AT&T claims to have resolved a software problem that had caused voice outages for many wireless customers in New York City. The bug, which reportedly turned up during "routine" maintenance, affected the carrier's voice service in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Long Island.
Following reports of a new Manhattan office for Apple's iAd sales team, the company's job postings have ballooned with a variety of additional positions in other cities. As noted by Business Insider, salespeople are sought in Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and London.
As expected, Sprint and Clearwire have activated 4G service in New York City and several additional regions. Service in New York now extends to all five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. Other markets include Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut; Trenton and New Brunswick, New Jersey; and Tampa, Florida.
Apple has abandoned any plans for a store on West 34th street in Manhattan, claims the New York Post. Apple currently leases 21-25 on West 34th, which is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenue, and within a short distance of the Empire State Building. The real estate is capable of supporting up to 18,000 square feet, but Apple is said to have lost interest in establishing a store on the site, and is presently looking to sub-lease through Robert K. Futterman. RKF's website lists availability starting April 1st 2009, for a maximum period of 13 years.
Apple's SoHo store in Manhattan is getting a bad rap with its neighbors for creating an uncomfortable business environment, with supposedly irresponsible staff, high noise levels, and Apple's infamous concert-style events. According to CNN Money, complaints have been directed at the location since it opened six years ago, earning the reputation of being "the worst neighbor in SoHo." Residents are upset even with features of the building itself, saying the bright lights on top of the store shine into their homes.
Despite the iPhone 3G launching Friday, potential owners are still lining up to purchase one, but even Apple's flagship Manhattan stores are starting to run dry, and are placing limits on the constant long lineups. In calls to the Fifth Avenue, SoHo and West 14th retail locations, representatives tell MacNN that they each expect lineups to last four to five hours, and are informing others that join the line that the stores can not accommodate them, since the store will be closed by the time staff could service those customers.
Two of Apple's retail stores have made it from being local sights to internationally must-see retail landmarks, according to a recent report of the world's top retail locations. Retail Week reveals that both the Fifth Avenue Manhattan 'Cube' location and the Regent Street London stores are praise-worthy enough to include them on its list of the top 100 must-visit retail spaces, alongside clothing stores, food retailers, sporting good stores, and other electronics retailers.
Apple is reportedly filming a commercial at its flagship Manhattan Apple Store today, shutting down the store for six hours. Apple's retail store page states: "Please note we will be temporarily closed Thursday, May 29 at 3:00 p.m. and will reopen Friday, May 30 at 9:00 a.m. During this time, please visit one of our other two Manhattan locations." As noted by MacRumors the 5th Avenue store has only been entirely closed twice in its history: the iPhone launch and the Leopard launch. Speculation holds that a television commercial will be filmed during this closure.
Apple is continuing its expansion of its successful retail stores, according to ifoAppleStore. The report indicates that Apple plans to open yet another retail store in the Bay Area, this one inside the Hillsdale Shopping Center, a 1950s-era enclosed mall that is privately owned by the Bohannon family. The shopping center features more than 130 shops over 1.3 million square-feet. Other Apple stores in the area include San Francisco (23 miles north), Stonestown (20 miles N.), Burlingame (4 miles N.), Palo Alto/Stanford (12 miles S.), and Valley Fair (30 miles S.). Apple also plans a new store in Toronto at the Fairview Mall by November. The mall is located along Highway 404, northeast of the city center. Finally, Apple has its eyes on the Willowbrook Mall in the city of Wayne, New Jersey about 25 miles northwest of Manhattan. This would be would be the 11th store in the state, and will open by the 2008 holiday season.
Apple has officially declared that its newest retail store on West 14th Street in New York's Meatpacking District will open on Friday, December 7th at 6:00 p.m. EST. The new store is Apple's first three-story retail space that boasts two floors dedicated to products and a third dedicated to services, including a 46-foot Genius Bar and specially designed areas for workshops as well as personal training. The Apple Store West 14th Street also introduces Pro Labs where customers can receive free, in-depth training on Apple's industry-leading pro applications including Final Cut Pro.
