Apple Store in Detroit

[Thruster315]

You may be a little too concerned with irrelevant external factors. Either you like the product or you don't.

I own a few Apple products and a few non-Apple products, myself.

Agreed. Apple makes a product- a damn fine one for the most part. As long as it works well I love it. It's no different than my adoration for any product that works well for me whether it be a car, dishwasher or a pair of jeans.

Now if you want to talk about the people who line up for days on end to get one of their products ahead of anyone else? Is that really any worse than the people who insist on seeing movie releases at 12:01AM on Friday mornings? It's their way of geeking out- no different than anyone else who enjoys their hobby.

And if Apple does open a store downtown I'd be there shopping too. I'd go there out of convenience more than anything else.

[DetroitPlanner]

Now if you want to talk about the people who line up for days on end to get one of their products ahead of anyone else? Is that really any worse than the people who insist on seeing movie releases at 12:01AM on Friday mornings? It's their way of geeking out- no different than anyone else who enjoys their hobby.

I think those folks are a little looney too. No way would I line up to buy something or see a movie. I have a life. Hobbies are one thing. Obsessions are scary. I put these folks right up there with those that attend Star Trek conventions and dress-up like stormtroopers.

[Scottathew]

Apple likes to penalize early adopters in their wallets.

Also, Apple's online store isn't fair to consumers or vendors in their fee structure.

[Zacha341]

I'm finally able to comment on all of this from being absent for a while... I just purchased my first NEW Apple Product: a G3s Iphone. I was one of those folks with an old flip phoned I'd had for years. LOL! I like it for the most part but wow are Apple products expensive. Thankfully, got my Iphone really low as I was eligible for a deep discount as part of a contract upgrade and I chose the older model instead of a G4.

I have a 'love/ hate' relationship with Apple. Mostly love as I have several Mac computers and teach in all Mac labs at two colleges where Macs by and large hold up far better than PC [[less viruses requiring system re-installs, patch this and the other, BIO re-do what not). But all of my Mac purchases have been used or refurbished units.

Relative to the 'hate' factor: Apple has jacked and abandoned many of it's loyal customers by not providing interface of current Adobe software [[CS5) with it's pre-Intel Macs [[or it can be argued the software developers are not providing interface to run on pre-Intels), many of which are still running strong. They even cut out production of their Leopard OSX system, you can now only purchase Leopard Snow which only works on the Intel Apple Macs. Making all the older Macs paper weights to some extent. And there are many, otherwise perfectly running OLDER macs out there....

You cannot even synch an Iphone G3s [[and certainly not the new G4) to Itunes older 9 version [[which ran on the Mac OSX Tiger). Only Itunes 10 which only runs on the Intel versions. Yet you can get a version of Itunes 10 going back all the way back to to XP Windows [[which predates the OSX Tiger sys). Wow? Many former Mac loyalist are not happy about this. Apple seems to only be interested in new users, yet their are many older Macs out there, owing to the durability of the computers...

I recently went to the Apple store at Somerset and folks were in there spending like they were rich. LOL! Apple is very expensive, including even the most basic of peripherals and accessories. Me, I was just browsing and watching. Yeah, some people say the 'Apple' people are like cult members... ROTFL! I can see that... We do like our Macs...

But preferring to the sensibility of being versatile I can use Macs or PCs... I just like the interface and the reduced back-end maintenance required on a Apple Mac allowing me to stay on the software, working, teaching side demanding less of my time instead of constantly servicing or calling IT for downed computers rendered dead from viruses.

Would a store work downtown? It could... so long as the proper marketing is done. Indeed Apple stores seems to be a place where people like to go if only to see what's next in the Apple stream of products and ask questions. Security would have to be strong as it would for any stand alone store, but there are plenty of staff and security [[possibly plain clothes) are about at the suburban stores...

I hear the Ipad is a big seller. They seemed to be flying out the door at the Sommerset local I visited. Useless item IMO, I prefer a Macbook laptop with a 'real' keyboard myself. Many choosing to purchase Apple products will use the official company site where they sell refurbished products at a lower price.

I love my Iphone, but the Apple stores just creep me out whenever I walk in one.

[Roq]

Relative to the 'hate' factor: Apple has jacked and abandoned many of it's loyal customers by not providing interface of current Adobe software [[CS5) with it's pre-Intel Macs...

Personally, I agree with Jobs on his boycott of all things Adobe. I'm so sick of going to websites that are almost all flash - enough already and don't even get me started on pdf's.

I hear the Ipad is a big seller. They seemed to be flying out the door at the Sommerset local I visited. Useless item IMO, I prefer a Macbook laptop with a 'real' keyboard myself. Many choosing to purchase Apple products will use the official company site where they sell refurbished products at a lower price.

I have an Ipad and I love it. In fact, I'm actually surprised on how much I DO love it. Before I bought it, I was thinking the same as you; oh I'll need a keyboard, I can do everything an Ipad can do on a netbook, yadda, yadda...
Say what you want about Apple but their touch keyboard is far superior to anything else and the quality of the product is evident when you're using one. My netbook is sitting in the closet because, like most netbooks, it's a cheap POS and I have to constantly be dicking with it...my Ipad on the other hand, performs flawlessly.

[Zacha341]

Yes, their fee structures seems to based on how deep their vending institutions pockets are. Or they lure the consumer into a product only to upgrade suddenly... some people feel they must have the latest Mac incarnation. I've learned to wait and review their products carefully.

Which is why I have purchased my Apple equipment over a slower span of time, ignoring the upgrades and half-upgrades [[sold as huge ugrades when they are not). Purchasing used and recycled Macs has been my edge. And I hate to say it many just purchase Apple equipment used on Ebay or what ever. The units hold up in a lab environment very well and snag an excellent rate at the recycle - resell end of the consumer spectrum.

Thus, there are many old Macs out there still running and that all went along very, VERY well... UNTIL the newest Intel format [[OSX Leopard Snow operating system) and software [[particularly Adobe) that will only run in that environment. So now there are a bunch of orphaned Apple computers out there...

Apple likes to penalize early adopters in their wallets.

Also, Apple's online store isn't fair to consumers or vendors in their fee structure.

[Zacha341]

Personal preference. Being a Mac enthusiast for the most part I 'tried' to like an Ipad. Just don't.

Now I'd love a Macbook Pro right about now! I like tactile keyboards and in the work I do. Also, I need the 'old-fashioned stuff' like DVD/CD RW capabilities and full out FKeys and plenty of USB ports, etc... LOL.

Now wanting to be fully 'anti' touch screen and I finally adapted by initially owning an cheap used Ipod and now doing well with a Iphone. Weee! Heck, yet still I prefer the tower and monitor Mac computer set up as I can get in and swap out stuff as I need.

Just upgraded a video card in a tower Mac, 10 minute job self-installed!

Easier to get into tower Mac machine do your own service and upgrade as you need. Service is thankfully not too much of a issue with Macs in general, especially virus driven service. I am typing from an older Ibook G4 running OSX Tiger that has been running 4 years without a system re-install.

But the thing is pre-Intel, so it's an orphan now outside of the use of Adobe CS3, CS4 and 2007 Microsoft Office stuff... I'll need to consider an Intel based laptop very soon. That will be a used or refurbished purchase........

Oh yeah, my PC netbook cease to function after about a year. I just don't have the time for the 'routine' of reinstalling software BIOS this and that service PAC 321 every few weeks.

Personally, I agree with Jobs on his boycott of all things Adobe. I'm so sick of going to websites that are almost all flash - enough already and don't even get me started on pdf's.

I have an Ipad and I love it. In fact, I'm actually surprised on how much I DO love it. Before I bought it, I was thinking the same as you; oh I'll need a keyboard, I can do everything an Ipad can do on a netbook, yadda, yadda...
Say what you want about Apple but their touch keyboard is far superior to anything else and the quality of the product is evident when you're using one. My netbook is sitting in the closet because, like most netbooks, it's a cheap POS and I have to constantly be dicking with it...my Ipad on the other hand, performs flawlessly.

[Zacha341]

Yeah, I just smile at that mania and hype---to each his or her own. LOL!

I am a big reviewer of products BEFORE I purchase. I recently opted out of getting the Iphone G4, getting instead a G3s...

I did not need all the features of the G4 and the pros and cons reviews of the G3s are all over the web to make an informed decision and save a few hundred dollars....

I think those folks are a little looney too. No way would I line up to buy something or see a movie. I have a life. Hobbies are one thing. Obsessions are scary. I put these folks right up there with those that attend Star Trek conventions and dress-up like stormtroopers.

[Zacha341]

------Hah! Getting your techno and food groove-on at the same time. I LOVE IT!

They should put an Apple Store in the Cheesecake Factory.

[Zacha341]

LOL! I hear you. But I get the same response from the PC - Anti Mac folk. I use Apple Macs in the training and personal context and prefer the reduced virus issues, yet hate and detest the high prices of Apple products!!

My Iphone is the first NEW Apple product I've ever owned. The rest of my stuff has been used or refurb.

The employment arena regarding technology demands adaptability, so pragmatically speaking I'm versatile and can function in a Windows or Mac enviromnent.

I don't own an i-phone or anything Apple because of your assessment. Its like a cult.

[Zacha341]

I'm not exactly feeling that idea. But someone how it seems to be how things go......

Agreed. Apple is arguably the world's #1 brand right now and they will undoubtedly want subsidies. Detroit will get to pay for the privilege of having an Apple store.

[Zacha341]

Well stated. I tend to tune the 'buzz' out including my anger with Apple's abandonment of their pre-Intel Apple Mac owners. I'm still motivated from not having to be bothered with doing frequent system re-installs and the ease of connecting various accessories without a hassle.

You may be a little too concerned with irrelevant external factors. Either you like the product or you don't.

I own a few Apple products and a few non-Apple products, myself.

[spitcoff]

Never gonna happen unless they figure out a way to make Downtown a place that people actually go on a regular basis

[noise]

I have a MacBook Pro and a first generation iPad. Totally different creatures. I didn't expect to like the iPad much, but now I find it almost invaluable.

[Zacha341]

I would like the idea of reading books and reviews on screen in that format......

I have a MacBook Pro and a first generation iPad. Totally different creatures. I didn't expect to like the iPad much, but now I find it almost invaluable.

[Patrick]

Interesting how people bitch about the Apple Stores in the suburbs....once they build one in Detroit, the same damn people you find at the Apple Stores in the burbs will be shopping at the "destination" location downtown....then you people will bitch about that!

[noise]

I would like the idea of reading books and reviews on screen in that format......

That's a big plus. I love it for all of my general purpose Internet usage. I use my MacBook for graphic & web design related stuff. I have a PC laptop I use for recording music. I don't suggest everyone own as many gadgets as I do, but it works for me.

I bought a 3G iPhone when it came out because I fell in love with the first generation iPhone my wife got as a gift. Since those purchases, we've been upgrading for free. We have been able to eBay our old iPhones for the cost of the newest versions.

[Red Devil]

In other Apple-related news...here is their new mothership...


http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/13/app...-headquarters/

[BrushStart]

In other Apple-related news...here is their new mothership...


http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/13/app...-headquarters/

Wow, that thing is weird. I personally would not want to work there. It seems like some kind of futuristic, alien prison. I'd feel like a tapped hampster in that building!

[detroiter79]

Why doesn't someone just open an ipad/iphone/tablet accessory store with a similar aesthetic... it's not like Apple has a patent on minimal retail design.

[DetroitPlanner]

Why doesn't someone just open an ipad/iphone/tablet accessory store with a similar aesthetic... it's not like Apple has a patent on minimal retail design.

They would need to contract with Apple though. Apple seems to be only sold at thier own stores or through mass marketers such as Best Buy, AT&T, Verizon...... If I were running a company I know if I could have similar sales with only a handful of contracts as opposed to a million contracts, I'd deal with the handful.

[PeachLaser]

This goes beyond location. QuickBooks is basically Windows-based with all the problems that go along with that. Maybe, QB is looking for a more sound and solid approach to the future? This is the kind of stuff that defines the future. Hoping it all pans out positively for the big D.

[stasu1213]

I still belive that an Apple Store will be a good fit for downtown. Dan Gilbert is willing to take that risk and convincing Apple to move downtown. An Apple store would be the beginning of more electronic and retail stores moving in the downtown area. I would love to see a Best Buy or an ABC Warehouse in the downtown or midtown area.

[detmsp]

This goes beyond location. QuickBooks is basically Windows-based with all the problems that go along with that. Maybe, QB is looking for a more sound and solid approach to the future? This is the kind of stuff that defines the future. Hoping it all pans out positively for the big D.

Uhhhh what? QuickBooks and Quicken Loans are separate entities. One is in Detroit and one isn't. Also, take it from an IT professional who manages the Mac platform at a very large company, Macs are nightmares in corporate environments and you don't need a local store to get them. This has nothing to do with that.

[bugs1739]

Here's a page on how the process on how an Apple Store works:

http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/store_sites.html