“They’re a dedicated lot, these Apple people. The first pulled up chairs about 11:30 p.m. Friday. More followed soon after midnight. By 10 a.m. Saturday, the line stretched for a block and a half. What could possibly draw a crowd of 500 or more Apple Computer geeks to the Country Club Plaza so early on a Saturday? That was the question of the morning,” David Hayes reports for The Kansas City Star.
“‘What’s going on?’ passers-by on their way to the Plaza Art Fair asked. ‘Are they giving away computers?’ No, they were told. ‘They’re opening the new Apple Store today.’ ‘Oh, OK,’ was the often confused response. You have to be an Apple person to understand… Officially, the Plaza store is one of 25 that Apple is opening this year. Apple President Steve Jobs announced the expansion in May, saying he wanted to
Woo hoo, first!
An Apple Store in our local mall was one of the catalysts that made us think about Apple products. Now we have 2 ipods, an eMac and a PowerMac (replacing 2 Wintel systems).
I was at the very first Apple Store to open (Tyson’s Corner, Virginia) and still proudly wear my free T-shirt to prove it!
Going to that store sealed the deal. I bought my first Mac a couple weeks later and will never use anything else.
The Country Club Plaza in Kansas City is a very big deal – one of the few urban open-air shopping areas in the US. The feel is so much more city like than an enclosed mall.
While we don’t see splashy ads on TV for Apple with the notable exception of the iPod, I think Apple is wisely considering the stores as both advertising and creating an entirely new retail channel.
The exposure these stores have to the buying public is huge. The fact they actually make money is just gravy. Most folks think of Dull when they contemplate a new computer but with Apple stores turning up everywhere this will begin to change people’s perceptions. Putting Macs in front of consumers for them to use is the best form of advertising.
Yeah, but the newer stores (with the exception of the flagships) are so tiny that it’s hard to get too excited about these grand openings. Luckily I live in an area that has one of the older mid sized stores with a theater area. It’s almost twice as big as the other newer store that came in last year, so I never even go to that one.
OK selling is nice, delivering even better …
Pah! You think Apple store openings are well attended, nothing compared to Ikea:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2004/09/01/ikea_stampede040901.html
Guy from UK.
The difference being IKEA makes high design, medium quality stuff. Apple makes high design, high quality stuff.
And one of their stores could hold about 100 Apple Stores.
It’s a whole different planet.
“‘What’s going on?’ passers-by on their way to the Plaza Art Fair asked. ‘Are they giving away computers?’ No, they were told. ‘They’re opening the new Apple Store today.’ ‘Oh, OK,’ was the often confused response.
Just as you might expect. Nobody came to the logical conclusion: If Mac users are that loyal, then Macs must be a helluva good computer. No wonder so many people buy PeeCees.
My Little Sisters family lives really close to there. They didn’t make the opening but my little sister just got a job to be able to save up and get an iMac G5 so they will be visiting soon. She saw how Mom and I are always video chatting and is the type that just HAS to get in on that. Her husband is a windows guy from work but since she will be the main user (and the kids) he has gone along with her getting a Mac instead since she is not too computer literate. She figures if Mom can do it, she can (Mom is 78). It will be so cool when we get Tiger next year and can all chat together. My other little sister in Chicago was also inspired by Mom and is getting an iBook soon. So the family will have a Majority of Mac Users finally.
Interesting sidelight on the Kansas City Store. An ichat buddy of mine from way back got a job there! I told my little sister to look for her when she goes and checks it out. It is so cool to be a member of the Mac Community. I just know my lil sisters are gonna dig it.
Oh Jack A, your story brought a tear to my eye (I’m serious, not facetious)
Now, if my stupid, PC-head family would only do the same and get Macs I could talk and see them (I’m in California, they’re all in Australia).
AOL on PC just doesn’t cut it… it crashes, it’s a tiny window (so I’m told) … too many problems at their end to make things worthwhile.
You Apple people make me sick,
I have been using M$ based PC’s for over 20 years and I have been reading the drivel spewed from the orifices on this site and finally had enough.
1: Computers are supposed to be vulnerable
2: Your supposed to be unhappy, so you do something to fix your computer and feel better you accomplished something.
Apple has taken all that away and now your just a bunch of dumb mice unable to run a maze.
PC’s make you smart and Mac’s make you dumb.
There is a OS already called FreeBSD that is near 100% secure.
You know what? Nobody wants to program for it.
It’s too perfect!!! That’s why we program for M$ and Linux, because duHHH!! it’s broken!!!
It gives us a job, it creates strife, it makes us programmers heros that we can pit our brains against hackers and virus writers.
It’s just you non-computer types that can’t think that like Mac’s, but the buisness world trusts us computer gods and not your cult following.
Administrators worship the ground we walk on and in the meanwhile we observe every keystroke on their computers over the LAN.
Boss even has a code word that his game is malfunctioning, because he just sits in his office and plays all day.
We know all, we control all, we are the GODS.
And we get paid BIG BUCKS, think we would suggest using FreeBSD or Mac’s?
BLOW ME
Dear MacTroll,
I hope you weren’t including me in your list of dumb-ass Mac users.
My day job was building data warehouses, using IBM Power4+ based systems running AIX and Oracle databases. My front end for deveopment was an average Win2K pc… it was ok, but I never loved it like I do my Macs. Before that (the dark ages..) my job was building Point of Sale systems on IBM/Fujitsu/NCR hardware running DOS and OS/2.
My point?
I know what all of these systems are like – and yes, they kept me in a job… but business is about providing solutions, and if that includes mucking about with stuff trying to get things to work then fine. If the company is willing to pay me to work with sub-standard equipment which can be troublesome (I’m speaking of DOS/Windnows here, OS/2 and AIX were pretty good usually) then that’s their fault, and I’ll happily accept the money.
I don’t honestly believe that we’re paid lots b/c we have to hack at these machines to get them to work, but rather the value we can add by providing a solution which works and earns (or saves) the company money in some way.
I use a Mac at home b/c when I come home, I want to relax; play around a bit doing stuff I want to do (surf, do a little programming, learning, web pages etc… whatever) I don’t get paid for trying to get stuff working so I’d rather spend my time productively – if the system works, which it does on a Mac, then I can spend more time getting things done, rather than spending time trying to get things done.
Sometimes I wonder what the I.T. world would be like if computers as neat as Mac’s were the majority…. I think you’d spend your time working on providing business solutions and not frigging around and basically being unproductive.
Regards.
You sound like the old Mainframe programmers… they used to (perhaps some still do) write their COBOL programs in such a pig-headed way that only they could understand it.
That way they were guaranteed a job for life b/c only they knew the magic voodoo required to get stuff working.
They got sucked in however when PC’s started to take over… many of them didn’t move to PC’s and have thus taken an early retirement, or run milk-bars or something.
Btw, you aren’t the Bastard Operator from Hell are you?
Macs Just Work and are Fun to Use. Only a cruelly sadistic bastard would recommend anything but a Mac to people over 70. They just want the computer to work and not cause them grief.
then that’s their fault, and I’ll happily accept the money
Your just like me, you put your kids through school upon defective OS and wouldn’t dare recommend a Mac or Unix based OS, (unless you could allow it to get broken once in awhile
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…write their COBOL programs in such a pig-headed way that only they could understand it.
Yea it’s called job security, my answer to you is outsourcing I’m sure your familiar with that concept now. hmmm?
..Only a cruelly sadistic bastard would recommend anything but a Mac to people over 70
Uhhh, like that 70+ year old grandmother who got a new purpose in life by becoming a PC specialist?
Guess you Mac people would just put her in a old folks home and let her knit.
Stupid asses.
^ hehe – some1 get him a mac 😀
Stupid is as stupid does and troller you obvoiusly are the stupid that does! Why don’t you go to your lovely PC sites and talk about how to get rid of your virus infected PC’s and your spyware and let us Mac users enjoy our Mac site okay. You have no clue so go away.
>>Yea it’s called job security, my answer to you is outsourcing…
hehe.
Mr. Troller,
Just be sure you mention that point at your next job interview. And hope I’m not on the team who interviews you – coz with that attitude, you won’t get the job.
However, I suspect if you stoop as low as to make things hard to understand for others just to keep yourself in a job, you may also stoop so low as lie on your resume and/or in an interview. You perhaps should have studied law/politics…. you’d fit right in.
By the way, you missed my point. I was referring to the technology changing making the Cobol programmers “hard work” obsolete.
And as for outsourcing, yes it is a huge problem. However, I haven’t been outsourced (yet
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />, and neither have my collegues.
Thanks for the posts MacTroller, that’s the best laugh I’ve had all day.
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I honestly thought MacTroller was trying to be funny. I had hoped that was a joke.
I did go and look around at a PC forum and now I know why PC’ers are so abusive when they come here.
I’d be mad too, if I was on the PC side looking over at all the happy Mac users realizing I had “intelligently” been putting myself through hell while they “stupidly” enjoyed a great computing experience.
It is sad. Plenty of questions and advice on the best anti-virus software, freezes and system crashes. All they seem to do is complain about how none of their crap systems seem to work (or else don’t work for very long) and all the things they have to do to fix them.
That’s for the ones who know how to muck about in the cabinet. The ones who don’t know how to “duct-tape and bailing-wire” their Win-tels, are ridiculed when they ask for help. (I’m sure not always, maybe just the half dozen threads I followed.)
Sadly, there was one poor lady asking for help on the purchase of an mp-3 player. Her question was whether to get a Dell Jukebox or an Archos 20GB. (Archos ? WTF?)
What the heck is wrong with these people? Nothing, I guess. They make up the majority.
(And we all know the majority of people are intelligent, stylish, and practical, right?)
And Steve would cringe…
All of this complaining and belittling is done in the ugliest font I’ve ever seen.
Go Mac, you’ll never go back!
~M
What you “Mac Heads” don’t realize is what would happen if a perfect computer goes mainstream.
Millions of IT jobs would simply disappear.
That’s the consequences of your so called “appliance computer” and IBM’s “robot factories”.
It’s better to keep a society busy with a purpose than have perfection and the resulting chaos because people can’t provide for their needs.
This isn’t about a platform or OS conflict.
Microsoft knows all about FreeBSD and Unix security, it’s been around for years!
This is about the millions of well paying jobs that Microsoft provides by leaving their Windows products defective.
All of a sudden people have all these needs, a better browser, a firewall, anti-virus software, anti-hacker software etc.
A whole second industry is created out of thin air and employs hundreds of thousands of support people, programmers etc. Buisness people know they can invest and make money as well.
What does Apple do? They make a near perfect OS and provides no industry, no jobs, no nothing, nothing to build upon itself, except a cult folowing and that only goes so far.
Microsoft helps buisness by keeping people spending money, IT people employed and money flowing.
Anti-virus companies make billions and pay very well for their employees, hackers seeking profit try to steal etc.
There are plenty of safeguards, users should be backing up their data and banks have multiple records and backups etc.
People who need anit-virus software pay it and then go do something to make more money.
The whole system works and everyone gets their needs taken care of. It’s called Captialism.
Socialism has failed as a economic engine, and if one day you ever get rich like I am, you’ll realize once you have enough money you don’t feel all that inclined to work or contribute to anything anymore.
People need a little economic strife in their lives to motivate them to keep busy or they turn into lazy bums or fall into chaos.
When your picking vegetables for a living with your above average IQ ten-twenty years from now, just keep in mind what I said.
LOL MacTroller. Wow, I was thinking you were serious for a while there. Thanks for the laugh.
Wow MacTroller, I guess I never thought of it that way.
I suppose then that you would have us all rob banks to make sure there are plenty of security jobs.
I guess we could all assault women so that rape counselors can make a buck too (sure I know most of them are volunteers, but if we followed your way of thinking it could become a huge crisis and professionals would take over).
And while we’re at it, I guess you want everyone to go out and start fires so firemen can have enough work to carry them until retirement.
Gee, now that I think about it, I hope more companies try to screw me with defective products. Maybe I’ll even be disabled by one so lawyers can make lots of money.
I suppose you would hope that my son falls off his bike so that an emergency room doctor can buy his wife a Mercedes. I have nothing against Mercedes (I like them although I enjoy my Porsche more), but I don’t wish that little kids should get hurt just to acquire one. Relax MacTroller, it’s not a new Porsche, it’s an old one (you can rest assured that you are the richest person here).
I’m not done…
Your logic makes no sense if you carry it out.
I will be the first to say that profit motive is what allows this country to shine so brightly.
I will cheer the loudest for an individual who creates something that adds to the wealth of this society (I mean monetary wealth).
I will admire the man who succeeds, but I will champion the man who succeeds without screwing his fellow man (it can be done and is all the time).
I personally am trying to get rich, everyday. The difference is that I’m willing to do it through hard work and better ideas, not fleecing.
And as a true capitalist (evidently unlike you), I seek the best product with the best value. I celebrate those who produce a worthwhile product and a profit, jobs, etc.
Still not done…
The one thing I do agree with you on is that this is not a platform or OS conflict. This is a difference in beliefs.
As a lover of freedom, it bothers me to see so many who are chained to an inferior system.
I guess you would prefer the old Soviet Union to still be around enslaving people just so the KGB and Politburo had gainful employment.
The IT professionals you speak about are generally good people who are doing a job that needs to be done (at least the ones I know personally), but you can’t tell me they aren’t smart enough to be successful doing anything they try (because I know they are). I’m not blaming them, just questioning why so many don’t “get it”.
As for anti-virus software, last I heard Microsoft was planning on launching its own anti-virus division to clean up the mess you seem to say they made on purpose.
Which seems to be ok with you. Since the ends (jobs) justify the means (crappy products).
Since making an inferior product provides many jobs, it’s ok that it costs billions in productivity.
Since creating a flawed, insecure OS allows many brilliant minds to make a dollar playing catch-up against virus writers, it’s ok that those minds aren’t innovating the next big technological breakthrough.
Since pouring untold amounts of money into the black hole of mediocrity allows some professionals to earn a living, it’s ok that they aren’t otherwise engaged progressing mankind forward with their abilities.
A little more…