Apple Computer is planning to open a giant flagship store in... [Archive]

rogozhin

Feb 12, 2004, 11:49 PM

I would probably be more excited by this story of there were Apple Stores represented in the biggest metropolitan areas of the US first. It amazes me that 23 states do not have Apple Stores. Sure, it seems unlikely that a store in Juneau would have them beating down the doors, but certainly stores located somewhere in the swath of 'flyover states' that include Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama might do okay. It's difficult enough to convince someone to buy a Mac when they can't see them... Meanwhile, Best Buys and Walmarts sprout like mushrooms, selling substandard Wintel boxes to potential Apple costumers. But hey, best of luck in throwing up stores in the far corners of the world; I guess it looks more exotic to say you have a store in London or Tokyo than it does to say you have a store in Wichita or Billings.

Sedulous

Feb 12, 2004, 11:55 PM

London is a far corner of the world?

Belly-laughs

Feb 13, 2004, 12:01 AM

Jolly Good!

If there´s one city in Europe Apple should have a presence, it´s London. That´s where it happens!

winmacguy

Feb 13, 2004, 12:03 AM

Originally posted by Sedulous
London is a far corner of the world?

Well its not in the US ;)

Trowaman

Feb 13, 2004, 12:04 AM

Originally posted by HexMonkey
Hate to spoil everyone's fun, but I think we get the picture ;)

I guess it's above average news. :)

Spoil sport. ;)

yoman

Feb 13, 2004, 12:05 AM

i wonder if the opening of the apple store in London will have as big of a turnout for its Grand Opening as the Tokyo one. Man that line was amazing.

pedro taquelim

Feb 13, 2004, 12:06 AM

Originally posted by rogozhin
I would probably be more excited by this story of there were Apple Stores represented in the biggest metropolitan areas of the US first. It amazes me that 23 states do not have Apple Stores. Sure, it seems unlikely that a store in Juneau would have them beating down the doors, but certainly stores located somewhere in the swath of 'flyover states' that include Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama might do okay. It's difficult enough to convince someone to buy a Mac when they can't see them... Meanwhile, Best Buys and Walmarts sprout like mushrooms, selling substandard Wintel boxes to potential Apple costumers. But hey, best of luck in throwing up stores in the far corners of the world; I guess it looks more exotic to say you have a store in London or Tokyo than it does to say you have a store in Wichita or Billings.

Please define " far corners of the world ".

Are you linving inside a box? Everything that is outside of your country is a far corner of the world, is that it?

For me you are in a far corner of the world... it's all a matter of perspective isn't it?

cheers

pedro...in Lisbon-Portugal...a far corner of the world. :-)

sethypoo

Feb 13, 2004, 12:07 AM

Still I wonder why someone voted "negative" on this story.

:( :rolleyes:

sethypoo

Feb 13, 2004, 12:11 AM

Originally posted by rogozhin
I would probably be more excited by this story of there were Apple Stores represented in the biggest metropolitan areas of the US first. It amazes me that 23 states do not have Apple Stores. Sure, it seems unlikely that a store in Juneau would have them beating down the doors, but certainly stores located somewhere in the swath of 'flyover states' that include Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama might do okay. It's difficult enough to convince someone to buy a Mac when they can't see them... Meanwhile, Best Buys and Walmarts sprout like mushrooms, selling substandard Wintel boxes to potential Apple costumers. But hey, best of luck in throwing up stores in the far corners of the world; I guess it looks more exotic to say you have a store in London or Tokyo than it does to say you have a store in Wichita or Billings.

That was, quite possibly, the most ignorant post I have ever read. Apple is not and never will be a Wal*Mart, since 1) they don't have the revenue to open up that many stores and 2) they sell quality products.

orb

Feb 13, 2004, 12:23 AM

Originally posted by Messiatosh
Forget for a minute, forget that the iPod exists. Pretend you were using the same portable music player you had (if you had one) 4 years ago. How did you have your music with you? How many CD's did you carry with you? How many did you want to be able to use?

I took all my CDs out of their cases and stored them in binders that held about 100 CDs. I had two of them and tossed them in my backpack on mondays and lugged them to work. On friday, I'd lug them back home so I could have my music at home. If I went anywhere else, I just didn't have music because it was too much of a pain to pick which CDs I wanted.

Thankfully now I can fit all my CDs on my computer and I just need to lug a laptop back and forth to work instead of two huge binders. And, I have my ipod for when I can't bring my laptop, but unfortunately I only have a 5gb ipod which isn't nearly enough to hold my music. It's good in a pinch, but I'd rather have something a bit bigger.

ITR 81

Feb 13, 2004, 12:25 AM

Alabama has a store coming this fall.

This London store is old news since IFO reported it a few months ago..just like the Paris store.

http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/chronology.html

ITR 81

Feb 13, 2004, 12:30 AM

Originally posted by sethypoo
That was, quite possibly, the most ignorant post I have ever read. Apple is not and never will be a Wal*Mart, since 1) they don't have the revenue to open up that many stores and 2) they sell quality products.

Apple said they will try to have 80 stores open by the time kids come back to school from Spring Break. So I figure Apple is trying to hit around 90 stores world wide by yr end.

heuer007

Feb 13, 2004, 12:30 AM

Originally posted by rogozhin
But hey, best of luck in throwing up stores in the far corners of the world; I guess it looks more exotic to say you have a store in London or Tokyo than it does to say you have a store in Wichita or Billings.

What an imcompetent american prick. And you wonder why people hate you guys.:rolleyes:

[user banned for this comment. no insults please.]

~Shard~

Feb 13, 2004, 12:35 AM

Sounds great! I'll have to visit it when I'm there in the fall. Now just bring on iTMS Europe and everyone will be really happy!

mj_1903

Feb 13, 2004, 01:24 AM

I wonder which corner Australia is in if London is a far corner? I also wonder why Oklahoma would need an Apple store when Sydney itself has a greater population?

Hell, using that analogy, where is the Apple store in India or China? From memory their population is 4x as high yet there is no presence....

Awimoway

Feb 13, 2004, 01:46 AM

Meanwhile, back to the actual story...

Congrats to our friends across the pond. I, for one, lived for a long time in one of the "flyover" states that has a high percentage of computer-literate residents (Utah), and I felt snubbed every time a new store was announced that wasn't in Salt Lake, but I have long felt that there ought to be a flagship store in London, and I'm glad the time has come. I'm sure it will be great.

(For the record, London is bar none the finest big city in the world. :))

m2uk

Feb 13, 2004, 01:49 AM

lets hope the excuse to delay ITMS Europe was they wanted to simulaunch them at London store opening.
Only negative thing is it pushes more pressure on the few dealers who do bother with Mac stuff, especially with the relatively poor terms they get (mark up)

Parikh1234

Feb 13, 2004, 01:51 AM

I never thought apple had only one store outside the US. I remember one of my friends telling me he saw an apple "shoppe" in ireland.

Sabenth

Feb 13, 2004, 01:59 AM

2 things great news i can travel to london quite easily ...

and erm i tend to agree with the prick comments no need for it. though i do agree that its about time apple really did open up to the rest of the world. i mean properly get this dam thing sorted out once and for all that we can all use the same stuff.... not wait years for it to take effect

Oh and i am in australia at the moment and have to say i ve found the prices to be rather daft.....

m2uk

Feb 13, 2004, 02:00 AM

I think there are some "Apple Centres" which may be some franchise and operated by a regular company. There is something like that in Birmingham in the New Street Station complex ISTR.

rainman::|:|

Feb 13, 2004, 02:05 AM

i wholeheartedly agree that Apple needs to open more stores in the US... you guys can bash him for saying it, but Apple does need to focus on cementing both OS X and their auxilliary products like the iTMS as an accessible feature for everyone in the US... they've chosen to define their market for retail, and they need to close up the gaps. Rumor had it that in Des Moines, they looked into putting a boutique-style shop in a new mall being erected, but just lost interest. We don't have an Apple store for like 400 miles, which leaves a serious gap (and many more like it) in their retail coverage. Once Apple properly blankets the US, they can show that the retail stores are profitable and sustainable enough to branch into other countries... I tend to think that the disputed post was referring to the far-corners of the earth being outside of the geographical definitions of their retail market. I really don't think it was meant to carry a negative implication :rolleyes: no one is arguing that london or tokyo is some tiny and unimportant locale, but it is a fairly common techique among corporations in the US to list places like rome, london, venice, tokyo, sydney, moscow, and paris among office/store locations. makes them seem exotic, as he said.

paul

ph8te

Feb 13, 2004, 02:32 AM

Originally posted by rogozhin
I would probably be more excited by this story of there were Apple Stores represented in the biggest metropolitan areas of the US first. It amazes me that 23 states do not have Apple Stores. Sure, it seems unlikely that a store in Juneau would have them beating down the doors, but certainly stores located somewhere in the swath of 'flyover states' that include Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama might do okay. It's difficult enough to convince someone to buy a Mac when they can't see them... Meanwhile, Best Buys and Walmarts sprout like mushrooms, selling substandard Wintel boxes to potential Apple costumers. But hey, best of luck in throwing up stores in the far corners of the world; I guess it looks more exotic to say you have a store in London or Tokyo than it does to say you have a store in Wichita or Billings.

Look, please do not take offense to this, but your attitude, is entirely why the world dislikes Americans. Apple is an international product, and their sales are not based entirely on America, so I don't see a reason to inundate your side of this rock first. London and Tokyo exotic?!? Exotic Places are the Bahamas, Fiji, and other secludes Islands. With both Tokyo and London having a population of over 10 Million inhabitants each, the opening of these stores is justified. Good for Apple, only thing is, they should hurry up and open more stores all over.

ph8te

Feb 13, 2004, 02:38 AM

For those who thought they had seen Apple Stores somewhere else, here is an update. The Apple-Stores referred to here are owned by Apple, there is no go between, but if you have the right to run an Apple Dealership, there is nothing stopping you from opening your offices in a shopping centre, thereby effectively opening up a store, and displaying Apple products. So surely many of us have seen apple stores, run by authorised Apple Dealers.

Bakey

Feb 13, 2004, 02:40 AM

Originally posted by Belly-laughs
Jolly Good!

If there´s one city in Europe Apple should have a presence, it´s London. That´s where it happens!

Please explain!!

As a UK resident I for one would like to know exactly "where and what" it is that "happens" in London town that doesn't happen else where in Europe, or indeed where else in the UK!?!?!?!?!

I appreciate [from a UK perspective] that many people will be unhappy with London getting the focus of attention AGAIN... but what in your mind does London have to offer that many other more cultured, and possibly more "friendlier", cities in Europe don't offer?

CalfCanuck

Feb 13, 2004, 02:50 AM

While much of hte discussion here has focused on one posterr's rather narrow view of the world, it's about time that Apple has started to again target the major cultural and design centers of the world. I guess it really shows how sick the company really was when it just dropped these locations and tried to survivie on a small portion of the US market.

What's ironic was that the poster who started the feeding frenzy (by complaining that Apple needed more local stores in smaller cities before expanding) was highlighting the same neglect.:cool:

But back to London, a city of 15 million (lots more customers than Billings or even Salt Lake City). While any list of the world's greatest 50 cities, or top 20, would provoke LOTS of arguments, a list of the top 5 wouold be much easier - almost every one would include London, Tokyo, New York, and Paris, with the 5th one up for grabs.

So now Apple's announced their launch in a third (London), and with another store planned in Paris that brings them to all four. That's actually GREAT news for those in neglected parts of the US - it means Apple again sees itself as healthy and growing, and wants to let all the cutting edge parts of the world see it as an innovator and leader in computing design and production.

Foocha

Feb 13, 2004, 02:53 AM

London is an international city. Regents Street attracts visitors from all over the world. That's why it, like Ginza or Soho, NY, is an ideal location for an Apple store.

The whole point of the Apple Store strategy is to showcase Apple product in the most positive environment to the widest possible audience.

It seems quite consistant with Apple's strategy to launch a London store before having all US states covered - it also seems reasonable to anticipate stores in Paris, Rome, Hong Kong, Sidney, Berlin...

In terms of major international cities (i.e. cities with high numbers of international visitors) London is second only to NY, NY. The London Store will put Apple on the international map in a way that a store in Salt Lake City never would.

Let's not get into America-bashing. Whilst some people living in far corners of the world like middle America may be a little iscolated and provincially-minded, we should remember that without America there would be no Apple, (not to mention no free world).

CalfCanuck

Feb 13, 2004, 02:55 AM

Originally posted by MacBytes
Category: Apple Services
Link: Apple Computer is planning to open a giant flagship store in London (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20040212232452)

Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)

Approved by arn
While we're discussing errors, we might as well correct the typo on the first page - the main shopping street in London is called Regent St, not Reagent St.:)

Sayhey

Feb 13, 2004, 02:55 AM

As one poster has already said this is old news.

old thread - November '03 (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46530&highlight=Regent+Street)

Still it is great to hear other sources confirm the Regent Street store. This is one of the Five locations that Apple execs say are a must for Apple to have a store. The others being the already open store in Chicago, Ginza in Japan and the projected stores in Paris and mid town Manhattan.

There are lots of new stores for the US in the offing including one's in Syracuse, Charlotte, Austin, Bethesda, a second store in Portland, Mobile, Jacksonville, Irvine, and more. Apple has even begun the process of new "mini" stores (beginning soon at UCLA) that might mean a effort for smaller cities may be in the future.

Lucullus

Feb 13, 2004, 02:57 AM

Makes perfect financial logical sense. Britain has a population of just under a quarter of the whole of the USA, but for size, beat this, you can fit England into California more that three times.

Chin-chin

virividox

Feb 13, 2004, 03:15 AM

yay trips down to london will be more fun!!!

LethalWolfe

Feb 13, 2004, 03:22 AM

Originally posted by paulwhannel
i wholeheartedly agree that Apple needs to open more stores in the US... you guys can bash him for saying it, but Apple does need to focus on cementing both OS X and their auxilliary products like the iTMS as an accessible feature for everyone in the US... they've chosen to define their market for retail, and they need to close up the gaps. Rumor had it that in Des Moines, they looked into putting a boutique-style shop in a new mall being erected, but just lost interest. We don't have an Apple store for like 400 miles, which leaves a serious gap (and many more like it) in their retail coverage. Once Apple properly blankets the US, they can show that the retail stores are profitable and sustainable enough to branch into other countries... I tend to think that the disputed post was referring to the far-corners of the earth being outside of the geographical definitions of their retail market. I really don't think it was meant to carry a negative implication :rolleyes: no one is arguing that london or tokyo is some tiny and unimportant locale, but it is a fairly common techique among corporations in the US to list places like rome, london, venice, tokyo, sydney, moscow, and paris among office/store locations. makes them seem exotic, as he said.

paul

2 words: Gateway Country.

I'm glad Apple isn't opening up stores left and right and then hoping that they actually turn a profit. Having to close down an Apple store in a city would be worse than never opening one at all, IMO. Retails stores can suck you dry easier than they can make you a profit so it's a good thing Apple is being thoughtful about where it opens stores. Opening stores in Japan and London is as much about selling the Apple brand as it is about selling Apple computers.

Lethal

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 03:27 AM

Originally posted by ph8te
Look, please do not take offense to this, but your attitude, is entirely why the world dislikes Americans. Apple is an international product, and their sales are not based entirely on America, so I don't see a reason to inundate your side of this rock first. London and Tokyo exotic?!? Exotic Places are the Bahamas, Fiji, and other secludes Islands. With both Tokyo and London having a population of over 10 Million inhabitants each, the opening of these stores is justified. Good for Apple, only thing is, they should hurry up and open more stores all over.
I might also add that Apple's margins in the UK are way larger than in the US... But on the other hand the cost of doing business in Central London is astronomical.

PS: It's Regent Street, not Reagent...

edesignuk

Feb 13, 2004, 03:32 AM

w00t! About bloody time! And by the sounds of it, it will p0wn all! :D :p

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 03:35 AM

Originally posted by Bakey
Please explain!!

As a UK resident I for one would like to know exactly "where and what" it is that "happens" in London town that doesn't happen else where in Europe, or indeed where else in the UK!?!?!?!?!

I appreciate [from a UK perspective] that many people will be unhappy with London getting the focus of attention AGAIN... but what in your mind does London have to offer that many other more cultured, and possibly more "friendlier", cities in Europe don't offer?

London has got to be the logical first step for European expansion, no? We might also get stores in Paris, Madrid, Rome, Berlin (all very big cities) later, but you can't argue with the logic of starting with London (I can't... and I'm french :)).

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 03:37 AM

Originally posted by edesignuk
w00t! About bloody time! And by the sounds of it, it will p0wn all! :D :p

Hold your horses. We will still be getting those extortionate prices.

Oh well...

CrackedButter

Feb 13, 2004, 03:53 AM

1. I hate london, i will have the misfortune of going there as i travel to Japan.

2. Why not Manchester and reach a higher amount of customers, i'm more likely to travel to Manchester than London. Manchester is in the middle of the country next to other major cities.

3. London *isn't* that great.

Nik_Doof

Feb 13, 2004, 03:54 AM

yayayayayayayayayayayayayayayay!

Mmm god i hope it opens early, like say in time for ECTS, i'd be hopping down there and queuing :)

d.f

Feb 13, 2004, 04:12 AM

edesignuk

Feb 13, 2004, 04:16 AM

Originally posted by NicoMan
Hold your horses. We will still be getting those extortionate prices.

Oh well...
meh, I know I know, but it'll still be good for window shopping ;)

ph_555_shag

Feb 13, 2004, 04:17 AM

WOW the WHOLE product line..... gee i wouldn't think that would fit in a 20,00 ft square shop...........

:D

edesignuk

Feb 13, 2004, 04:19 AM

@CrackedButter - Why London? It's world famous, it's our capital, and there are plenty of people with lots of money desperately trying to be stylish. It's perfect.

Awimoway

Feb 13, 2004, 04:22 AM

Originally posted by Foocha
Let's not get into America-bashing. Whilst some people living in far corners of the world like middle America may be a little iscolated and provincially-minded, we should remember that without America there would be no Apple, (not to mention no free world).

Bloody decent of you to say that! :)

edesignuk

Feb 13, 2004, 04:27 AM

Isidore

Feb 13, 2004, 04:29 AM

We don't have a Reagent Street in London, much to the disappointment of all Chemists. It's Regents Street. Great idea, if only we didn't have to pay Apple's inflated UK prices it would be even greater.

Belly-laughs

Feb 13, 2004, 04:35 AM

Originally posted by Bakey
Please explain!!

As a UK resident I for one would like to know exactly "where and what" it is that "happens" in London town that doesn't happen else where in Europe, or indeed where else in the UK!?!?!?!?!

I appreciate [from a UK perspective] that many people will be unhappy with London getting the focus of attention AGAIN... but what in your mind does London have to offer that many other more cultured, and possibly more "friendlier", cities in Europe don't offer?

The area of interest I was referring to, in my mind, was design/trends in urban culture. London is hot. Obviously lots of things happen in York/Jorvik and other "far corners" of Europe as well. No need to be offended.

kkubaryc

Feb 13, 2004, 04:45 AM

1. On Prices: it's your fault. I live in France, and I cry every time I see the price IN EUROS is higher than the Apple Store US prices IN DOLLARS. 1 € > 1$. All those damned taxes.

2. On "Billings": You're absolutely right. What is Apple thinking? Those west coast morons. They're missing out on 91,195 (1996 est.) potential customers. Only 10,000,000 people live in London. That is so dumb.

3. On "Corners": The earth is a spheroid, and thus has no "corners".

elgruga

Feb 13, 2004, 04:45 AM

The Brits never get anything right, so the Apple store in London will be a mess.
And it will be over-priced, because the Brits dont like the common people to get their common hands on any good stuff.

Its still a good thing, though.

How about one in Canada? (Far corner , yes?)

As for the comments about the free world - LOL!
The US seems hell-bent on wrecking the 'free world' with its self-centred interventionist actions.

I think its actually the Brits who saved the free world - and I believe the free world does exist - in some far corner of the world.

edesignuk

Feb 13, 2004, 04:49 AM

Originally posted by elgruga
The Brits never get anything right, so the Apple store in London will be a mess.
And it will be over-priced, because the Brits dont like the common people to get their common hands on any good stuff.

It's Apple that will be putting to store together, and it's Apple that fix the prices :rolleyes:

polyesterlester

Feb 13, 2004, 04:50 AM

I'd really like to see an Apple Store in Zürich (maybe in the next couple of years?) and Almaty (ha ha, yeah right). Those are the two areas outside the US I visit most frequently. Of course if Apple really wanted to put a store in a city of Kazakhstan that I visit often, go for Pavlodar City! Oh well, they'd probably put a store in Baghdad before they put one in Kazakhstan. Maybe even Anchorage!

Looking forward to visiting the Ginza store soon! Anyone know if the Champs Elysées store is supposed to open by years end?

littlejim

Feb 13, 2004, 04:51 AM

Originally posted by NicoMan
Hold your horses. We will still be getting those extortionate prices.

Oh well...
Ahhh .. but at least we can pay through the nose is style!

I'm praying this happens. I for one will be a saddo and be in that queue.

London is pityful when it comes to buying Apple product and Regents Street would be a perfect location. It has more 'style' than Oxford Street (rubbing shoulders with Hamleys, Liberty and the like) and literally millions of people from all over the World walk up and down the street every year. I'll be a fantastic advertisment for Apple - as well as a cool place for me to get my gear ... Baby!

elgruga

Feb 13, 2004, 04:54 AM

Originally posted by kkubaryc
3. On "Corners": The earth is a spheroid, and thus has no "corners".

A corner can exist in a sphere - we live in a dome house and its definitely got corners, sort of......actually it doesnt and I feel my head spin and have to sit down as I realise that my house has nowhere to hide......and a flock of birds sits on the kids swing in the garden, and they look menacing and then this small aeroplane dives towards me and some guys in suits are coming up the driveway.

I forget all about Apple as it dawns on me that I am caught in a waking dream sequence of a pastiche of Alfred Hitchcock movies!

Worse - he's a BRIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

billyboy

Feb 13, 2004, 04:55 AM

I might actually have a reason to go to London again, now that it has a proper attraction. When I was a kid my parents took us into London a couple of times to go to the Houses of Parliament, Science Museum, Madame Tussauds, Harrods and Hamleys. This was in the days when treats actually existed, rather than big days being the norm. We never bought anything, it was just part of our education to see what was going on in the world outside of the provinces. Now it sounds quite feasible that techno oriented Brits will be able to go to London to take their kids to the Apple Super Store. I understand they put on loads of demoes and talks, so it will be like a trip to Bang and Olufsen, PC World and IT classes rolled into one.

elgruga

Feb 13, 2004, 04:59 AM

Yes, its a good thing - I really love London, even if the class-system still amazes and disgusts me.

And yes, It will be cool - Baby!

OH God - alright, I admit it - I'm a closet Brit!

elgruga

Feb 13, 2004, 05:00 AM

Originally posted by billyboy
I might actually have a reason to go to London again, now that it has a proper attraction. When I was a kid my parents took us into London a couple of times to go to the Houses of Parliament, Science Museum, Madame Tussauds, Harrods and Hamleys. This was in the days when treats actually existed, rather than big days being the norm. We never bought anything, it was just part of our education to see what was going on in the world outside of the provinces. Now it sounds quite feasible that techno oriented Brits will be able to go to London to take their kids to the Apple Super Store. I understand they put on loads of demoes and talks, so it will be like a trip to Bang and Olufsen, PC World and IT classes rolled into one.

One of the nicest posts I have ever seen on this forum - well put!

kettle

Feb 13, 2004, 05:09 AM

Originally posted by Awimoway
Bloody decent of you to say that! :)

That's the Badger!, bombs away!

except for the bit about saving the world, I'm quite sure Canada and the Great Britain would have liked to sit out world war two, planning a financially agreeable moment to get their hands dirty. The Americans did end the war, but I'm pretty certain nobody saved the world.

As far as London goes, how are we going to get there? Great Britain isn't that big, but I'm sure you could travel from anywhere in the U.S. to any Apple store in the U.S. quicker and most probably cheaper than getting to Regent Street from anywhere outside a thirty mile radius of London.

Mord

Feb 13, 2004, 05:10 AM

this is good news as I have put up with micro anvika for far to long (it's a mac store filled with mean comision hungry reps).

I hope this dosent hurt square groups buisness to much as the people there are very helpfull

Dave_B

Feb 13, 2004, 05:13 AM

Originally posted by Bakey
Please explain!!

As a UK resident I for one would like to know exactly "where and what" it is that "happens" in London town that doesn't happen else where in Europe, or indeed where else in the UK!?!?!?!?!

I appreciate [from a UK perspective] that many people will be unhappy with London getting the focus of attention AGAIN... but what in your mind does London have to offer that many other more cultured, and possibly more "friendlier", cities in Europe don't offer?

Mate if you're angling for an Apple Store Leeds you're wasting your time, Kingsclere is clearly going to be the next location.

http://www.kingsclere.gov.uk/

virividox

Feb 13, 2004, 05:15 AM

i dont understand why there is so much america bashing and uk bashing going one over the opening of a store!

did this amount of bashing go on when apple japan open its doors? No i don't think so. and they were the enemy in wwii, not that its relevant to to apple opening stores.

I see it as a good thing apple is expanding internationally, because up until now most countries only have apple resellers, who can jack up the prices and don't provide the best support and technical expertise as bonafide apple stores (there are exceptional resellers though who are on top of the game).

I can't wait till apple opens more stores around the world, remember just because they are expanding internationally won't mea tehy will stop opening stores across the us, opening stores in interantional capitals give you bigger exposure to the market then opening it in smaller cities across the us. Apple is a company they make money anyway and anywhere they can, they arent neglecting the us, they are just starting to pay attention to the rest of the world.

Mord

Feb 13, 2004, 05:18 AM

Originally posted by elgruga
I really love London, even if the class-system still amazes and disgusts me

what "class system" it's worse in the u.s. from my experience

I go to a school which has childen from millionare familys mixed with childeren from crudy estates

look at new york it may be diverce but all the different classes stay in there own area china town, ghettos, skyscrapers ect..

no one pays any attention to lords,the queen, dukes ect. there just a tourist attraction

Feb 13, 2004, 05:19 AM

isn't london in the *line of evel* ???
... oh dear ...

london would be great! paris, berlin, zurich, barcelona, milano, praha, stockholm, helsinki, kopenhagen, amsterdam, vienna, moskow to follow ... sorry, when i forgot another "exotic one" ...
.a swiss guy :)

sosumi99

Feb 13, 2004, 05:22 AM

Originally posted by elgruga
As for the comments about the free world - LOL!
The US seems hell-bent on wrecking the 'free world' with its self-centred interventionist actions.

I think its actually the Brits who saved the free world - and I believe the free world does exist - in some far corner of the world.

Oh please. Can we try to talk about Apple, as opposed to fantasies in which the Brits still matter in the world?

Apple is doing the right thing by focusing on London. Those brits may not have much influence on world events, but they make good customers for Apple.

Mord

Feb 13, 2004, 05:27 AM

Originally posted by virividox
i dont understand why there is so much america bashing and uk bashing going one over the opening of a store!

did this amount of bashing go on when apple japan open its doors? No i don't think so. and they were the enemy in wwii, not that its relevant to to apple opening stores.

I see it as a good thing apple is expanding internationally, because up until now most countries only have apple resellers, who can jack up the prices and don't provide the best support and technical expertise as bonafide apple stores (there are exceptional resellers though who are on top of the game).

I can't wait till apple opens more stores around the world, remember just because they are expanding internationally won't mea tehy will stop opening stores across the us, opening stores in interantional capitals give you bigger exposure to the market then opening it in smaller cities across the us. Apple is a company they make money anyway and anywhere they can, they arent neglecting the us, they are just starting to pay attention to the rest of the world.

the reason for the bashing is that we english people have allot of pride in our country and are annoyed that america entered the war at such a late stage largely due to the fact that the american ambassidor was a racist nazi supporter.

that is the underlying anxt + most english people consider americans to be a bunch of hillbillys (this is reinforced by gorge and the war in iraq).

these are the reasons I know they are not correct but there they are

back on topic any one know where abouts it will be? neer oxoford circus i hope

iGav

Feb 13, 2004, 05:30 AM

Originally posted by CrackedButter
1. I hate london, i will have the misfortune of going there as i travel to Japan.

2. Why not Manchester and reach a higher amount of customers, i'm more likely to travel to Manchester than London. Manchester is in the middle of the country next to other major cities.

3. London *isn't* that great.

1. Many feel the same, and many people love it. But it's more prestigious, and internationally recognised.

2. Higher amount of customers in Manchester and surrounding area??? you're so very, very wrong here....

The Population density is much higher in the South East then it is in the North.

Manchester only has Liverpool and possibly Leeds near it, although Leeds isn't really anywhere near Manchester as you have the 60miles+ wilderness of the Pennines in the way, I very much doubt significant numbers of people would travel accross from Leeds to Manchester regularly enough just to visit the Apple Store.

More people visit London.

London has a greater population than Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Bradford, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol etc etc combined.

If you wanted to be centralised, then you'd want to be in Birmingham (Britain's second largest city, and more than a match for Manchester, but still 6 MILLION short of London) it's more easily accessible to more people because it has both the transport infrastructure M1, M6, M5 all run close or through it, it's on the West Coast Mainline, it has an Airport It's centrally positioned between the North and the south, roughly 95 miles from London and Manchester.

London is the wealthiest city in the country.

It's also home to some of the worlds leading and best design, post production and music studios in the world... all of which make a seriously healthy demand for Apple Mac's.

3. It's still better than Manchester though... heheheh

Anyway, my opinion on the whole Applestore London... obviously I think it's a good thing, but equally Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid would all be more than worthy places to open Europes first store.

Regent St is a prime location, with other lush stores.... (I feared they'd put it on Tottenham Court Road heheh) smack in the middle of the centre of London, just up from Picadilly,Down from Oxford St and sandwiched between the creative home of Soho and the seriously wealthy residents of Mayfair.... result!

It'll be a success... I'm in no doubt about that... ;)

"When a man is tired of London he is tired of life," said Samuel Johnson, "for there is in London all that life can afford."

littlejim

Feb 13, 2004, 05:31 AM

back on topic any one know where abouts it will be? neer oxoford circus i hope
229-247 Regent Street ( According to The Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-5-999732,00.html) )

Mord

Feb 13, 2004, 05:31 AM

Originally posted by sosumi99
Oh please. Can we try to talk about Apple, as opposed to fantasies in which the Brits still matter in the world?

Apple is doing the right thing by focusing on London. Those brits may not have much influence on world events, but they make good customers for Apple.

not much influence? im not going to dignify that with a response just get off your high american horse and look at the real world

thats just the type of thing that pissis us english folk off lets talk about apple please

virividox

Feb 13, 2004, 05:31 AM

world war ii is history, let the dead men rest. don't forget what happened but don't dwell on it.

nationalism is all well and good, but misguided nationalism is what starts the trouble in the first place.

apple should go buy a small island and start its own country!!!

Bailey

Feb 13, 2004, 05:34 AM

No way they were going to put it on Tottenham Court Road, far too cheap and cheerful for Apple.

It's about time this happened. Regardless of the country that it's in (and regardless of the anti-London sentiment expressed by people within the UK), it is a city that needs an Apple Store. In terms of population, and businesses located there, it is a prime candidate for selling Apple products. You see hundreds of iPods being used on the underground, for example.

As a disclaimer, I live around 100 miles from London, but I still like the place!

sosumi99

Feb 13, 2004, 05:35 AM

Mord

Feb 13, 2004, 05:37 AM

a nice location for an apple store would be Bath it would fit in so well.

Awimoway

Feb 13, 2004, 05:38 AM

Originally posted by Hector
the reason for the bashing is that we english people have allot of pride in our country and are annoyed that america entered the war at such a late stage largely due to the fact that the american ambassidor was a racist nazi supporter.

that is the underlying anxt + most english people consider americans to be a bunch of hillbillys (this is reinforced by gorge and the war in iraq).

these are the reasons I know they are not correct but there they are

back on topic any one know where abouts it will be? neer oxoford circus i hope

Another reason America tried to stay out of the war was that, from its Eighteenth Century inception until WWII, it clung to the belief that it was always bad to get entangled in foreign affairs (which is not to say that they always did this, of course, but they largely limited their entanglements to other W. Hemisphere nations). And all the America-haters will certainly agree that once America did become entangled with the whole world, when it became a military and economic superpower, as well as the Comintern's public enemy number one, it lost its soul and became a force for evil as much or more as it was a force for good. So you see that if they could have stayed out of World War II and the Allies could have won it without us, the world might have been a better place.

Mac-Xpert

Feb 13, 2004, 05:38 AM

I think Apple should start opening stores all over the world, in every capital. I'm of course hoping for Apple store Amsterdam :p.

London is a great start, lets hope this is a new trend.

edesignuk

Feb 13, 2004, 05:38 AM

Originally posted by sosumi99
as opposed to fantasies in which the Brits still matter in the world?
:eek: I just don't know what to say to that :eek: :rolleyes: I suppose the US has no influence either?
The "empire" might not be what it once was, but it still has a great deal of influence.

whookam

Feb 13, 2004, 05:40 AM

They should put it slap bang between all those Micro Anvika stores on the Tottenham Court Rd... just to stir things up a little.:)

Imagine their little faces when the Job-Mobile pulled up outside.

Seriously its about time there was a Apple store in the UK. The next should definately be in Birmingham or Edinbourgh.

Mord

Feb 13, 2004, 05:40 AM

Originally posted by Awimoway
Another reason America tried to stay out of the war was that, from its Eighteenth Century inception until WWII, it clung to the belief that it was always bad to get entangled in foreign affairs (which is not to say that they always did this, of course, but they mostly entangled with other W. Hemisphere nations). And all the America-haters will certainly agree that once it did become entangled, when it became a military and economic superpower, as well as Comintern Enemy Number One, it lost its soul and became a force for evil as much or more as it was a force for good.

while i agree with you can you start a thread in the political section "why us brits dont like america" or something as this is getting out of hand

Awimoway

Feb 13, 2004, 05:43 AM

Originally posted by Hector
while i agree with you can you start a thread in the political section "why us brits dont like america" or something as this is getting out of hand

Well you started it!! :)

Mord

Feb 13, 2004, 05:45 AM

Originally posted by Awimoway
Well you started it!! :)

read my posts they were a vein attempt to end it "lets talk about apple please" me.

BevvyB

Feb 13, 2004, 05:47 AM

I had to chime in here 'cos it was making me laugh.

The first guy who said London was a far flung corner of the world obviously hasn't travelled at all. He may be one of those people in the States (92%) who don't have a passport. So he's not a prick exactly, he's just globally undernourished. His favourite news program may be Fox.

The other guy who said that us Brits always get everything wrong is correct. We should never have listened to Bush, we were wrong.

I've lived and worked in Central London for about 12 years so here's what Regents Street is like to anyone who is interested.

Regents Street, like many other major streets in Central London has changed its face as the years have pushed the rental prices up and the public taste has changed. Although Regents Street is possibly the nicest looking shopping street in central London the only shops that can really afford to be there are now giant global retailers. The first to move into this road was The Warner Brothers Store. This was then followed by French Connection, Gap, Benetton and all those other airport-hogging faceless mega-brands. Regents Street is mainly inhabited by tourists who think they should be there, and without them Regents Street would close. The best two shops in Regents Street are Liberties and Hamleys. Everything else comes across as phoney. Regents Street is a street that Londoners cross to get somewhere else.

However, having an Apple Store in this street is a good thing. For one, the buildings have the size to do something really lavish - other electronics areas such as Tottenham Court road just don't have the space. Also, by being just far enough away from these other retailers who have been selling apple products dilligently for the last two decades, they won't piss them off.

Also, being in the creative part of town is the way to go. That's where all the film editors, music companies etc all live. And they're all macaddicts.

Regents Street has nothing in it that the average Londoner would ever go there for. Perhaps it will do once this apple store is open.

As regards London 'not being nice'. London is smelly, dirty and difficult. It takes quite a while to get to know it. I have a lot of American friends here who have moved to live here and they love it. It's a unique capital but takes a bit of time to find the really good bits. Next time you're over take some time to make some English friends and get a feel for the place.

Oh, and if anyone has any 'class related' storys about our 'class system' I'd be really interested. Being talked to in perfect English by a policeman is not a put down and doesn't count. I'd like to hear some real world snob stories that I would only be likely to come across in lLondon and not New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles or any other major city. I would be especially interested to see this 'system' get to someone travelling through Heathrow and never setting a foot out of the terminal building. Those airport staff must have been on a special superiority course or something. With a bit of luck they'll keep mishearing what you said with your strange accent or better still, ignore you completely with an air of disdain. To avoid this I suggest you only drink tea and when you do, point your pinky out.

There is nothing more elitist than someone who thinks he is above class.

Peace.

sosumi99

Feb 13, 2004, 05:59 AM

Originally posted by BevvyB
Those airport staff must have been on a special superiority course or something. With a bit of luck they'll keep mishearing what you said with your strange accent or better still, ignore you completely with an air of disdain. To avoid this I suggest you only drink tea and when you do, point your pinky out.

There is nothing more elitist than someone who thinks he is above class.

Peace.

LOL, great post!

I totally agree with you. The attitudes I encountered when I spoke with my Boston accent in London was more amusing to me than snobbish. I think people were more surprised and flabbergasted that "people actually talk like this?" than rude. And I did have to repeat myself several times -- I wasn't bothered by it. Not being English, I missed all signs of the class system, though my friends kept on saying, "listen to the accent, listen."

I did not like Regents Street when I was there. But I would make another trip to London just for the Apple Store.

ionas

Feb 13, 2004, 06:01 AM

1. over 60 stores in the usa but NONE in europe?
2. europe makes 1/4 of the amount of sales relative to the us
3. more sales in europe than in japan (still there are stores)

[
numbers:
sum up (http://macnn.com/news/23362) detailed (http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/320193/000110465904003080/a04-1622_110q.htm )
]

london is a good place but the UK is not ;p
(not that i dont like the uk, but the average income of the average population in germany and france are higher)

hope they add paris and frankfurt very very soon!!11111111111111

polyesterlester

Feb 13, 2004, 06:02 AM

In case you guys haven't already seen the photo:
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/photos/regent_st.jpg

ionas

Feb 13, 2004, 06:05 AM

(a few posts above probably i stated out why euro stores are needed and us stores are - if you compare the us to europe - NOT needed atm ;p)

ionas

Feb 13, 2004, 06:10 AM

make them brun in their stupid emotion

"i am a commi" lol - some of the more stupid us citizins will be so angered ;p

singletrack

Feb 13, 2004, 06:10 AM

Originally posted by Bakey
Please explain!!

As a UK resident I for one would like to know exactly "where and what" it is that "happens" in London town that doesn't happen else where in Europe, or indeed where else in the UK!?!?!?!?!

I appreciate [from a UK perspective] that many people will be unhappy with London getting the focus of attention AGAIN... but what in your mind does London have to offer that many other more cultured, and possibly more "friendlier", cities in Europe don't offer?

Yeah, Where's the Apple Store in Wakefield eh?

Really, if you're going to open a store in Europe, never mind just the UK, London would be the place. The UK is the biggest market outside of America for Apple and London has the largest concentration of consumers and media. No contest.

Sure, it'd be nice to see an AppleStore in Manchester, Leeds or even Edinburgh eventually but you've got to start somewhere.

iGav

Feb 13, 2004, 06:15 AM

Originally posted by singletrack
Yeah, Where's the Apple Store in Wakefield eh?

you're in Wakey???

ionas

Feb 13, 2004, 06:18 AM

i welcome your analystic and not national few (compared to those of a few forum members who still thing anything but the us is "excotic" ;)... still even if I said in a previous post that there might be better locations the city ITSELF is a good choice.

london is big, easy accessable (via plain, ship, whatever), and a centre of multiculture; while GB and Irland got very nice looking areas (like kent and others), london is a MUST for everyone to visit if he/she visits europe or lives within europe.

in contrast to my previous post i must add that in london there are many ppl with much money (as well as there are many with not much :<; but that should not bother apple as a company)

if apple adds paris they still have nothing in germany, a huge market and, locally seen, the centre of europe - even accessable by austria, the switzer lands and other near by countries.

even though frankfurt is a small city itself, it lays within one of the riches areas all around the world, and is a secondary centre of finance (not a primary though)

lets hope and see what happens...

Lucullus

Feb 13, 2004, 06:26 AM

Regent Street: Regent Street like Bond Street changes character and quality along it's length. To be on the east side of Regent Street is to be with likes of Disney, Warner, Hamleys, Libertys etc. The west side is not so great, and rather gloomy.

Maybe snobby but it should not be too close to Oxford Circus. The kind of people who enjoy shopping in Oxford Street are the same people who think the Costa del Sol is Spanish.

A few years ago (I used to live in Soho) I came across a man, obviously very lost, in one of the streets behind Oxford St and near Libertys. His first question, asked plaintively and pessimistically, was: "Do you speak English?"

So the Apple shop should be somewhere on the east side of Regent St and somewhere to the south of Libertys.

But don't expect it to be full of UberMacsters with cool haircuts, Oakley sunglasses and wicked footwear, this is serious tourist territory (and tourists are not just Europeans, Americans and Asians Orientals etc on hols it includes Mancunians, Brummies, Geordies, Yorkies, Scousers and of course those from the Principality and from God's own country north of the border all in the Great Wen for the day)

Toodle-pip

ionas

Feb 13, 2004, 06:30 AM

nothing to do with that A$$ of reagan but either with a regent (a rex - a king, a ruler)

:-p

jbrw

Feb 13, 2004, 06:32 AM

Assuming i've got the right building site in my head, this is a prime location. Opposite Liberty's and Hamley's, and just a stones throw from Oxford Circus... It's right on the edge of Soho, as someone pointed out, so you have a huge number of tv, print, design, new media, etc., people within a 10 miuntes walk.

Regent Street is almost certainly Grade I listed by English Heritage (ie, you can't do anything to change the appearance of it), so I imagine any branding they do to the exterior to be extremely muted. Like, a 2 ft illuminated logo being jutting over the sidewalk would be considered pretty extreme. I can promise there will be no giant silver boxes.

Regardless, that bit of Regent Street gets a huge amount of foot traffic, and the store should do really well. I bet Micro Anvika are pooping their pants (desrvedly so, although have their PC lines to keep 'em going), and poor ol Square can't be too happy. What will become of them?

singletrack

Feb 13, 2004, 06:32 AM

Originally posted by iGAV
2. Higher amount of customers in Manchester and surrounding area??? you're so very, very wrong here....

Not so wrong. Manchester has a high concentration of media companies, arguably the largest outside of London. It may not have so many people but as a percentage of the population likely to want a Mac, quite high.

Originally posted by iGAV
The Population density is much higher in the South East then it is in the North.

Yup, By far. It's soooo crowded down there.

Originally posted by iGAV
If you wanted to be centralised, then you'd want to be in Birmingham (Britain's second largest city, and more than a match for Manchester, but still 6 MILLION short of London) it's more easily accessible to more people because it has both the transport infrastructure M1, M6, M5 all run close or through it, it's on the West Coast Mainline, it has an Airport It's centrally positioned between the North and the south, roughly 95 miles from London and Manchester.

You seem to have forgotten Scotland. The geographic centre of the UK is actually some 60 miles north of Manchester in Dunsop Bridge, East Lancashire. But that's as silly an arguement as basing a store in some hick town in the USA before opening one in London.

Originally posted by iGAV
London is the wealthiest city in the country.

It's not, it's Leeds.

Originally posted by iGAV
It's also home to some of the worlds leading and best design, post production and music studios in the world... all of which make a seriously healthy demand for Apple Mac's.

Also true of Manchester and sooo not of Birmingham. But London has more consumers that would pass through a place like Regent Street.

Originally posted by iGAV
3. It's still better than Manchester though... heheheh

If you want to open an Apple Store, yes. Not in any other way though, except the weather.

CrackedButter

Feb 13, 2004, 06:35 AM

Originally posted by d.f
London is the CAPITAL.... duh!

(yes, i live in london)

imagine if the first US store was in Memphis.... that's nice and central....

Glasgow / Edinburgh stands a far better chance of Apple UK store no.2 than Manchester.

you're right that london isn't that great. i quite like friggin Brighton.... maybe they should open is there... (sic)

Capital Spapital, its not in the center of the UK where a first store should be, if its London because of its international scene (and everything you assiocaite with London) then thats a waste since its a UK store and would do nothing for the UK. Who is going to travel there from all over the country? Its better if everyone could access it. Only the rich, (rich foriegners) will get a chance to go there and the Londoners themselves.

The scene in Manchester is also far more modern than London anyway what with the Commonwealth games having been there and all the work they have done to make it such a nice place.

PrettyMan

Feb 13, 2004, 06:35 AM

Originally posted by Lucullus
...Maybe snobby but it should not be too close to Oxford Circus. The kind of people who enjoy shopping in Oxford Street are the same people who think the Costa del Sol is Spanish....

http://www.visitacostadelsol.com/

what type of people?

ionas

Feb 13, 2004, 06:36 AM

they could drive a company with slot-machines...

you could not buy apple macs but you could win them by playing money games :p

you could test out the powerbook if its ocean water save ;p.

brighton offers a lot (lol)
could take broadstairs if you are at brighton already ;-p

you could sell weather software with the hardware if you actually sold hardware - that way you could predict if good weather if coming after all the visitors / vacationers left again ;)

(although i dont live there i enjoyed my stay at youth hostels all around broadstairs, brighton and co ;-)

Lucullus

Feb 13, 2004, 06:51 AM

Originally posted by PrettyMan
http://www.visitacostadelsol.com/

what type of people?

The kind of Brit you find in, say, Benalmádena Pueblo who will only eat British food and speak English. Who stroll the streets, beer-can in hand with their bellies hanging out over their shorts while on the look-out for some slack Alice from home. i.e. Chavs.

singletrack

Feb 13, 2004, 07:00 AM

Originally posted by iGAV
you're in Wakey???

Nope. Todmorden, West Yorks. Even more in the sticks, and I like it that way.

captain kirk

Feb 13, 2004, 07:02 AM

Originally posted by Hector
this is good news as I have put up with micro anvika for far to long (it's a mac store filled with mean comision hungry reps).

I hope this dosent hurt square groups buisness to much as the people there are very helpfull

For the record micro anvika sales staff do not get paid commission whereas my understanding is that Applestore sales reps in america do!!!!

singletrack

Feb 13, 2004, 07:14 AM

I think it's more that the Tottenham Court Road Micro Anvika stores are competing with other Tottenham Court Road stores, hence the pressure.

The Micro Anvika stores in Manchester (In Selfridges in the city centre and Trafford Centre) are a joy to use IME with helpful staff.

The exact opposite of the PC World staff I came across in Halifax who had their Macs set up on shiny white plastic shelves where the optical mouse wouldn't work. One even suggested a PC laptop because it was cheaper. Pah!

BevvyB

Feb 13, 2004, 07:17 AM

I can't believe this has turned into a my city is better than yours LOL

London is the capital city of England.

Regents Street is one of Englands most famous streets.

FFS, what more do you want. This has gone from yanks not leaving their country to hobbits not leaving their hobbit holes.

<blank> has everything I need, why would I want to go anywhere else or travel or converse with anyone else from anywhere else? I mean, having a wank is the same here as there isn't it?

kettle

Feb 13, 2004, 07:30 AM

Originally posted by captain kirk
For the record micro anvika sales staff do not get paid commission whereas my understanding is that Applestore sales reps in america do!!!!

Wow, micro anvika give something away at a bargain price!

Mord

Feb 13, 2004, 07:33 AM

apple store reps dont get payed on comission

the micro anvika guys are horrible I have never bought anything from them that actually worked (cd burner, tv tuner) they wouldent give me a refund on the burner because it worked 1/4 of the time discacefull i will never go there again

I like square group there stock is limited but they are nice and helpfull

billyboy

Feb 13, 2004, 07:34 AM

I think some people need a lesson in bragging rights, because things like "Our continent is more important, than your has-been island" and "My metropolis is better than your town" is just pathetic.

For what it's worth, our family is harder than them weedy pensioners over the road.

Our garden is more overgrown with nettles than the neighbours'

Our dog has dumped more times in the street than their dog.

Our 1 GHz Mac cost more than their 3GHz PC.... so stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Mr. Anderson

Feb 13, 2004, 07:34 AM

Originally posted by sethypoo
Still I wonder why someone voted "negative" on this story.

:( :rolleyes:

5 people now? This really makes no sense....It would be great to go and get a list of all the voters and how they voted :D

Great news.

D

BevvyB

Feb 13, 2004, 07:46 AM

Originally posted by billyboy

For what it's worth, our family is harder than them weedy pensioners over the road.

No they aren't

Our garden is more overgrown with nettles than the neighbours'

No it isn't

Our dog has dumped more times in the street than their dog.

No it hasn't

iGav

Feb 13, 2004, 07:47 AM

Originally posted by singletrack
Not so wrong. Manchester has a high concentration of media companies, arguably the largest outside of London. It may not have so many people but as a percentage of the population likely to want a Mac, quite high.

It still doesn't compensate that Manchester is only the 9th biggest city in the country though, and far removed from the biggest city in the country.

It's difficult to say that the percentage wanting to buy a Mac would be quite high, especially as it already has a high installed user base because of the media companies, but a relatively small population, then the potential percentage of new Mac users might not be that high.

Originally posted by singletrack
Yup, By far. It's soooo crowded down there.

that's because eveyone up North keeps moving down... heheheh

Originally posted by singletrack
You seem to have forgotten Scotland. The geographic centre of the UK is actually some 60 miles north of Manchester in Dunsop Bridge, East Lancashire. But that's as silly an arguement as basing a store in some hick town in the USA before opening one in London.

I agree it's a silly argument, I was responding to the post that said that Manchester is central and will reach a higher amount of customers, it won't.

Birmingham would be a better choice on that particular argument as it's more easily accessible by the major cities (well except the Scottish ones), and is more easily accessible from the majority of the country, either South East, South West and the North from either side of the Pennines.

Originally posted by singletrack
It's not, it's Leeds.

that depends how you calculate wealthiest though, although I've just looked and Tatton in Cheshire is supposed to be where the 'rich' people live after you take into account living costs, but it'd make next to no sense to build one there because of a small population.

Originally posted by singletrack
Also true of Manchester and sooo not of Birmingham. But London has more consumers that would pass through a place like Regent Street.

And Birmingham has more consumers (2x+ as many) and thus potential switchers because of it's greater population, so it'd still be a potentially better place to have one. Also take into account it's more accessible to more people more easily and more quickly.

Originally posted by singletrack
If you want to open an Apple Store, yes. Not in any other way though, except the weather.

Well that's subjective really isn't it, but London has more diversity in shops, bars, clubs, museums, art galleries and things to see and do.

Whether people think it's better or not, well again that's subjective... I prefer Leeds to Manchester though... ;) :D

iGav

Feb 13, 2004, 07:51 AM

Originally posted by singletrack
Nope. Todmorden, West Yorks. Even more in the sticks, and I like it that way.

I used to live in Altofts, a village outside of Wakefield (to the East) now famous for the Europort which totally destroyed the place... :(

One thing with London, is that I miss the Big Country of North Yorkshire.... I used to mountain bike alot up in Buckden... ;) Epping Forest just doesn't have quite the same.... how shall I put it... features... ;) :(

aswitcher

Feb 13, 2004, 08:07 AM

A Sydney store would be much appreciated...

DanUk2003

Feb 13, 2004, 08:16 AM

Originally posted by heuer007
What an imcompetent american prick. And you wonder why people hate you guys. :rolleyes:

Not all Americans are like that...!! In fact, I'm sure most are not like that!

Originally posted by Foocha
...without America there would be no Apple, (not to mention no free world).

This "comment" about america and the free world REALLY made me laugh!!

slightly

Feb 13, 2004, 08:30 AM

I was in London over Christmas and probably walked right past that Christo-ed building without realising the treats that might lie within. A new Apple store can be nothing but a good thing at a time when other manufacturers, like Gateway, are having to close down stores. It's going to be an almighty success - I can't wait to see what it looks like.

(Also, children, stop fighting now please. It's very silly. If you want to compare the size of your willies, please do it outside.)

temptatino

Feb 13, 2004, 08:36 AM

Originally posted by rogozhin
But hey, best of luck in throwing up stores in the far corners of the world; I guess it looks more exotic to say you have a store in London or Tokyo than it does to say you have a store in Wichita or Billings.

I'm still at a loss as to how people in the States can be so sheltered and yet think that they (Bush, etc) should be allowed to muck with the rest of the world.

There are some 260,000,000 people in the States. 6,150,000,000 barbarians inhabiting the 'far corners of the world' ;)

Stella

Feb 13, 2004, 08:49 AM

This is the sadest comment thread ever.. its like slashdot.

The person who said "far flung corners of the world" is a total retard... doesn't get out much.

"the world would't be free without the US"..

what a load of ****.

An apple store outside of the US would benefit apple more than a store inside the US.

London gets a boat load of tourists plus its usual 10+ million locals... that is why apple chose London and not, say, Exeter or Barnstaple! :-), err, I mean, Manchester, Brum etc.

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 08:52 AM

Originally posted by Foocha
without America there would be no Apple, (not to mention no free world).

Bollocks to that: without the French, there wouldn't be a US of A... (I mean it would be a British colony)

:)

merges

Feb 13, 2004, 08:54 AM

There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not London is the appropriate home for a first UK Apple Store, but no one has mentionedthe potential customer base's importance as a factor of location.

Yes, London has the visibility, it's an obvious choice. As for the internal arguments about whether or not people from the rest of England will be able to get there, well... perhaps that's not so important. Apple needs to be sure that the store is profitable, and to do so they probably need to sell to their target markets. Traditionally, design, arts, publishing, (and sciences, education, yes); isn't London the hub of most of those markets in England?

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 08:59 AM

Originally posted by elgruga
I forget all about Apple as it dawns on me that I am caught in a waking dream sequence of a pastiche of Alfred Hitchcock movies!

Worse - he's a BRIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You forgot about Jonathan Ive...

doh!

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 09:05 AM

Originally posted by sosumi99
Oh please. Can we try to talk about Apple, as opposed to fantasies in which the Brits still matter in the world?

Apple is doing the right thing by focusing on London. Those brits may not have much influence on world events, but they make good customers for Apple.

If I remember correctly, in the last quarter something like 1 in 6 iPods was sold in the UK...

ionas

Feb 13, 2004, 09:09 AM

So IVE will sell me my new PM if i visit the store or what?

that would be neat ;p

PM G5 with autograms

iGav

Feb 13, 2004, 09:11 AM

Originally posted by merges
There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not London is the appropriate home for a first UK Apple Store, but no one has mentionedthe potential customer base's importance as a factor of location.

Yes, London has the visibility, it's an obvious choice. As for the internal arguments about whether or not people from the rest of England will be able to get there, well... perhaps that's not so important. Apple needs to be sure that the store is profitable, and to do so they probably need to sell to their target markets. Traditionally, design, arts, publishing, (and sciences, education, yes); isn't London the hub of most of those markets in England?

I did.... ;) Soho is a very densely populated area of Design, Post Production, Advertising and Marketing companies, more so than any other area I can think of, although Hoxton and Shoreditch in general is a close second, and London has many, many further education establishments.

But in retrospect I'm not so sure these companies will actually buy from an Apple Store, unless they can match batch order prices from the likes of Computer Warehouse etc etc then they won't buy from there, students might and probably will however though.

The stores are really more focused at joe public, and London has ALOT of joe public, both native and visitors and that's what must be making it so attractive to Apple.

Ultimately though the rest of the country will need Apple Stores as well, the next one should be in Edinburgh, then Birmingham (large untapped market) and then either Leeds or Manchester... (that's the rest of our country, I think Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Rome, Madrid etc etc are more important for our euro cousins and should also come as soon as possible)

But the problem is, I can't imagine there ever been more than say 3-4 stores here, so people are obviously going to complain about their town/city being missed out.

Apple is still a niche brand after all.

arn

Feb 13, 2004, 09:15 AM

keep on topic.
those who insult others will be banned.
this isn't grade school

seriously,
arn

iGav

Feb 13, 2004, 09:25 AM

Originally posted by CrackedButter
Capital Spapital, its not in the center of the UK where a first store should be, if its London because of its international scene (and everything you assiocaite with London) then thats a waste since its a UK store and would do nothing for the UK. Who is going to travel there from all over the country? Its better if everyone could access it. Only the rich, (rich foriegners) will get a chance to go there and the Londoners themselves.

The scene in Manchester is also far more modern than London anyway what with the Commonwealth games having been there and all the work they have done to make it such a nice place.

Why should a store be in 'the middle' of the country?? if fewer people can get there and thus the effectiveness of the potential success is hindered??

London has more residents than Manchester (only by several million or so, and that doesn't include the visitors) and it's also more accessible to more people... surely that should be the most important consideration if Apple wants exposure and success??

CrackedButter

Feb 13, 2004, 09:34 AM

If a location is in the "middle" then surely it is better located than a location thats on the edge.

If its in the middle then everybody around it can access the store. If its on the edge then people have to travel unequal distances to reach it.

Its as simple as that and thats how i see it. Something which other don't get or i'm missing something else.

Anyway doesn't matter, steve has spoken.

jbrw

Feb 13, 2004, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by CrackedButter
If its in the middle then everybody around it can access the store. If its on the edge then people have to travel unequal distances to reach it.

Its as simple as that and thats how i see it. Something which other don't get or i'm missing something else.

Yes, this is why every other store in the world always places their one store smack bang in the middle of the country they're targeting.

I look forward to visiting Apple Store Australia in the middle of the Simpson Desert. It would only be a 24 hour or so drive from Sydney, but think of the cost savings Apple can pass on from their massive efficiencies!

Or, on the other hand, maybe not.

Any computer store probably has a catchment area of no more than 50 miles. Normal people (ie, those who don't post to sites such as these) know about a thing called mail order...

iGav

Feb 13, 2004, 09:51 AM

Originally posted by CrackedButter
If a location is in the "middle" then surely it is better located than a location thats on the edge.

If its in the middle then everybody around it can access the store. If its on the edge then people have to travel unequal distances to reach it.

Its as simple as that and thats how i see it. Something which other don't get or i'm missing something else.

In a perfect world being in the centre is better for all... but the size of a country, the transport infrastructure, population density and location of that density are factors that cannot be ignored especially when it comes to business.

Manchester doesn't offer the population density for a niche brand (it will of course, be the only store for the foreseeable) to be successful in any large scale because of a limited potential consumer base.

Leeds (which is a much bigger city than Manchester) is the otherside of the Pennines and that leaves Liverpool, which is also bigger than Manchester) but apart from that, there's not a whole lot of places around with any significant population that would contribute to 'enormous' sales and exposure for Apple.

People are not going to come down from Scotland in significant numbers to purchase a Mac from a bespoke Apple Store in Manchester (or London for that matter, Macs are already expensive enough without adding on a £100 in petrol as well) that's why Edinburgh needs a Apple Store to service Scotland.

In which case the central area is Birmingham. Birmingham is the 'hub' of our transport system, is easily accessible from all regions of England (it's halfway between Manchester and London, can be easily accessed from the South West via the M5), that's halfway.... but really is anyone going to travel 100 miles to buy a Mac?? probably not, or not in significant numbers.... that's when you need to rely on a large population.

Okay then, what would be more successful... an Apple Store in Manchester or an Apple Store on Regent St.? and which would be better for Apple?? ;)

rjwill246

Feb 13, 2004, 09:53 AM

Originally posted by paulwhannel
We don't have an Apple store for like 400 miles, which leaves a serious gap (and many more like it) in their retail coverage.
paul

Interesting. Apple's investment per store is well over one million dollars. Initially, investors and the industry looked at the Apple stores as nothing more than another example of SJ's ego and while that may have changed, Apple simply cannot put its income into losing retail space: if you have less than 1 million humans in the 'drawing' area don't hold your breath. Apple cannot afford to build anything less than the current boutique style stores they have already done-- this eliminates any possibility of a low end typical computer store... thus, there will continue to be 400+ miles gaps. Gosh, my nearest Nordstroms is over 150 miles away!!! and if I were in Elko, it would be about 400 miles! And in Adelaide, it would be 7,500!
Next, Apple has to have a much greater international presence. It aspires after all, to be a GLOBAL company. London is a logical place (although I disagree that it is BAR NONE the best city in the world. That writer hasn't really seen Sydney or Perth, I wager)

London is a very rich city, well-healed and well-educated people who have been raised to think that MS and Windows IS the only computing experience that exists. Apple is slowing changing that and a store in the UK would go a long way to making Apple more than a fruit!

johnnyjibbs

Feb 13, 2004, 09:55 AM

I'm a bit late to this thread but I must say, ABOUT BLOODY TIME!

gotohamish

Feb 13, 2004, 10:02 AM

Forgive me if this has already been posted - I got infuriated by the comments, so skipped right to the end:

WHO SAYS APPLE CAN'T OPEN ONE IN LONDON AND MORE IN THE US?

singletrack

Feb 13, 2004, 10:22 AM

Originally posted by iGAV
Okay then, what would be more successful... an Apple Store in Manchester or an Apple Store on Regent St.? and which would be better for Apple?? ;)

I don't think anyone other than yourself and our Peoples Republic of Yorkshire comrades are suggesting that the first UK store should be anywhere else than London.

My suggestion of Manchester for a future store was based on it being the second largest population of media industry people outside of London - you know, traditional Mac userbase.

Birmingham, Liverpool and Leeds may have more people living there but they're pretty much the equivalent of the Simpson Dessert for the media. Which leaves selling Macs to Brummie consumers - something particularly tricky in the birthplace of the Balti and home to Jasper Carrot.

There's more people living in Shanghai than London, does that mean you'll sell more Macs in Shanghai - No.

I suspect the Regent St. store is more about selling iPods to tourists anyway.

johnnyjibbs

Feb 13, 2004, 10:45 AM

One poster mentioned that the London store openeing may signal the start of iTunes Europe - hope not! I don't want to wait 'til Christmas!

Reagarding London as the venue - perfect - it is the most visited toursit place in Britain and Regent Street is the perfect place for it. Once people see that massive Apple logo they'll be drawn in. Now the only place to see a Mac would not be a tiny section at the far corner of John Menzie's...

Furthermore central London is within an hour's travelling for me!

On the topic of US vs international stores, if you look at the geographical distribution of Apple Stores in the US, it is not very uniform. Some states don't have any stores, while others (notably California ;)) have many. You could argue about spreading them a little more evenly in the US before complaining at the spreading of Apple's empire. That's a good thing, right? We need the Apple stores here - currently worldwide sales are 50% internationally, and that's pretty good considering the poor job Apple does at showing that Mac's exist over here!

I'm going on a geology fieldtrip to the western US in May, so, as I have to fly to LA on my own and meet at UCLA campus, I'm going to have to visit the grove to get my first taste of Apple paradise! Can't wait for London to open. Just hope they don't skimp on any of the features!

rogozhin

Feb 13, 2004, 10:45 AM

Originally posted by sethypoo
That was, quite possibly, the most ignorant post I have ever read. Apple is not and never will be a Wal*Mart, since 1) they don't have the revenue to open up that many stores and 2) they sell quality products.

I never said I want Apple to be Walmart, and had you read my post for comprehension instead of picking it apart word-by-word you would have seen that. Let me rephrase what I said: While Apple is concentrating on exotic locales and high-rent areas in megaopolises, the typical computer user in the middle of this country (the country that Apple Computer is located in, has its stock traded in, and pays taxes in) who may be interested in padding Apple's bottom line has nowhere to go to test drive the world's greatest computer, so they settle for what is nearby. And for most people in the middle of the country, what is nearby is Walmart.

Do I want Apple to throw up a store next to every Starbucks and Waldenbooks in every two-bit mall across the nation? Heavens no. But it wouldn't kill them to have a presence in every state before branching off to Europe and Asia, where they're not doing much for America's economy. Taking care of your own interests first is the way capitalism works, not some communist utopian vision where all the wealth and influence is spread throughout the world for everyone to share.

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 10:56 AM

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 10:58 AM

Originally posted by singletrack
Simpson Dessert

Slurp...

iGav

Feb 13, 2004, 11:02 AM

Originally posted by singletrack
My suggestion of Manchester for a future store was based on it being the second largest population of media industry people outside of London - you know, traditional Mac userbase.

Birmingham, Liverpool and Leeds may have more people living there but they're pretty much the equivalent of the Simpson Dessert for the media.

I revised my media opinion in a later post... do you think Apple are really targeting Media companies with Apple Stores?? I'm not so sure that these are the target audience... design companies I've worked for have always bought in bulk and places like Computer Warehouse etc etc have always provided better price deals on bulk than the Apple Store.

I think ultimately the Apple Stores are about pulling in new customers more than just consolidating their existing user base, Mac users all ready know about Mac's, joe public doesn't... and that's where the xposure needs to take place.

Of course Manchester should have one... that I do not dispute, the major cities should be covered, but I fail to see the logic in an earlier post (not yours) about having it in Manchester first rather than London... ;)

johnnyjibbs

Feb 13, 2004, 11:10 AM

Exactly. Apple stores are about being a fun experience that you wonder into and take a look... cure that curiosity you have and get you interested in their wonderful products. It's brilliant advertising too. They get consumers interested. In fact, their advertising/promoting potential is potentially better than the fact they sell things - they tell people about Apple. We really need that here in the UK!

NicoMan

Feb 13, 2004, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by rogozhin
the typical computer user in the middle of this country (the country that Apple Computer is located in, has its stock traded in, and pays taxes in) who may be interested in padding Apple's bottom line has nowhere to go to test drive the world's greatest computer, so they settle for what is nearby.

You are doing it again...

1. Nothing/noone has said that expansion in London would prevent expansion in your so-called fly-over state.

2. Your arguments about the consumer wanting to 'padd the Apple's bottom line' apply everywhere, in all countries, and one could argue that it's even more true in the UK because of the high margins.

3. Let's imagine this: Apple has decided that they've had enough with the retail stores and they have the budget for just one more. Where do you think they are going to open it: Des Moines or London? I don't mean to dis Des Moines; I'm just trying to illustrate my point.

4. What the hell has the sentence 'the country that Apple Computer is located in, has its stock traded in, and pays taxes in' got to do with it anyway?

Blackstealth

Feb 13, 2004, 11:36 AM

I'm not a big fan of London, been there a few times - it's way too busy and it smells something awful. Let me know when they open an Apple Store Bradford (or Leeds, or Manchester even). Until then I'd rather fly to Paris to go to an Apple store - it's cheaper to get a return flight from Leeds than it is to drive to London and park.

DaBuzz

Feb 13, 2004, 11:43 AM

Finally....Feb 28...Apple's flagship store in it's back yard...this will be the standard by which all other Apple stores will be measured.

cheekyspanky

Feb 13, 2004, 11:55 AM

Well no one else has mentioned it, but how about Cardiff or Bristol as a future location to have an Apple store? Cardiff is the capital city of Wales, and even though Cardiff doesn't have a very large population (approx 500,000) it is within easy reach of everyone in South Wales (where most of the Welsh population live) as well as people in the West of England and the rent as a result can't be anywhere near that of London and the shop wouldn't need to be so expensive! Other mentions of Boutique stores would work well in places such as Bath I think, places that don't have massive populations but are visited by large numbers of tourists and have a quality image.

It'll never happen though I expect, the only places I see Mac's on sale are in John Lewis, House of Fraser and every now and again PC world and they always seem to be being ignored!

I think that Apple should put some more focus into University shops/schemes to make students of all courses get to see and play with their products then splash their loans on a new computer!

singletrack

Feb 13, 2004, 11:56 AM

Originally posted by rogozhin
But it wouldn't kill them to have a presence in every state before branching off to Europe and Asia, where they're not doing much for America's economy. Taking care of your own interests first is the way capitalism works, not some communist utopian vision where all the wealth and influence is spread throughout the world for everyone to share.

Europe showed the biggest growth for Apple products in the last year, in particular the UK. I imagine it'd be doing your countries export sales a world of good and you'll need all you can get what with the US debt per USAian running at around $24,000 each.

American capitalism is failing. Time to concentrate on markets that are growing fast.

Apart from that, Apple will lose, even in the USA, if they leave the rest of the world to Microsoft.

m4rc

Feb 13, 2004, 12:57 PM

Good news. London is all of the things everyone has said, good and bad. I lived there for 4 years, couldn't wait to get out, glad I did, but miss it too. It's that type of place.

Lots of people have been talking about the Apple store being successful, and I don't doubt it will be. I do believe, however, Apple will do not need the store to make money, to make money. That wasn't a typing error.

The location for the store is great, but not so much for the everday user who would love to go there - certainly no parking so you can load your new G5 into the car. It is great for the tourists, it's a huge advert, a showcase. Lets assume that the profits from the sales generated in that store manage to cover the costs of the staff, and general running costs. The £1.5 million per year rent could probably be written off as advertising costs. The store will probably be like Harrods - I recon the vast majority of people go in there to browse, some buy a carrier bag and a pencil.

If you wanted a permanant base to generate peoples enthusiasm for your brand, to showcase your new products, and sell some iPods, they have chosen a good location. If they are hoping people are going to be walking out with G5's, Studio Displays and Printer set-ups all day, they need to be in a nice retail park. I guess the former.

Just my thoughts, wanted to try and get it back on track and off of the name calling and general rudeness.

Marc

whookam

Feb 13, 2004, 01:02 PM

My suggestion of Manchester for a future store was based on it being the second largest population of media industry people outside of London - you know, traditional Mac userbase.

Birmingham, Liverpool and Leeds may have more people living there but they're pretty much the equivalent of the Simpson Dessert for the media.

Not so. I have lived, studied and worked as a photographer in both Birmingham and London. Birmingham has a huge number of creatives and a growing number of thriving creative businesses such as ad agencies, post-production houses, animators, designers and is pretty much the epicentre of repro-graphics and printing. It also has a number of the most respected Art/Design universities and colleges outside London.

All-in-all, Birmingham is buzzing and has had a complete overhaul in the last 5 years. Manchester is so nineties, brum is the next big thing. But, saying that, London has just so much more of everything than everywhere else in the UK in terms of existing mac users, potential mac users, businesses, consumers etc. It's the rightful home of the flagship Apple store.

johnnyjibbs

Feb 13, 2004, 01:11 PM

That's exactly right, Marc. The store will be one of those 'cool' stores that everyone loves to just wander into and take a look, have a go, and have fun. Sure, people will buy things, sometimes when they weren't necessarily going to, but I'm hardly going to travel into London to pick up my G5. The internet store fits my computer buying needs, and it's delivered to my door. The brick and mortar store would be good if I ran into problems though.

The point is, the store will put Apple on the map in Britain, finally, and people will wander in and gain a new perspective, with a proper hands-on experience. You don't get to see many Apples in UK computer stores. It's an advertising gold mine, with the added benefit of helping regeneration of London!

It will, of course, be healthy for UK Mac sales, and the start of better things to come. The sooner Apple realises that the US isn't the only market in the world, the sooner it will start to see that overall market share rising. I'm really excited.

zami

Feb 13, 2004, 01:41 PM

The important thing here is that there is to be a store in Europe. Europe borders Asia and is about 7 miles from Africa. Europe is not a far flung corner of the world and that type of attitude does not go down well here. Please try to remember americans that you are not our lords and masters and because of your bellicose acts and attitudes you are disliked throughout all continents. Ban me if you want but you will just be ignoring the truth that world laughs at your flag flying antics.

Lucullus

Feb 13, 2004, 02:20 PM

Can someone please terminate this "Knock the Yanks" crap. Most of the criticism of America in this thread has been at best ill-informed and at worst plain bloody ignorant and wildly paranoid.

This thread is, and should be, only about the shop about to open in London in order to sell or promote Apple computers. And the only argument that pertained to this was "Is this the best place in Europe for the first Apple shop to open?".

However if it is a success then others will, without doubt, follow in other locations - Paris, Perugia, Perth, Prague and even Sunderland - who knows?.

As to the shop, very few visiting it are likely to buy, in situ, a desktop computer. Laptops maybe, iPods probably.

But the shop will act almost evangelically displaying, promoting and possibly converting people to the ethos and style of the Mac.

Those of us already converted/dedicated will continue to do our choosing and shopping by Magazine review/word of mouth and then shop on the internet for the best deal/discount. However we might well drop into the shop to salivate over what we can't afford

Yours 'til the cows come home

mmmbop

Feb 13, 2004, 02:36 PM

Originally posted by Hector
this is good news as I have put up with micro anvika for far to long (it's a mac store filled with mean comision hungry reps).

But the benefit of having three stores on one road is you can oggle at apple products and when you feel you've outstayed your welcome you can go into the next store and oggle some more.

I hope this dosent hurt square groups buisness to much as the people there are very helpfull

I like their store a lot, and there's plenty of staff. But I think their purchasing process is too much. They want to know if you've bought before, what your name is, where you live, etc. I just wanted to shout "here's the bloody cash now hand it over!!"

mmmbop

Feb 13, 2004, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by johnnyjibbs
Once people see that massive Apple logo they'll be drawn in.

I think that's exactly it. Apple's profile in the UK mainstream media has never been higher. Lots of coverage = lots of "mindshare" amongst consumers. Now people just need a glowing white beacon shining through the drizzle to draw them in.

I wonder what side of Regent Street the store will be on? If it's on the same side as Hamley's it'll be on the inside of the curve of the street so won't really stand out until you walk past. That side has the most people flowing past, though.

If it's on the other side, people will see it as they walk down/up the street and will hopefully cross over and pop in. Apple should pay the Crown Estate/Westminster to get the crossing lights moved to outside their doors.

Apple, that tip's for free :p

m4rc

Feb 13, 2004, 03:05 PM

http://www.ifoapplestore.com/photos/regent_st.gif

mmmbop

Feb 13, 2004, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by marccarter
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/photos/regent_st.gif

Yeah, that'll do :)

MykReeve

Feb 13, 2004, 04:28 PM

So, here's how the site looks at 229-247 Regent Street as of this evening. Looks like a considerable amount of rebuilding going on - is a big shiny Apple logo beaming out over Regent Street on the cards?

MykReeve

Feb 13, 2004, 04:30 PM

And here's another shot from the other side of Regent Street...

michaelb

Feb 13, 2004, 04:39 PM

Originally posted by marccarter
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/photos/regent_st.gif

Maybe they should have gone for 156 Regent Street, right next door to Next. That would be a nice twist and Steve could feel nostalgic (or annoyed that his name for a technology company had been usurped by a clothes store).

Maybe people will walk in to the Apple store with Next shirts.

kenaustus

Feb 13, 2004, 05:08 PM

As a little guy running a one man company that gets 100% of my revenues from international sales I tend to support Apple's international efforts.

As I see it, Apple plan should be to open one (or a few) stores in every country (including the US) with a viable market and then let the performance of that (those) stores support expansion within that country. For me the Apple Store is the most important in getting those that know little about computers to consider the Mac - as opposed to a cheap PC. It has more potential for converting PC users than anything I know of - except for having a friend who is a fanatic Mac user.

As for London - I bloody love it and go through there whenever possible - and my favorite store is Liberty's so I'll be able to my first Apple Store there.

As for the locals, I think there will be a LOT of iPod and laptop sales, but find it hard to contemplate someone carrying an eMac home on the tube, much less a G5 PM/display/speakers/bits of software. Hope Apple can arrange delivery services.

For mj-1903: What corner is Australia in? From Oklahoma it is in the lower left corner - and a fair ways past the black stump. It is a grand place, however. I lived in Perth for 8 years and still travel to Australia on business 4 - 6 times a year. Most Yanks don't understand that EVERY major city (except for Canberra, which probably doesn't count) is on the ocean and has fantastic beaches. Talk about envy . . . Oh, by the way, the Apple Dealers in Sydney are far better than what we have here in Oklahoma - you are probably 20 years ahead of us. Go ahead and let the POMs have their store.

garybUK

Feb 13, 2004, 05:11 PM

If the americans who don't think that England is important anymore, well you have a Brit to thank for the design of all those 'American' made apple products you are using now, from the iMac to the iPod, i recall it was Ive who designed these products and has won numerous awards for them...

As for the free world, it was infact the British Empire who created these countrys like America, Canada & Australia for which you call the 'Free World' we created the first computer and the first programmable computer we also started the industrial revolution for which all this was made possible.

Anyway back to the store, this is good news for those window shopping, most people already buy from resellers such as Selfridges, John Lewis or the Apple Store UK so i dont think it will affect sales all that much but will bring a more public awareness to the product. You dont see a Microsoft store do you? or Dell Store?

Personally i think apple should start reviewing their prices seriously..... these things are expensive and people usually choose mac as a Investment rather than a purchase, the quality of these things, to me are so high they have a much better lifecycle compared to say, dell...

I have a old Powermac 7300, upgraded to G3 300mhz, 256mb Ram :)

aswitcher

Feb 13, 2004, 05:22 PM

humangod

Feb 13, 2004, 06:54 PM

Originally posted by NicoMan
You are doing it again...

1. Nothing/noone has said that expansion in London would prevent expansion in your so-called fly-over state.

2. Your arguments about the consumer wanting to 'padd the Apple's bottom line' apply everywhere, in all countries, and one could argue that it's even more true in the UK because of the high margins.

3. Let's imagine this: Apple has decided that they've had enough with the retail stores and they have the budget for just one more. Where do you think they are going to open it: Des Moines or London? I don't mean to dis Des Moines; I'm just trying to illustrate my point.

4. What the hell has the sentence 'the country that Apple Computer is located in, has its stock traded in, and pays taxes in' got to do with it anyway?

i agree,

my american brothers who live in "fly over" states are pissing me off.

when it comes to apple computer, HAVING A LONDON STORE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAVING A KANSAS STORE. Or an Oklahoma store. Or a Montana store. you just aren't that important. ok? if you don't like it, move. you have a choice as to where you live. if you choose to live in a non-populated area (as compared to London or San Francsico), then you get the lack of benefits that comes with living in a sparsely populated area. and that is no one's fault except your own.

michaelb

Feb 13, 2004, 06:56 PM

Originally posted by jbrw
I look forward to visiting Apple Store Australia in the middle of the Simpson Desert. It would only be a 24 hour or so drive from Sydney, but think of the cost savings Apple can pass on from their massive efficiencies!
Originally posted by aswitcher
Possibly in Uluru... :p

I would make the drive!

Shhhhh!

It's top secret that next to the US satellite monitoring base deep inside Uluru (everyone thought it was at Pine Gap, but that's a ruse), there's now an Apple Store.

http://members.optushome.com.au/mbradsh/uluru-applestore.jpg

It opened last year with all the fanfare and marketing savvy that Apple Australia could muster. That is, none.

And everyone thought the people at Frenchs Forest (HQ of Apple Australia) couldn't sell a cold drink in a desert...! The next Australian store will be at the bottom of the Great Barrier Reef, for all the Finding Nemo fans.

humangod

Feb 13, 2004, 07:10 PM

Originally posted by garybUK
If the americans who don't think that England is important anymore, well you have a Brit to thank for the design of all those 'American' made apple products you are using now, from the iMac to the iPod, i recall it was Ive who designed these products and has won numerous awards for them...

As for the free world, it was infact the British Empire who created these countrys like America, Canada & Australia for which you call the 'Free World' we created the first computer and the first programmable computer we also started the industrial revolution for which all this was made possible.

Anyway back to the store, this is good news for those window shopping, most people already buy from resellers such as Selfridges, John Lewis or the Apple Store UK so i dont think it will affect sales all that much but will bring a more public awareness to the product. You dont see a Microsoft store do you? or Dell Store?

Personally i think apple should start reviewing their prices seriously..... these things are expensive and people usually choose mac as a Investment rather than a purchase, the quality of these things, to me are so high they have a much better lifecycle compared to say, dell...

I have a old Powermac 7300, upgraded to G3 300mhz, 256mb Ram :)

you need to take some history lessons.

the british empire did NOT "create" the united states.

the us was founded by colonies that were CONTROLLED by enlgand. the colonies were not made up of ALL english people. In fact, not even half were english. they were german. they were italian. they were english. they were french. in fact, the official language of the US was almost German. there was a vote between the colonies to decide what language should be the official. because of so many german immigrants living here, they almost voted german. so back to my last point. the british empire did not create the US. poor immigrants from ALL OVER THE WORLD looking for a better life created the US. WE made what we are today, NOT England. We didn't like you, so we broke away from your rule. Remember? Then we created what we are today.

also, SHUT UP ABOUT WHICH COUNTRY/PART OF THE WORLD IS BETTER OR MADE ADVANCEMENTS BEFORE THE OTHER. ENGLAND IS NOT BETTER THAN THE US, THE US IS NOT BETTER THAN ENGLAND. no one cares.

all in all. stop having a pissing competition here.

virividox

Feb 13, 2004, 07:39 PM

back to the topic of a store opening in london...

rdowns

Feb 13, 2004, 08:27 PM

Originally posted by rjwill246
Interesting. Apple's investment per store is well over one million dollars.

This can't be right. They certainly spend that on their stand alone flagship locations but most of the Apple stores are small (maybe 2000 sq. feet) stores in malls. No way those cost anywhere near a million to build and open.

Sayhey

Feb 14, 2004, 01:23 AM

Originally posted by rdowns
This can't be right. They certainly spend that on their stand alone flagship locations but most of the Apple stores are small (maybe 2000 sq. feet) stores in malls. No way those cost anywhere near a million to build and open.

The average is almost $4 million per store. That is 290 million spent on capital expenditures for 73 stores up to the end of '03.

Check out the reports on Apple's website to verify it:

10-Q report (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=107357&p=irol-index)

Certainly the smaller stores in malls do not cost anywhere near what the Flagship stores do, but they are expensive not only in the upfront cost of getting the store running but also in the long term leases that Apple has to sign in order to get these sites in the first place. Apple has over $350 million committed in terms of leases to date. It's a gamble but one they probably can't afford not to take. They sure aren't going to up their market share depending on Best Buy or CompUSA to sell their products.

m4rc

Feb 14, 2004, 02:14 AM

I am sure you are aware, but the covered building is not all going to be the Apple store, there are 3 large retail units. Still big though at 20,000 sq ft! And if you love the store that much, there will be 10 residential units available on the upper floors!

Marc

michaelb

Feb 14, 2004, 02:33 AM

Originally posted by marccarter And if you love the store that much, there will be 10 residential units available on the upper floors!

Drool... living above an Apple Store.

So, what are the rents like in Regent Street? Can't be that high, I mean it's only green on the Monopoly board. ;)

m4rc

Feb 14, 2004, 03:12 AM

Well, if they have 2 bedrooms, you should see change from £2000 per week! Quite cheap round those parts, remember Apple will only pay £125,000 per month for the store, plus VAT, plus rates!

sparks9

Feb 14, 2004, 08:53 AM

The reason for placing a store in London in contrary to in Oklahoma is that it will sell more.

About twice as many people live in the city of London than in the entire state of Oklahoma.

BTW: The iPod is very popular in England which will probably draw many people to the store.

sparks9

Feb 14, 2004, 09:06 AM

Originally posted by rogozhin
But it wouldn't kill them to have a presence in every state before branching off to Europe and Asia, where they're not doing much for America's economy. Taking care of your own interests first is the way capitalism works, not some communist utopian vision where all the wealth and influence is spread throughout the world for everyone to share.

lol

Exporting products to other countries actyally help the US economy. If I'm right USA has a gigantic deficit on it's budget. It's good to export as much as you import.

Your lecture on capitalism vs. communism really taught me alot. ;)

kettle

Feb 14, 2004, 09:15 AM

Originally posted by Stella
Barnstaple! :-)

Woo Hoo! that would be a long line of cars.

rdowns

Feb 14, 2004, 09:18 AM

Originally posted by Sayhey
The average is almost $4 million per store. That is 290 million spent on capital expenditures for 73 stores up to the end of '03.

Check out the reports on Apple's website to verify it:

10-Q report (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=107357&p=irol-index)

Certainly the smaller stores in malls do not cost anywhere near what the Flagship stores do, but they are expensive not only in the upfront cost of getting the store running but also in the long term leases that Apple has to sign in order to get these sites in the first place. Apple has over $350 million committed in terms of leases to date. It's a gamble but one they probably can't afford not to take. They sure aren't going to up their market share depending on Best Buy or CompUSA to sell their products.

Leases are costs that are spread out over the term of the lease, likely 10 years. I was talking about the cost to build a store. The 2 mall locations near me (Long Island) are small, sparse stores with nice wood floors and white walls. 4 or 5 displays. Not a whole hell of a lot in costs aside of display models.

kettle

Feb 14, 2004, 09:26 AM

Originally posted by humangod
SHUT UP ABOUT WHICH COUNTRY/PART OF THE WORLD IS BETTER OR MADE ADVANCEMENTS BEFORE THE OTHER. ENGLAND IS NOT BETTER THAN THE US, THE US IS NOT BETTER THAN ENGLAND.

Please stop shouting, In England it is rude to type in CAPITALS in posts on world wide web forums, I don't know what it is like where you live but it doesn't actually make the words louder so much as harder to read. What a strange invention the world wide web has been.

peace man:)

Sayhey

Feb 14, 2004, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by rdowns
Leases are costs that are spread out over the term of the lease, likely 10 years. I was talking about the cost to build a store. The 2 mall locations near me (Long Island) are small, sparse stores with nice wood floors and white walls. 4 or 5 displays. Not a whole hell of a lot in costs aside of display models.

All very true. My reason for including the cost of the leasing of store space is only to point out that the decision to open even a relatively lower cost one, such as some of the indoor mall locations, have large financial ramifications. Apple does not break out the cost of each store and I'm sure the flagship stores distort the average considerably.

Still these numbers show this is an expensive proposition. It puts Apple's insistence that the stores begin to turn a profit into a better perspective. It also makes the folks who want a store in every small city look pretty silly. Who wants Apple to follow Gateway's foolish example?

hob

Feb 14, 2004, 08:46 PM

just a LITTLE bit late on this one, but GREAT NEWS :D

I've already bought my tent and will be pitching it around october time... i'll eat from one of the numberous mcdonalds around, and live by selling myself to builders... who may be feeling a little 'lonely'?

Aaaanyway, all I need now is a job application form! I would happily commute 45 minutes a day from Bromley just to have the pleasure of working there :)

Hob

iChan

Feb 14, 2004, 09:18 PM

Originally posted by Parikh1234
I never thought apple had only one store outside the US. I remember one of my friends telling me he saw an apple "shoppe" in ireland.

there are hundreds if not thousands of apple shops in the world outside of the US, but they are not apple owned stores... they are merely dealers.

and yes, there is an apple shoppe (sic) in ireland... still doesn't make it an apple owned store though.

iChan

Feb 14, 2004, 09:21 PM

Bakey

Feb 15, 2004, 07:12 AM

Originally posted by NicoMan
London has got to be the logical first step for European expansion, no? We might also get stores in Paris, Madrid, Rome, Berlin (all very big cities) later, but you can't argue with the logic of starting with London (I can't... and I'm french :)).

The thing is [and I know I'll have to eat humble pie on this one!] I know you're right!

If a UK location is to be chosen as the "first" location for an official Apple store then without a doubt it would have to be London... pretty much a fore gone conclusion!

Hey, and don't beat yourself up on the French angle... I am of course only kidding - apparently my fathers side of the family originates from the Brittany region

;)

Sayhey

Feb 15, 2004, 09:54 AM

Although the exact location isn't known it is known that Apple plans to build a store on the Champs Elysées in Paris. Who knows maybe they will build it first and London will be second in Europe? Anyone in Paris that cares to take a stroll and look for the new location? ;)

hob

Feb 15, 2004, 12:45 PM

The UK is definately the best place to start in europe... There's far less of a language barrier, but they better make sure they add some u's to color etc. otherwise they'll be booed out of town :P

Choosing London means that visitors from the EU will be able to get a taste of Apple, then be ready for when their own stores open...

Hob

johnnyjibbs

Feb 15, 2004, 12:51 PM

It's funny, while I mainly prefer our way of spelling things, (e.g. rumours), I do like 'color'. However, it would be inconsistent to mix and match! Can't really see Apple changing it as none of our 'localised' help files, etc ever do (although the UK Apple web pages do).

Still, I'm looking forward to it. Just before this Christmas just passed, I saw my first G5 in the flesh in the big John Lewis store in London. This coming Christmas I'll be able to see it in a proper Apple Store!

MacBram

Feb 15, 2004, 02:01 PM

Originally posted by sosumi99
...Those brits may not have much influence on world events, but they make good customers for Apple.

Hey, Jonathan Ive is British, what more need we say? :D

Rip

Sayhey

Feb 15, 2004, 02:43 PM

Originally posted by hob
The UK is definately the best place to start in europe... There's far less of a language barrier, but they better make sure they add some u's to color etc. otherwise they'll be booed out of town :P

Choosing London means that visitors from the EU will be able to get a taste of Apple, then be ready for when their own stores open...

Hob

You are probably right, but I couldn't resist throwing the Paris store into the discussion. It will most likely be opened within a year as well. I will remember your advice concerning "u"s next time I'm in London. One thing though, last I looked the UK was part of the EU. What happened? Was Thatcher reelected and we weren't informed? ;)

kettle

Feb 15, 2004, 04:59 PM

Originally posted by Sayhey
One thing though, last I looked the UK was part of the EU. What happened? Was Thatcher reelected and we weren't informed? ;)

Don't start.
The sooner people realise what the EU is all about the sooner we can put an end to it.

Long may the part of the British Isles known as Great Britain allow its inhabitants to vote for a British Political Party and it make a difference to the control of our islands.

Until the Pound goes, the French can spend their Euros with the rest of the EU.

Foocha

Feb 15, 2004, 05:53 PM

Just got back from a very pleasant Valentines Weekend in Reykjavik (how about that Blue Lagoon?!), and have just caught up with this thread.

I didn't mean to upset anyone with my posting before, I only meant to observe that we do get a lot of cool stuff from the States - Apple being an obvious example. Of course, Apple is an international company, yes Jonathan Ive is a Brit, and yes, an Apple Store in Paris will be every bit as cool as one in London.

My "Free World" comment was just a reference to the WWII bail-out, for which I'm sure we're all grateful! I didn't mean to imply that the USA *always* gets its foreign policy right - no country ever does.

Back on topic - I can't wait to go shopping in Regents Street this December.

MrMacMan

Feb 15, 2004, 10:14 PM

Well I'm glad apple will have some presence in Europe... even if its only one store...

Shows apple cares... a little...

Hehe.

Sayhey

Feb 16, 2004, 02:00 AM

Originally posted by MrMacman
Well I'm glad apple will have some presence in Europe... even if its only one store...

Shows apple cares... a little...

Hehe.

It will be a least two stores with the Paris location as well as London. I'm betting this in only the start of many openings to come. After all Apple just opened its Ginza store in Japan last November and they are planning to open a store in Osaka this fall. Seems like this is not just a one-store-a-country kind of a strategy. So, what do you think, maybe a Manchester or a Glasgow store in 2005?

Mord

Feb 18, 2004, 03:06 PM

Originally posted by mmmbop
But the benefit of having three stores on one road is you can oggle at apple products and when you feel you've outstayed your welcome you can go into the next store and oggle some more.

I like their store a lot, and there's plenty of staff. But I think their purchasing process is too much. They want to know if you've bought before, what your name is, where you live, etc. I just wanted to shout "here's the bloody cash now hand it over!!"

ya just cant beat ogleing at apple stuff.

the trouble is thta i end up talking to somone and start to convince them to buy a mac half the time they do. sigh, if only i could be payed on comision

hob

Feb 18, 2004, 08:33 PM

Originally posted by Hector
ya just cant beat ogleing at apple stuff.

the trouble is thta i end up talking to somone and start to convince them to buy a mac half the time they do. sigh, if only i could be payed on comision

DITTO! I was thinking of joining some scheme apple have - i think it's 3% comission, all i need to do is set up a 'company' and refer all my friends and fellow students to 'my' site!

MOIHAHAHAH

On the EU thing, i meant people from the wider EEC - not that Britain isn't part of the EU. I dislike all this right-wing conservatilist crap - i think europe is the way forward, and we should embrace it - we're not going to loose our cultural heritage, we're just going to get a whole load of benefits...

But that's not for here! Just thought i'd put in my 2 pence... or is it cents on the continent? Ah well! Just think - no more Bearu De Change - and who do you think came up with THAT name??

Hob

P.S - i quite dislike the french as a society, as a matter of fact - and that's not based on anything other than my own bad experiences...! /RANT :P

Mord

Feb 19, 2004, 06:26 AM

are you my clone?

im pro europe and euro and i dislke the french ;)

(did you know if there nucular reactors went boom all the radioactivity is blown by the gulf streem up to the uk there all on the north coast (damn you jack shirac))

Swampdonkey

Feb 19, 2004, 07:58 AM

Well said, Awimoway.:)

Swampdonkey

Feb 19, 2004, 08:07 AM

JonnyJibbs - listened to your tracks. Very impressed. All done on Garageband? Like the 'big' drum sound on second track. How did you get that?:)

kettle

Feb 19, 2004, 07:16 PM

swampdonkey is a good name.
I like that.

MrMacMan

Feb 20, 2004, 12:02 AM

Originally posted by Sayhey
It will be a least two stores with the Paris location as well as London. I'm betting this in only the start of many openings to come. After all Apple just opened its Ginza store in Japan last November and they are planning to open a store in Osaka this fall. Seems like this is not just a one-store-a-country kind of a strategy. So, what do you think, maybe a Manchester or a Glasgow store in 2005?

Yeah I hearda about paris too...
USA... England, Japan, France...Do they have a Canadian store? I forget.

I hope they will only make these kind of costly ventures if they make money of atleast break even...

What did they say 1.5 Million Pounds? Is that like 2.3 Million Dollars or somethat thats a whole lot. :eek:

The store by me is realllyy small but I'm not complaining... I'm sure the one overseas is gonna be massive...