residents has historically been a haven for police and firefighters of Los Angeles. It is located right next door to L.A., but Simi Valley is in fact in Ventura County. Until recently, Simi Valley often earned the "safest city (with populations over 100K people) in America" title until the last year or so when a few murders spoiled the record. Prior to those, it was common for Simi to not have any homicides during a year.
Read more at Cyberdog Biscuits
Contributed by: Cyberdog
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Philadelphia Apple Store Opening Saturday
09 May 2006 08:25 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Although it's not in center city, Apple is opening its first retail store in Philadelphia proper this weekend. The store is located in Surburban Square in Ardmore, PA a community of approximately 13,000 residents located in the Main Line section of the city 10 miles west of Philadelphia.
Here I was just complaining that Apple hasn't opened a store in Center City Philadelphia, and what do I find in my inbox? An announcement of the grand opening of Apple's newest store, Suburban Square in Ardmore, PA (which is just outside of Philadelphia). The fun begins at 10am this Saturday, and as usual Apple will be raffling stuff away a 'Digital Lifestyle Collection...'
Suburban Square Apple store grand opening this Saturday - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
technorati tags: apple, retail, store, philadelphia
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Best Buy Canada Clearing Out Powerbooks
27 March 2006 10:00 EST
PowerPage Contributor
Best Buy Canada's new weekly flyer (out today) is having a "Final Clearance" on all PowerBook G4's, and Mac mini G4's. Could this mean that 17" and 12" MacBook Pro's are not far off?
Contributed by: SCULLEY
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Customers Queue for Apple Store Opening in Shinsaibashi
01 January 2006 08:30 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Happy New Year!
Mitsunobu Tanaka, Ph.D, a.k.a. KODAWARISAN reports that there were already 250 visitors in the queue at 6:00 a.m. for the Apple Store opening in Shinsaibashi Japan.
The first 1,000 lucky visitors will be getting a "Luck is in the Air" t-shirt which include a vague reference to wireless iPod earphones in the form of a dandelion.
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The Mac Store Invades Microsoft Home Turf
14 December 2005 09:12 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Oregon-based retailer Computer Stores NW, owners of the regional chain called The Mac Store, will open a new retail store just three miles from the world headquarters of Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington.
"With the popularity of the iPod, and the resulting growing popularity of the Mac and Apple in general, we thought it was time to see Redmond with a Mac Store in its backyard," said Kevin Anderson, CEO of Computer Stores NW. "Despite the presence of Microsoft as a major employer in that area, we know there are many Mac devotees in their ranks, and of course the area has great demographics for the iPod and all its accessories."
With seven retail/service stores, The Mac Stores is a longtime northwest local Mac devotee hangout, and has become the country's largest Apple Specialist, a special designation given to Apple-centric outlets that achieve specific goals and guidelines for the reselling of Apple product. For instance, Anderson says, "Any employee who interacts with a customer must become what's called an Apple Product Professional, which designates that they have been trained and are knowledgeable on the entire line of Apple products." In addition, the Mac Stores have complete service and repair centers, training facilities called "Mac University," and an outbound service called "Mac Housecalls."
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Radio Shack Selling iPods
08 November 2005 11:40 EST
According to a story at Playlist (via MacCentral) RadioShack has become an authorized iPod reseller.
The deal permits RadioShack to sell all iPod models from the tiny shuffle all the way to Apple’s 60GB color iPod model at RadioShack stores across the United States. RadioShack also said it plans to offer customers dozens of iPod accessories, including external speakers, docking stations, skins, travel cases, cables and power solutions.
If Apple is smart, they will cultivate their relationship with Radio Shack. Apple should expand on their "Made for iPod" program to a full-blown "Made for Mac" program, seal and all. Radio Shack could easily expand into iBooks, Mac minis, accessories and software. This would allow Apple to reach markets where there are no Apple
retail stores.
Don't you just love the old retro RS logo? I do... -Ed
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Two new Apple Stores coming to New Jersey
02 November 2005 08:34 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Having just relocated from Philadelphia to the Garden State, I found this AI story (via TUAW) about two new Apple stores coming to New Jersey particularly appealing.
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
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