Apple Retail Stores - The UK & Toronto In 2005?

[ineffable27]

Stella,

Sounds like you went to Carbon Computing... they're pretty good actually. You could also try Computer Systems Centre at the s-w corner of College and Spadina. Not exclusively Mac, but a solid portion, with a lot of good Apple product and 3rd party accessories.

I think Apple should build a stand-alone flagship-type store here.
What am I talking about, of course I think that.

Carbon is very nice. Got my excellent tactile pro keyboard there. CSC is nice to browse around in, but when you compare prices to other resellers, CSC is almost always more expensive. CPUsed seems to have among the best prices. North Star has some interesting stuff to gawk at, but also on the $$$ side more often than not. Relatively speaking.

If Apple's Toronto store(s) take customers away from the many great resellers in the downtown Toronto area, that will be a shame. So for that reason I'm glad the first two stores (if rumours re. 2nd store are to be believed) will be in the 905 burbs.

BTW, Apple has a history of screwing over resellers on the way to rolling out their new retail presence (see: archives of thinksecret.com).

 

[Sharewaredemon]

I am seriously considering moving to Toronto for a Summer simply to work at an Apple store, I would seriously love that job. TO DEATH.

I can't think of a better retail job to have.

Anyway, it's good news that they are putting an Apple store in Toronto soon, as I might get to visit is next time I am there.

BTW I am not sure, but i think i was in CPUsed this summer, it was kindof depressing, seeing all of the g4's they had there, unsold.

 

[ineffable27]

Another thing about the '905' region: it is by FAR the fastest-growing region in the country and certainly the fastest in the region.

 

[shabbasuraj]

If and when Apple builds an Apple store in the TDOT then it should be downtown FIRST. Screw York Region.

I am sure many Apple retailers in the city centre will be pissed but hey, that's business.

 

[ineffable27]

'Downtown' is already blessed with many great apple dealers, with established customer relations. We're spoiled. Let the burbs have a corporate mall gap-with-ipods store. Who needs em?

But hey I look forward to visiting.

(BTW, trivia: a former gap board member was brought on board by Jobs prior to big crank-up of retail strategy.)

 

[haiggy]

Nice, I'm about an hour away from the Toronto store.


I live in K-W Just my luck - can't even drive yet.

 

[Yvan256]

i live in boston right between (10 and 15 min by car) two apple stores and god knows how many comp usa shops with an Apple department. never realized that for other people there is no close by location to get apple stuff and play with all the toys.

Why do you think Apple can't sell computers outside of the USA? <g>

 

[aswitcher]

I hope that Jobs comes to Oz next year. He keeps putting the damn sydney harbour bridge up when he demos stuff...so I guess he plans to make a presense here sometime...

 

[russed]

what about us northeners in the UK? great there is a shop in london and going to be one in birmingham. great i will only have to travel for 3 hours! yay! manchester has everyone else, why cant they get one or even leeds for that matter.

 

[Foocha]

What a queue!

I can't believe how long the queue is for the Regents Street Apple Store in London at the moment - I haven't joined it because I believe it's a 5 hour wait!!

 

[DTG]

I just got back from the London Store opening, I was number 101 in line and had arrived at 7:30pm friday night! By midnight the queue had reached 250 and by 9am in the morning people were talking in the region of 800-1000 folks queueing.

There's a Starbucks just round the corner from the store (on Princes Street) which (or so we were told) was funded by Apple to open it's doors early and supply free coffee (at 6:30am) for us in the queue!

I also got myself a lucky bag which contained:
Airport Express
iSight
Wireless Mouse
Wireless Keyboard
D-Link Bluetooth Dongle
GarageBand Jam Pack
Keynote
.Mac
iLife
ProCare
10% discount card
World Book

Others contained pretty much the same except the iSight was replaced with the inMotion travel speakers for iPod / iPod mini.
No sign of the surprises or limited edition iPod/mini cases either.

Anyone else endure the immense cold of the London streets?

 

[Sabenth]

iwont be down till next weekend boo whooooo wanted to make it but commitments to work prevented me having a nice trip down to london ....


Leeds would be good manchester or even sheffield You know some place were i dont have to travel far MR JOBS ...

 

[Fitzcaraldo]

Anyone else endure the immense cold of the London streets?

I got there at noon... Still cold but while the queue stretched about half way down princes street, it was moving pretty quickly (15min max).

Alas no Xserve raids in store...

On leaving many beboggled "what are they queuing for" were heard and a few "we will come back latter" by those daunted by what the perceeved as a long wait.

definitely worth a visit.

 

[JGowan]

I really wish the Negative Nancys of a particular subject would at least explain why they rated the story as such. I'm really curious...what could be bad about more folks having better access to Apple and Apple related merchandise?

Because they're PCers -- and they see us "marching to Zion", so to speak.

 

[monstamac]

Photo's from the opening morning

I posted my pictures from this morning

http://homepage.mac.com/diddyland/PhotoAlbum27.html

the queue was so long we didnt bother waiting and went straight to the mac expo

 

[ickoonite]

Photos of the Apple Store in Regent Street

I'm still in the process of putting them all up, but my deviantART scraps gallery contains my shots from the afternoon - I did actually queue up for about an hour in the freezing cold and then went inside and made use of the free WiFi.

From the outside it is relatively unassuming, but from the inside, it is enormous and a stunning piece of design work. Well worth a visit, if only to see a PowerMac G5 hooked up to a pair of 30" Cinema displays.

Wonderful.

Anyway, my gallery is here.

Gareth

 

[n1gth]

Nice photos. (Couldn't see us though!)

We were there from 9:15am, got in at 12:30. Managed to get a free t shirt, but didn't bother with the lucky bag - as they'd all gone.

Weird how many people were just there because of iPods, and not Mac OS. I can see a division opening up in the Mac world...

Great day though - it was AMAZING to see the dual 30inch displays working - I played with them, then watched a guy open Safari, and resize it to cover both displays, all the time cackling to himself with joy!

 

[mrzippy]

I live in Kent too, can't wait for a local Apple store.

Only other options are PC World with very poor choice, and John Lewis the department store, but still not that much of a range.

I agree logical choice would be the Bluewater shopping mall, there are several vacant shops there at the moment too!

At the moment I always have to go mail order for apple stuff, either direct or 3rd party stores.

 

[macspazm]

HOW ABOUT A STORE IN MAINE?

Most of the state school system uses iBooks yet there is only a scattering of places to buy anything macintosh.

 

[sockeatingdryer]

And yet, we cannot have one in middle or south Georgia.
I'm from Peachtree City (ATL), but people do need to realise there is more than just Atlanta in Georgia... there's Savannah, Athens, Valdosta, Macon, Columbus... and Albany.

 

[CrackedButter]

We all know the next Apple store will be in Blackpool!

 

[JD!]

I hope Toronto Apple store is in Eaton centre or York Dale and NOT Vaughan - the majority of toronians do not have cars. Any Apple store should be accessible by the TTC. IF apple want to expand outside of the toronto area then Vaughan should come later.

As for the UK. Good to see Apple are opening a store in the centre of the country, Brum, and not just London ( everything just has to go in London, its f??king stupid).


Bristol would be a good location - The causeway (forgotten full name) shopping centre is quite a good place, certainly the best in the South west, by far.

I take it the Negatives to this story are from Yanks who don't want Apple stores in "Far flung corners of the world before their american city has an Apple store) ;-) (Remembering some bitching yank a few months ago).

 

[JD!]

I hope Toronto Apple store is in Eaton centre or York Dale and NOT Vaughan - the majority of toronians do not have cars.

The majority of Torontonians dont have cars?!?!?!?!?! What are those tens of thousands of big metal things on the roads every frikkin day?

 

[JD!]

If Toronto's getting one, Vancouver can't be far behind - I'm surprised in some repsects that Tornto is receiving theirs before Vancouver, actually!

In what respects are you surprised? Toronto has a much larger professional TV and film base for the pro side and a larger population. So why should Vancouver even be considered???

 

[MikeH]

The BBC website had a story about the Apple Store in London:



5,000 in the queue? That's longer than I'd wait...

Nice to have one here in the UK though.