“Not eight days after Apple’s new flagship store was unveiled, Stevie J.’s fantastical glass elevator began acting a bit wonky, first opening and shutting its doors, then finally sealing in its passengers on the upper level,” Ryan Block reports for Engadget. “Apple store employees worked their hardest to release the bunch, but eventually the NYPD had to be called; the elevator’s hydraulic system had to be drained, and the confined group was let out in the store’s bowels (i.e. lower level).”
Full article with a photo of group stuck in the elevator here.
More pictures directly from the source: http://ranex.blogspot.com/2006/05/stuck-at-apple.html
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Judge Bork” and “MPC Guy” for the heads up.]
According to Block’s report, for their trouble, the freed customers were given their freedom and nothing else after spending 45 minutes in Apple’s fishbowl. Bad form, Apple.
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Hopefully the Rev. B glass elevator will have these bugs fixed. Just goes to show, you should never trust Rev A. Apple products!
first post
MDN: returned
MDN word BILL
What can i say?
The fix was in the Software Update posted last night.
I think the elevator company uses Microsoft control software.
Eelevator BETA Testers…
“According to Block’s report, for their trouble, the freed customers were given their freedom and nothing else after spending 45 minutes in Apple’s fishbowl. Bad form, Apple.”
Why should Apple give them anything? Elevators break down. I know it’s pathetic that an elevator broke after only eight days, but why should Apple give them anything? It’s not like the people were injured in any way.
BTW: Why is this even news? An elevator broke. Big whoop!
Apple could have handed them each a $25 iTunes gift card or something. Geez.
Bad form Apple!? Please. People have such a sense of entitlement these days. Yes it’s HORRIBLE that people were trapped and delayed for 45 minutes. However they aren’t entitled to a free gift. I get stuck in traffic every day for an hour but the state isn’t waiting at home with a fscking snowcone and a corndog for me.
No one got hurt. It was an inconvenience. That’s all. They could see around and see that help was on the way. That’s more than people get when they’re stuck in regular elevators. Besides it probably gave the captives a good opportunity to either A. Deliver a baby (i.e. Saved By The Bell) or B. Have a cooky flashback episode (i.e. insert shitty sitcom here).
Lucky for them it wasn’t a midday in August and 125F… and dying for a pee…!
Think I’ll take the stairs when I visit.
I take that back about not giving them anything. according to a cnet blog article, they “burn and blister their hands from the hot lights in the shaft while climbing out.” Free $25 iTunes gift certificate for them!
http://news.com.com/2061-10793_3-6077844.html?part=rss&tag=6077844&subj=news
Also, Apple did give them something – free bottled water!
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However, I still stand by my opinion: Why is this news?!?
Ha, form over function. Very Apple.
I don’t see why they should get free stuff, an apology etc but to be fair, how many other elevators break down all over the world in non-retail buildings – what do they get?
Quickly, call Willy and Charlie. They can tell us what to do.
Seriously, I have been stuck in elevators. I do expect to make the news.
No kidding..MDN WORD: function
Look like fish trapped in a fish bowl.
I heard that the Apple techs told the people if it got too cold in the elevator they could start up their new Macbooks to keep warm….all huddle around the pile of glowing Macbooks singing campfire songs….
Apple should definitely have done something for these customers to make up for the inconvenience. It is Apple’s elevator, after all, not a public road. Just basic corporate manners. Maybe corporate will see the article and send them a gift certificate.
Why would Apple give them something for being stuck in the elevator? If you got stuck in a Macy*s elevator for 45 minutes do you think you would get some sort of Macy*s gift card? Furthermore, if you got stuck inside the elevator in the office complex you work in do you think they would have gifts ready for you at the security desk? Sure it would have been great for Apple to offer them something but people get stuck inside elevators all the time. Is it necessary for people to get a prize for mechanical failure?
Do apartment buildings keep a treasure chest of elevator prizes in the leasing offices for when their residents get stuck inside the elevator? Did the city of New York have gift cards waiting for people who got stuck in the subway after the blackout a couple of years ago? Seriously, I could go on all day.
I think that someone should take the picture, and photoshop a big ol spinning beach ball inside with the people. It would just be fitting.
Yes, bad form Apple. If Apple spent the equivalent of say $300 in gift cards to iTMS ($50 to each person?), the articles that are gonna float around the internet would have had to end with that note. Instead maybe 5,000+ people are gonna have their opinions reinforced that Apple sucks. Marketing wise, this was an awful mistake. BAD FORM APPLE.
C’mon folks – could be worse. They could have been stuck in one of the new Dell stores that are going to be opening. About 15 minutes into that and you’d no longer be scared of going to hell!
Ridiculous. No one is going to say “wow that elevator over there malfunctioned after only 8 days. Apple is a horrible company…wait, they gave people 25 dollars each? Nevermind, let me buy this computer”
People that are realistic are going to realize that there are kinks to any new system that need to be worked out. If this becomes an ongoing problem, then yes, their reputation may suffer in the slightest, but as of yet, you’d be an idiot knee-jerk reactionist to think that this is actually a PR Disaster.
We were visiting NYC on Sat, so obviously the store was on our must visit list. The real unfortunate part of this, aside from the individuals initially impacted, was that this makes the store inaccessible. There was a lady with a walker trying to enter at the same time we were and clearly, she had no way to get there with the elevator out.
“I get stuck in traffic every day for an hour but the state isn’t waiting at home with a fucking snowcone and a corndog for me.”
LOL, good one!
Gah, they should’ve known, the fix for the broken elevator has been in the nightlies for months…
knid of lucky to find out about this now- what if someone gets stuck in there during a fire? How the heck does an elevator with no escape hatch get installed? That’s a hazzard! One would think there would be some type of safety divert for the hydraulic fluid to let the pressure down by spinning a valve at least. . .
And yes, I do think it makes sense to comp these people a few ipod nanos or something- thats a small cost in good public relations in the grand theme. Helps a company turn a PR lemon into lemonaide. . .