# The SBHonline Community Daily > Digerati Discussions! >  >   Apple store is closed. That means a refresh and or new products. New MacBook pro line due out today. 
 > http://store.apple.com/

## BBT

Apple store is closed. That means a refresh and or new products. New MacBook pro line due out today. 
http://store.apple.com/

----------


## JEK

Intel Core i7 with 512 GB SSD sweet!

----------


## BBT

And card slot, a first for Apple. Wow lets see the critics start writing negatives like "it won't work underwater."

----------


## Petri

MBP's have had the SD slot since last summer.  Current iMac's have it as well.

The nicest thing about the new models is the 15" option for 1680x1050 resolution.  Apple's laptops have traditionally been shy on pixels and 1680x1050 doesn't quite match e.g. Dell's 15" 1920x1080 yet..

----------


## MIke R

I just got a brand new replacement Macbook laptop under warranty as my old one had a minor problem they just couldnt get a handle on....and  I got it on the last day of my warranty ( sweeeeeeeet! ) and I have to say even though its only a year newer...its completely different in better ways...new magnetic power cord that is even better than the  old one which was good....rounded corners on the case...but the most striking difference is the quality of the graphics....this one seems much sharper

----------


## JEK

BeachBob and I are sorry you had to drive that 80 miles to pick up the new MacBook and we appreciate your good attitude and patronage.

----------


## MIke R

160....I had to go home too.....LOL

and yes it was a PITA, but it was worth it

----------


## JEK

I have a friend who had a power supply problem on an iMac. Replace fail. Replace fail. Two years out of warranty and they gave her a brand new model. They keep all the records by serial number and they saw all that she had been through and did the right thing. What makes a huge difference is having a store front to go to and get face-to-face.

----------


## amyb

I love stories where the company actually performs CUSTOMER SERVICE!!

----------


## MIke R

Amy..being a retailer I look for certain things when I go into a store....and one of the first things I notice is floor coverage....this store was about 2000/2500 square foot in size, and they had, by my count, 21 employees working the floor!!!!...21!!!


I have about 5000 square feet between the three shops and on a busy day, I might have 6-9 people on *all* the floors....which is considered good....and they had 21 covering less space!!!

----------


## amyb

I am so happy when problems get resolved-with a smile it is even better.

----------


## JEK

Apple Store Is Highest Grossing Retailer on Fifth Avenue
BY CLAY DILLOWMon Aug 24, 2009
Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, renowned for its concentration of flagship storefronts and world famous luxury retailers like Tiffany's and Harry Winston, has a new most popular destination: The Apple Store. The 10,000-square-foot Mac Mecca at the corner of 59th Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown is pulling in an estimated $350 million annually (the company does not release individual store numbers). Based on that figure, the store is pulling in $35,000 per square foot annually, equivalent to selling a brand new Mercedes-Benz C300 per square foot, Bloomberg points out. Those figures make Apple the highest grossing retailer on Fifth Avenue.
Driven by iPhone sales, the company's worldwide retail operation has defied the recession, with revenue inching up 2.5% to $3 billion in the first half of the year, even as U.S. retail sales have slipped 9.2 percent in the same period. As for Fifth Avenue, Apple's neighbors along the world-renowned shopping corridor have seen 8-10% declines in sales. Tiffany & Co. peaks at around $18,000 in revenue per square foot annually, and jeweler Harry Winston brings in just $12,000. Neither of those companies has fared very well through the recession: Tiffany's sales dipped 22% in the first quarter, and Harry Winston was even less dazzling, booking a 30% decline in revenue. Other non-luxury retailers on Fifth Ave., like Abercrombie & Fitch and Saks Fifth Avenue, saw 23% and 22% declines respectively.
Apple, meanwhile, still packs its Apple Store daily (and nightly), with lines pouring out of its iconic glass cube entrance and into the street when new products hit shelves (Apples newest version of its OSX operating system, Snow Leopard, arrives in stores Friday). Every product in the store is on display, encouraging shoppers to pick up and try the devices, giving them a feel for Apple's sleek design. The stores regularly overstaff their outlets so customers can get swift service; the Fifth Avenue store alone keeps 500 staffers on its payrolls. The iPhone has also played a key role in keeping stores full, as consumers have shown a willingness to cut back on just about every other discretionary category before their mobile tech.


That Apple has become Fifth Avenue's newest destination retail outlet comes on the heels of Microsoft's announcement that it is jumping into the retail game as well, with plans to launch stores in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mission Viejo, Calif, by this fall. More stores will follow, some right next to Apple outlets, the company has said. Here's hoping the new Zune HD is everything the company is promising, as it appears unseating Apple in brick-and-mortar sales is going to be no small feat.

----------


## MIke R

I sat by the register waiting for my new laptop to come out...for about 20 minutes..and in that time I watched them ring up, by my count, 3 thousand dollars in sales.....no wonder they can afford to out 21 people on the floor!

----------


## BBT

JEK beat me to the punch I was already looking for that Article. I was in the new upper west side store the other night and it was about 8PM on a Sunday night and you would have thought it was the day before Christmas.

----------


## Petri

Apple sells third of their US sales through the stores so it's quite a big business.

Third of Apple's sales come from overseas but the customer service can be hit-or-miss here.  I always wish that my Apple purchases are not lemons as I wouldn't want to go through all the pain to get it fixed.  Sales in Europe and Asia are also growing twice as fast as in the US, or three times faster than at the US stores.

----------


## BBT

Thanks,I learn something new each day.

----------

