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Three More Apple Retail Stores Set to Open This Week

Not sure if it's because you don't care or if it's because it's on the weekend but...

A fourth Apple Store is opening in Little Rock on the 20th. (This Saturday.) So I've heard, anyway.
 
Still not a single store in NZ when there are 2 in Sydney. I guess a country of only 4mil doesn't warrant a store?
 
cfc said:
I'm surprised about the Basingstoke store - it's under 2 months since they opened a store under 15 miles away in Reading. It's a bit like the London buses cliche - you wait ages for one to come along and then two come along in quick succession.

I think Basingstoke had a third party Apple store already, and the Southampton store is only 30 minutes down the Motorway, so what with the Reading store as well it seems an odd choice.

I'm not complaining because both Reading and Basingstoke are handy for me, but I am sure there are other areas more in need of a store.
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Funny, because I was in Basingstoke yesterday and surprised to see an "Opening soon" board up where the Apple store is going to be. In the window of what was the "Apple premium reseller" was a rather touching farewell and thankyou note to Basingstoke citing "Circumstances out of our control" as the reason for closing down. It also mentioned that Woking was now the nearest reseller (like anyone's going there with Apple opening their own store). Looks like another case of David and Goliath. The small players who helped Apple build their market are now being ungratefully driven out of business....

TBH I can't really see why Basingstoke needs and Apple store. Its hardly a wealthy demographic.
 
i wish apple could hold a sweepstakes where the winner would get to travel and stay in the city where every apple store is at (well not every apple store). That would be soo cool! :D
 
Festival Place, here I come!

Yippee, Basingstoke is just a few miles (far enough away) from me.

I've been meaning ton visit an Apple store to see about my pesky iPhone home button, looks like I might have to check it out.

And as for why does Basingstoke need one, I'd much rather nip the 10 miles there than trek down to West Quay or get the train to Waterloo.
 
solaris said:
I wish I lived in a city big enough to need one Apple Store.
A city population of 605.000 (urban 920.000, metro 1.500.000) sadly does not seem to be enough. :(
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It depends a lot on the demographics, not just the population. I live in a town of 100,000, and they've had an Apple store for at least as long as I've lived here (6 years), and at that time the population then was probably about 80,000.

That being said, there are a lot of people here with lots of $$$$, and pretty much everyone has an iPhone. I don't know exactly how Apple decides where to put their stores, but it certainly has more to do with than just population.
 
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Mord said:
Please be putting one in leeds soon!

It's ridiculous just how badly served yorkshire is.
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Agreed, somewhere in the Victoria Quarter would be perfect!

I can't believe Manchester gets two, while we have to get the stupid 50 minute train to Sheffield! :mad:
 
mazz0 said:
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Agreed, somewhere in the Victoria Quarter would be perfect!

I can't believe Manchester gets two, while we have to get the stupid 50 minute train to Sheffield! :mad:
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Its not as bad as people based in Carlisle, having to go to Newcastle or Manchester to get to an apple store. Thats two hours travel!.
 
Will the ecstasy never cease? I can't take the excitement and having my life reach new heights due to this wonderful news. It's better than sex!!
 
They Really Know

How to Bling it up.....But I guess they would.

This is ours here in Cardiff
 

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Gregorski said:
Funny, because I was in Basingstoke yesterday and surprised to see an "Opening soon" board up where the Apple store is going to be. In the window of what was the "Apple premium reseller" was a rather touching farewell and thankyou note to Basingstoke citing "Circumstances out of our control" as the reason for closing down. It also mentioned that Woking was now the nearest reseller (like anyone's going there with Apple opening their own store). Looks like another case of David and Goliath. The small players who helped Apple build their market are now being ungratefully driven out of business....

TBH I can't really see why Basingstoke needs and Apple store. Its hardly a wealthy demographic.
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Agreed, I work in Basingstoke for a distributor, and totally agree with your statement there about David & Goliath... Resellers help them make the company they are today and they say thanks, now get lost and let us make EVEN more margin.... but agreed the The Oracle store opened up what 2 months ago? and TBH Festival Place is hardly snazzy or a great place to shop, I've lived in Reading a long time and The Oracle I can understand and I'm surprised it took them so long to put one there, but seriously Basingstoke?! A smarter move by Apple would have been to put one in Camberley as it is a much wealthier area than Basingstoke and won't be competing for footfall from Reading so much....
 
Basingstoke Festival Place iStore to close

In the wake of the new Apple Store opening at Basingstoke's Festival Place, the existing Apple Premium Retailer 'iStore' (located directly opposite Starbucks on the top floor) is being forced to close. An employee of iStore Basingstoke made it clear that this was because of threatened legal action by Apple prior to the opening of the official Apple Store. This has not been confirmed by anyone in management at iStore, however even if Apple had not started supposed legal action against them, iStore would have found it increasingly difficult to compete with the official store on a pricing standpoint.

At least until this Saturday just gone, the iStore was still open however listed as 'closing down'. Pop in before this Saturday to find out if they're still there and to possibly grab yourself a cheap bargain from their clearance and ex-display range.

From now on, the nearest iStore to Basingstoke will be located at the Peacock Centre, Woking.
 
The Basingstoke one should be pretty good, went past it at the weekend and they've taken a fairly massive unit there. Probably be one of the biggest, outside of London. The southampton store is tiny, it can't handle Southamptons shoppers let alone anyone else so more were definitely needed. The Reading one is a bit of a nightmare to get to anyway so Basingstoke was a good choice.

As for the iStore, that's a bit of a pi**er if they threatened them legally to close. In fairness, they were there way before Apple wanted to move in. Chances are they could never have competed but threatening them legally is a bit of a d**k move. I hope Apple at least offered the chaps in the iStore a job :(
 
Sounds like a trip to Festival Place in Basingstoke is in order. It may even be possible to park immediately outside the Apple Store front doors given what Top Gear did there a couple of years ago ...
 
Anyone else find the Berkeley location to be bit...out there? It's nowhere near the Cal campus (My guess, a good half hour walk), and the closest transit node is a commuter rail/Amtrak station. And I don't recall 4th Street being a major N-S promenade in Berkeley, as opposed to Shattuck or Telegraph.

It's like Hard Rock Cafe placing their first Boston restaurant behind Back Bay rail station. It looks like bad strategic planning.
 
I'm surprised that the iStore in Basingstoke is being forced to close, I'm sure I heard that it was an official reseller. Nothing wrong with having two Apple shops in town. However, those in Basingstoke have got it lucky, with the Reading store only 15 miles away! Wish I had an Apple Store that close. Here in the North of England, we don't have many Apple Stores, and poor Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have next to none. The closest three Apple Stores to me are all about 60 miles away. I doubt Apple will place an Apple Store in a ten minute drive radius from me though, as the cities aren't the most pleasant where I live.

Good news for the Netherlands though - you've got a store in Amsterdam coming soon!
 
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Opening Sale?

Does anyone know if there's a sale that accompany an Apple Store grand opening? If so, I might just have to pick up a MacBook Air for my wife this Saturday.

I have a feeling they don't do this, though...
 
Gregorski said:
Funny, because I was in Basingstoke yesterday and surprised to see an "Opening soon" board up where the Apple store is going to be. In the window of what was the "Apple premium reseller" was a rather touching farewell and thankyou note to Basingstoke citing "Circumstances out of our control" as the reason for closing down. It also mentioned that Woking was now the nearest reseller (like anyone's going there with Apple opening their own store). Looks like another case of David and Goliath. The small players who helped Apple build their market are now being ungratefully driven out of business....

TBH I can't really see why Basingstoke needs and Apple store. Its hardly a wealthy demographic.
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Actually there is quite a bit of money in Basingstoke, and the town centre has seen huge investment over the past 10 years. Unemployment is much lower than the national average with heath and education standards much higher than the national average. Compare Basingstoke with Swindon a much larger so called new town, but i really can't see Apple opening a store there - not in the current ugly outdated shopping centre.
 
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