More evidence suggests Apple has plans for 10th anniversary of retail

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Evidence continues to mount that Apple plans to do something to commemorate the tenth anniversary of its retail endeavors, though whether the event would be a new product unveiling or something else remains a mystery.



Citing a "solid Apple source," Boy Genius Report said on Monday that Apple "may be planning something big" to commemorate the anniversary coming this Thursday, May 19. That aligns with an exclusive AppleInsider report from April that revealed Apple had restricted employee time off in May.



Specifically, retail employees were told last month via e-mail that they could not request days off between May 20 and May 22, and that store managers were "very excited" about those dates.



The latest report claims that an overnight shift has been planned at each store that will require between 10 and 15 workers to work late Saturday through mid-Sunday. During that overnight shift, employees will reportedly be required to lock their cell phones in the main office, and will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement with Apple.



Those employees are apparently from a variety of roles including Geniuses, Specialists, a manager, visuals staff, a business team member, and a back-of-house employee. Stores have already received hardware to install, and more is expected to arrive later this week.



The report also states that Apple employees will put up black curtains so customers cannot see inside as they work, and employees have had to download gigabytes of password-protected data related to corporate training.



Adding even more fuel to the fire, MacStories also reported on Monday that Apple has scheduled store meetings at a very early 7 a.m. start time this Sunday, May 22. Boy Genius Report said there are also mandatory meetings set to be held in the evening.



No details of what Apple could be planning have surfaced, though one potential product could be the rumored iCloud service that is expected to play a major role in future versions of iOS and Mac OS, and also offer streaming music and media capabilities. In April, Reuters reported that Apple's work on its new streaming music service was "completed," while a separate report claimed that Apple has inked deals with two major record labels.







Apple allegedly offered no detailed specifics on its cloud-based service in negotiations, leaving those in the music industry to suggest that the Cupertino, Calif., company could choose to launch the service at any point.



Of course, it's also possible that Apple's plans could be sales and promotions related to the tenth anniversary of its successful retail locations. The first two Apple stores opened May 19, 2001 in McLean, Virginia, at the Tyson's Corner Mall, and at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 92
    rokradrokrad Posts: 143member
    iCloud? I really don't think so since this a retail thing they have to set up for... If anything it should be a physical product... something enough to make an entire weekend crazy.



    Maybe multiple products will recieve upgrades? Im not sure just my guess but hey I could be wrong.
  • Reply 2 of 92
    Man, Sunday? I would be at work where no cellphones are allowed.



    Can't wait what is that so secret. Is it going to be a late Sunday program or for starting Monday a.m.?
  • Reply 3 of 92
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    It's the full catalog of the Plastic Ono Band available on iTunes
  • Reply 4 of 92
    desarcdesarc Posts: 642member
    new macPro's ditching xeon for sandy bridge.

    that's my guess.
  • Reply 5 of 92
    ghostface147ghostface147 Posts: 1,629member
    Free iPads!
  • Reply 6 of 92
    It would be funny if Apple delivered the iPhone 5 while everyone else said they were delayed until September.
  • Reply 7 of 92
    coldpizzacoldpizza Posts: 15member
    I wonder why one of the two first stores was in Virginia of all places. In fact, due to the time difference, the Virginia location was actually the first Apple store to open I imagine.
  • Reply 8 of 92
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    What would be cool is they just gave away 10th anniversary Apple t-shirts in all popular sizes. The place would be mobbed.
  • Reply 9 of 92
    eric781eric781 Posts: 1member
    They will be releasing the Playmobil Apple Store Playset
  • Reply 10 of 92
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desarc View Post


    new macPro's ditching xeon for sandy bridge.

    that's my guess.



    The chips don't exist yet. It can't happen.



    And there's no 'ditching'. Xeon is a product line within the larger family of Sandy Bridge. There were Conroe Xeons, Penryn Xeons, Nehalem Xeons, Westmere Xeons, and there will be Sandy Bridge Xeons.
  • Reply 11 of 92
    formerarsgmformerarsgm Posts: 191member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by coldpizza View Post


    I wonder why one of the two first stores was in Virginia of all places. In fact, due to the time difference, the Virginia location was actually the first Apple store to open I imagine.



    Correct. Tyson's opened hours before Glendale. Why those locations? Mostly available real estate vs. desired locations. Early on, ARS (Apple Retail Stores) were extremely finicky about which malls fit criteria and even where in the mall the store would be placed. The real story is what was sold in those first stores... are far cry from the abundance of product you find now. Congrats former Apple colleagues. Congrats Ron and Jerry - you did it!
  • Reply 12 of 92
    ...and an enhancement to Apple TV!
  • Reply 13 of 92
    8corewhore8corewhore Posts: 833member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mytakeonit View Post


    ...and an enhancement to Apple TV!



    No, an actual TV with atv inside.



    Not a matter of if, but when.
  • Reply 14 of 92
    originalgoriginalg Posts: 383member
    Are retail stores open on Sunday in the US? Does this mean that the stores might not be open Sunday morning?



    Also I wonder how this is going to play out for Canadians as the 23rd is a holiday.
  • Reply 15 of 92
    boredumbboredumb Posts: 1,418member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    It's the full catalog of the Plastic Ono Band available on iTunes



    buzzkill
  • Reply 16 of 92
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 8CoreWhore View Post


    No, an actual TV with atv inside.



    Not a matter of if, but when.





    I agree. But 50 inch Apple TVs might be later this year or in 2012. My bet is

    #1 iCloud

    #2 Apple TVs



    With a 10 year anniversary, hell, you could see both.
  • Reply 17 of 92
    wowotoewowotoe Posts: 11member
    The Apple store in Pasadena, CA moved to a smaller space on the side while the main store covered up with wood boards. One of the Apple employee told me they are "remodeling" the space but he doesn't know how it looks like
  • Reply 18 of 92
    ibgarrettibgarrett Posts: 21member
    Let's connect the dots shall we?



    MobileMe services have been experiencing problems today.

    iCloud is somewhere on the horizon.

    No new rumors of hardware anywhere in the channel or otherwise.

    A major event is brewing in Apple Retail....



    Something tells me it is likely to be the iCloud...
  • Reply 19 of 92
    macinthe408macinthe408 Posts: 1,050member
    Apple Stores will finally have public restrooms. It'll be those public stalls you see in downtown London or San Francisco, except these will be the type where the glass is transparent, but then goes opaque when the door is locked.
  • Reply 20 of 92
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Unkown Blogger View Post


    It would be funny if Apple delivered the iPhone 5 while everyone else said they were delayed until September.



    It would be funny, I would be happy, but I also don’t think it’s possible. There are just too many companies and people involved to keep a new iPhone a secret





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by OriginalG View Post


    Are retail stores open on Sunday in the US? Does this mean that the stores might not be open Sunday morning?



    Also I wonder how this is going to play out for Canadians as the 23rd is a holiday.



    Typically. Mall stores tend to have fewer hours on Sunday, like noon to 6pm. Individual stores can have different hours if their contracts allow, and of course stores not in malls tend to have much looser operating restrictions.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ibgarrett View Post


    Let's connect the dots shall we?



    MobileMe services have been experiencing problems today.

    iCloud is somewhere on the horizon.

    No new rumors of hardware anywhere in the channel or otherwise.

    A major event is brewing in Apple Retail....



    Something tells me it is likely to be the iCloud...



    If we consider that MobileMe’s upgrade doesn’t need an event with Jobs discussing its ins-and-outs, and that their website and B&M stores with new banners are sufficient for propagating word-of-mouth, viral marketing then I agree that it’s probably about their data center services.



    I just hope they have some sort of control valve to increase or decrease the number of users who can sign up for this service so they can keep it from crashing the way MobileMe did. Start with the old .Mac members I say (oh, that means me doesn’t it? What a happy coincidence. )



    PS: If we use someone having trouble with MobileMe as a sign then we should have expected iCloud to appear July 9th, 2008.
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