Items tagged with Apple Store
Here's a friendly PSA if you own any recent iPhone. Apple's [reduced] cost iPhone battery replacement program is ending a week from today, December 31st. If you recall, Apple dropped the price of its battery replacement to a flat $29 (out of warranty) after it got caught throttling performance of iPhones whose batteries were not performing at optimum levels. Apple's reasoning for the throttling was understandable, as the company explained in an open letter to customers around this time last year: Device use also affects the performance of a battery over its lifespan. For example, leaving or charging a battery in a hot environment can cause a battery to age faster. These are characteristics...
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Two of Apple's most popular products over the past year could be subject to some rather nasty malfunctions according to the company. Apple has initiated replacement programs for both the 13-inch MacBook Pro (without Touch Bar) and the iPhone X, which was recently discontinued. In the case of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple warns that a "limited number" of systems with 128GB or 256GB SSDs could experience data loss and complete failure of the drive. Needless to say, this is a serious issue, especially if customers don't have a recently completed Time Machine backup. The company says that MacBook Pro models affected by this issue were sold between June 2017 and June 2018. Apple has a support...
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A security oversight at Apple's online store exposed tens of millions of T-Mobile customer PIN codes, but did not affect AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon customers. However, in a separate security incident that occurred on the website for Asurion, a company that provides insurance for cell phones, passcodes for AT&T customers were exposed as well. The security gaffe that affected T-Mobile customers is related to Apple's online purchase system when buying an iPhone. When a customer buys an iPhone through Apple's online store, they are asked to select a monthly payment installment option, in this case through T-Mobile, and are presented with an authentication form that asks for their T-Mobile phone...
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Faulty batteries have been an annoying problem in popular electronics from time to time, and it appears to be the cause of an iPad tablet leaking potentially harmful vapors into an overseas Apple Store location, prompting customers and employees to evacuate the store. It is not clear if anyone was injured from the incident. According to a translated iCulture report, an iPad "exploded" in Apple's retail location in Amsterdam on Sunday afternoon. Fire department personnel who arrived at the scene examined employees and customers who were in the store when it happened. A spokesperson for the fire brigade said the culprit is probably a "leaking battery pack." The store itself did not catch fire,...
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The customer is always right; or at least that’s a mantra that is usually tossed around at U.S. retail establishments. Perhaps that isn’t the case in France, as one Apple Store patron decided to go on a calm, yet destructive rampage after he claimed that he was not treated fairly by the staff. According to eyewitness reports, the man complained that “Apple is a company that violated European consumers' rights.” He also claimed that Apple wouldn’t offer him a refund, although it is not exactly clear what he was trying to return or for what reason. Whatever the case, this perceived slight was enough to send the man over the edge, as he placed a metal ball into a gloved hand and began to smash Apple...
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Police in New York said two men were able to steal 19 iPhone devices from Apple's SoHo store last week. Nobody was held up at gunpoint and there was no ruckus of any kind—the ingenious thieves thwarted the swarm of Apple geniuses by dressing "similarly" to one of them so as not to draw undue attention to themselves. It's not known exactly what attire they had on, but Apple employees typically dress up in blue t-shirts sporting a while Apple logo on the front a few inches below the neckline. That wouldn't be tough to replicate. Even without the logo, someone simply wearing the same or similar color blue shirt is likely to blend in, especially if it happens to be a busy day. This particular theft...
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What would be your first thought if we told you a mob of Microsoft employees gathered outside an Apple Store? Some sort of shenanigans, right? Well, it happened, right on 5th Avenue in New York City in front of Apple's flagship location, the one that's shaped like a cube. But instead of shenanigans (or at least obvious ones), Microsoft was spreading holiday cheer through song. Microsoft captured the moment on video and made a commercial around it, one that doesn't take any snarky jabs at Apple's products. Heck, the ad doesn't even prominently show off Microsoft's own products -- just a chorus of voices, including those from a local NYC children's youth choir, singing their hearts out in front...
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Credit the late Steve Jobs for creating a consumer culture in which Apple product launches have become big time spectacles highlighted by long lines. If you're hoping to be one of the first to get your mitts on an iGadget, you better pitch a tent in front of your local Best Buy or Apple Store, otherwise it could be backorder blues for you. Or at least that's how it's traditionally been. With the forthcoming launch of the Apple Watch, company retail boss Angela Ahrendts wants to change the culture. Rather than wait in long lines for hours or even days, she wants Apple Watch buyers to steer clear of Apple Store locations and purchase their wearable of choice online. Say...
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While not on par with the free iPhone the company doled out to every employee when that device first hit the market in 2007, the news that Apple will offer a 50% discount to all of their personnel who envision themselves adorned with either the Apple Watch Sport ($349) or the Apple Watch ($550-$1,099) no doubt brought smiles galore to many. Unfortunately, the 50% discount does not carry over to the Apple Watch Edition ($10,000-$17,000), though Apple employees planning to shed a few shares of AAPL for the purpose of slapping the 18K-gold tech-bauble on their wrists can count on a $500 reduction on the purchase price. Tim Cook made the timely announcement yesterday in an all-hands email, in which...
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It should come as no surprise that Apple is rolling out the red carpet for customers that purchase the Apple Watch Edition. The smartphone starts at a whopping $10,000 and goes for as much as $17,000 in the top-end configuration. As a result, Apple Watch Edition customers will be given special treatment — at least compared to other Apple Watch buyers — including allowing them to cut the line when it comes to in-store demos. While prospective buyers need to signup online for an in-store appointment (which lasts just 5 to 15 minutes) in order try out an Apple Watch Sport or Apple Watch, those interested in purchasing an Apple Watch Edition will simply be able to walk right into an Apple Store and...
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The countdown to the Apple Watch is growing ever louder with the lead up to April 10, the date on which online pre-sales for the device begin. With that heightening of the drone...er, buzz comes greater clarity on precisely how Apple is planning to sell their latest must-have device. This window into the process is in the form of a leaked internal Apple training document, which among its tidbits specifically states that the company will not be selling their shiny wrist ornaments to walk-in customers at product launch. As noted last week, beginning on April 10 prospective customers can arrange online for hands-on "try-on" appointments at Apple retail stores, where they...
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Earlier this week, Apple released an updated set of legal guidelines spelling out exactly what it can and cannot access on your iDevice, what material it will turn over to the police, and under which circumstances it will surrender it. What's particularly interesting is the split response we've seen from different corners of the Internet. Everything Apple does tends to generate attention, but this particular set of announcements is getting a great deal of press -- and two very different narratives have emerged over what it means. Some readers and authors have reacted rather poorly to news that Apple can access user information even without knowing the passcode key. As my colleague, Rob Williams...
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Sometimes we need reminders of important lessons in life, and thanks to a disgruntled Apple device owner who has yet to be identified, we're reminded of how not to act in public. Not only is it incredibly rude to scream at the top of your lungs at a store employee trying to help you, but you end up looking crazy, and you risk being caught on video for all the world to see. Remember, everyone owns smartphones these days. That includes celebrities, like actress Porscha Coleman, best known for her guest starring TV role as Erica Willis on the UPN series The Parkers, Rachel in the Disney Channel Original Movie Pixel Perfect, and from MTV's improvisation show Wild 'n Out. Coleman just happened to...
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This week the USPTO gave Apple another tool in its endless battle against copycats: a trademark for the layout of its Apple Store. That’s right, the store that made fools of early critics and became one of Apple’s many success stories now has a trademark to protect such design elements as the “oblong table with stools located at the back of the store.” Given the trouble Apple has had with copycats in China, it’s not surprising that the company is looking for ways to prevent similar issues in the U.S. Even so, the trademark is going to seem like overkill to many people. Apple lists several features of the store in its mark description. The storefront (which, despite...
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