apple store

Apple released on Tuesday a small update to its Apple Store app for the iPhone. The update added the ability to add your wireless account to the app and receive an alert once your line is eligible for an upgrade.

Adding your account to receive upgrade alerts only takes a few seconds. Before you add your account, you'll need to know the last four digits of the account holder's Social Security number, the billing ZIP code, and the account password. At least this was the information I needed for a Verizon account; your experience may vary.

DALLAS -- Samsung has opened a new front in its battle for smartphone supremacy: the storefront.

The Korean electronics giant plans to set up mini Samsung stores inside all U.S. Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile venues within the next couple of months -- just in time for the Galaxy S4 launch. The "Samsung Experience Shops," which start rolling out Monday, will be in 500 big-box Best Buy stores and all 410 Best Buy Mobile locations by early May. Best Buy's remaining 550 large-format Best Buy stores will feature the shops by early June.

A larger … Read more

We're in an Apple store.

All the employees are terribly agitated. They're wearing green. Is it St. Patricks' Day? Not quite. It's a new ad -- sent to me by reader Marrec Selous -- that tweaks, pokes, teases, and tickles at Apple's softer parts.

The ad is on behalf of a British cider called Somersby. And the excitement within it mirrors that of an Apple product launch.… Read more

Apple plans to dramatically expand the number of stores it'll allow to be opened in India over the next couple of years.

According to the India Times, Apple is planning to triple the number of "exclusive stores" in the country by 2015. The India Times' sources, who currently run some of Apple's exclusive stores, say that the iPad maker will have around 200 of those locations around India by 2015.

Apple operates its stores a bit differently in India than in, say, the U.S. In India, Apple has found 17 franchisees that operate stores that … Read more

Apple's former retail chief apparently harbors few hard feelings about his previous employer, and says his brief stint at the company was "probably the best thing" that happened to him.

"Apple is a truly fantastic business. The people are great. They've got great products. It's got a great culture. And I loved working there -- it's a fantastic business," John Browett said during an on-stage interview at the Retail Week Live conference earlier this week.

"The issue there was that I just didn't fit within the way they ran the … Read more

Apple has been hit with a fine and new regulations by a Paris court that has taken aim at the company's alleged after-hours work in France.

According to the AFP, which was first to report on the ruling, the Paris Court awarded the unions that sued Apple 10,000 euros ($13,005) for its alleged violations. The court said that in some Apple stores in France, the company was asking employees to work past the 9 p.m. local time curfew in violation of the country's labor laws.

France bans companies from making employees work between 9 p.… Read more

Apple has updated its Apple Store app with two handy new options for buyers.

Released yesterday, version 2.5 of the app now lets you see whether an item that you order online can be delivered to your local Apple store.

Simply tap on the Check Availability link after you choose an item. Enter your city or ZIP code. The app shows you a list of the closest Apple Stores. Tap on one of the listed stores, and the app tells you if the item can be shipped there.

The app also offers more flexibility in where and how you … Read more

The words "deal" and "Apple product" rarely appear in the same sentence, which is why I continue to be fan of buying refurbished Apple gear whenever possible.

While some refurbs prove to be junk, Apple gives you like-new hardware -- complete with a same-as-new warranty. It's the only way to go.

But how do you know when a particular product hits the Apple Store? Short of checking online every day, there's no easy way. Until now: RefurbMe catalogs all the latest Apple Store refurbs and can notify you when price and/or availability changes.… Read more

Extraordinarily, Geoff Fisher has never been sued by Apple.

He's used its name for 20 years on the front of his little store. Yet somehow no one has come to his door pretending to be a local policeman -- or even actually being one -- and demanding to search his premises.

This is odd, given that his store is called the Apple Shop. Still, it doesn't sell products made by Apple, but products made from apples -- specifically, cider.

Everything seemed fine for many years. People would come into the store in Wroxham Barns, England, and they would … Read more