Why Apple Stores Work

(NEWSER) - Recession or no recession, customers have kept lining up to buy iPhones and other Apple products, Bloomberg reports. Apple’s store revenues grew 2.5% over the first six months of 2009, even as retail sales overall fell 9.2%. In New York, where boutiques on Fifth Avenue are largely deserted, the Apple store enjoyed a 22% surge in traffic in the second quarter, making it the highest-grossing store on Fifth Avenue, probably the biggest grosser of all time. More»

Hundreds gather at Apple stores worldwide

(NEWSER) - The new iPad is here, and once again, Steve Wozniak is first in line for the latest Apple gadget. Sure, the Apple co-founder could get his hands on one without waiting in line, notes Mashable , but "it's become a ritual," he says in Los Angeles. "I wanna be one of the real people, who line up and wait all night. ... Apple’s just that important to us." The company's stores are opening at 8am across 10 countries today; for some stores, that's much earlier than usual. More»

Angry crowd is told 4S sale canceled

(NEWSER) - If notorious perfectionist Steve Jobs was still alive, today's bungled launch of the iPhone 4S in Beijing might have given him a heart attack. Would-be customers who waited all night in freezing temperatures became furious when Apple's flagship Beijing store abruptly announced that the phone would not go on sale as scheduled, AP reports. Police cordoned off the store after the angry crowd pelted it with eggs. More»

Don't count on getting in around 1pm ET

(NEWSER) - Apple is closing some retail stores for at least an hour tomorrow as the company pauses to celebrate the life of Steve Jobs, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal . Another source tells Reuters that Apple workers around the country will be invited to watch a video feed of the celebration in Cupertino from 1 to 2:30pm ET. More»

Two shops suspended during investigation

(NEWSER) - After an American blogger’s discovery of three fake Apple stores in a Chinese city, officials took action—and they uncovered 5 such stores in Kunming, the AP reports. Two of the stores have been suspended during the investigation, but officials couldn’t shut down the other three because they weren’t actually selling fake Apple products. City trade officials examined 300 electronics stores as part of the investigation. More»