05/13, 9:58am
Live Button rolls out to viewers in New York, Philadelphia first
Broadcaster ABC is said to be updating its iOS app to offer live streams of shows from local ABC stations later this week. New options for a "Live" button in the Watch ABC app for iPhone and iPad will mark it as the first major US broadcaster that provides live streams of its channels to app users, with the first markets to gain the service being New York and Philadelphia.
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05/08, 2:35pm
Incident may be linked to 'drainage problem' caused by 2011 construction
Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City was flooded earlier today, according to the New York Post. The store was reportedly hit by heavy rain, which initially resulted only in a slow leak. The leak turned into a pour however, forcing workers to hurriedly move tables out of the way. By 8AM, the outlet was flooded.
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02/22, 1:20pm
Measure uses IMEI tracking to locate purloined devices
According to a report in the New York Post, the New York Police Department has assembled a dedicated team to work with Apple to retrieve the stolen devices and identify the thieves. Police attempt to get the IMEI identification number of the stolen device from the victim of the theft or from online records, and submit it to Cupertino. Apple then relays to the police department the current location of the device. Apple's law enforcement cooperation is well in advance of the announced cross-carrier database, expected in late 2013 or 2014.
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01/25, 12:42pm
Should allow AT&T to make significant LTE expansions
AT&T has bought $1.9 billion in 700 MHz B spectrum from Verizon Wireless, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. AT&T says that the licenses should cover over 42 million people in 18 states: California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. As a part of the deal, it will also get AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) spectrum in five of those markets.
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01/08, 1:12pm
Limited to area around Google's NYC offices
Google is planning to launch free Wi-Fi in a part of Manhattan, the company revealed today at a press conference held in the borough. In particular the company will soon turn on Wi-Fi in the western portion of Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. Most hotspots will be situated outdoors, though some exceptions are being made for a local senior citizen's center, as well as a public housing complex.
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01/03, 11:35am
No ETA on reopening
The Upper West Side Apple Store in New York City has temporarily closed as a result of a nearby fire, accounts say. Smoke from the fire has engulfed the area, and a worker at the store confirms that the Apple Store has been evacuated, and all appointments cancelled for the immediate future. It's not known when the outlet might reopen.
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12/28, 12:14pm
Mayor's office suggests crime would otherwise be down
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is blaming a surge in thefts of Apple products for an increase in the city's overall crime rate, says the New York Times. Bloomberg made the comments during his weekly radio show. Statistics published this week by the New York Police Department show 3,484 more major crimes in 2012 than last yea; the number of Apple product thefts, meanwhile, is up by 3,890. "If you just took away the jump in Apple, we’d be down for the year," adds the mayor's press secretary, Marc La Vorgna.
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12/19, 10:58am
Sites in Texas, California also allegedly under consideration
The states of Oregon and New York may be competing for a chip factory under consideration by an Apple supplier, says The Oregonian. Oregon's economic development agency, Business Oregon, says it is trying to recruit a company operating under the codename "Azalea." A non-disclosure agreement is preventing any more details from emerging, though a similar project --tagged with a "Project Azalea" codename -- is being pursued in New York state.
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12/12, 3:31pm
Cuomo mentions Apple has interested party
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has hinted that Apple may be connected to a plan for a chip factory in the state measuring some 3.2 million square feet, the Times Union reports. The factory was recently proposed to economic development officials in the state, but the company or companies behind the deal have been kept quiet. Apple's name has been speculated, but when approached, the Empire State Development Corporation refused to comment to the Union.
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11/26, 5:45am
User photographs on display in Times Sqaure, NYC
Google is offering users the opportunity to put an image of their face or another photograph onto a sign above Times Square, New York City. The offer is using the tagline "For...", currently used in the company's current advertising campaign for the Chromebook notebook computers, ahead of the holiday shopping season.
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11/19, 10:29am
Richardson asked suspicious questions, court documents say
The FBI has arrested an airport worker in the case of last week's iPad mini heist at New York City's JFK airport, according to sources and court documents obtained by the New York Post. The man, Renel Rene Richardson, is said to have been outed after Port Authority detectives talked to his coworkers, and learned that he had been asking unusual questions about both the iPads and where forklifts could be found. A forklift was used to load two pallets' worth of iPads into a truck, and might've been used to load even more had the thieves not been confronted by another airport worker.
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11/15, 11:19am
Police suspect inside job
Two thieves stole $1.5 million in iPad minis from New York City's JFK airport earlier this week, according to the New York Post. The people reportedly made the heist shortly before midnight on Monday, using one of JFK's own forklifts to load two pallets of Minis into a truck. More tablets might've been taken had an airport worker returning from dinner not confronted the robbers; three more pallets were left behind.
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09/25, 1:08pm
Growth 10 times rate of NYC overall
New York City crimes involving Apple products grew 40 percent year-over-year in the period between January 1st and September 23rd, according to new data from the NYPD. 11,447 Apple-based incidents were reported in the 2012 span, while only 3,280 were recorded for 2011. The growth of Apple-related crimes is 10 times that of the city's general amount, which rose only 4 percent.
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09/21, 9:31am
Still smaller than iPad 2 line
At 10 minutes before the iPhone 5 went on sale this morning, some 820 people were in line at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City, says Fortune. The site adds that the line was still growing at a rate of about six per minute, and that the event was covered by numerous reporters; nine TV satellite trucks were on-scene. The first person in line was Hazem Sayed, one of the people promoting a company called Vibe. Some other people in line were sponsored by companies like Gazelle, OtterBox and BuyBack. OtterBox had a yellow tent sitting outside the store.
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09/17, 10:29am
Early joiners exploiting line for publicity
A lineup has already formed outside of Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City in advance of the Friday launch of the iPhone 5. Since preorders are already sold out, lining up at retail stores may now be the only way of getting a 5 on September 21st. A number of the first people in line at Fifth Avenue, however, are reportedly there only for the sake of publicity.
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08/24, 4:24pm
September offering open to all, thousands of hotspots provided
Throughout the month of September, the Wall Street Journal is offering free Wi-Fi across more than 1,300 hotspots in New York and another 1,000 in San Francisco. The New York hotspots blanket the entirety of high-traffic neighborhoods like Times Square, West Village, and Washington Square Park. Popular locations such as Nob Hill and Fisherman's Wharf will be covered in San Francisco.
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08/10, 6:51pm
NYC to earn share of crime system profits
The New York Police Department and Microsoft have constructed a supercomputer to help fight crime. Costing between $30 and $40 million to create, the Domain Awareness System (DAS) uses a combination of CCTV, license plate readers, police reports, and live incident reports to track criminals and help protect the city from potential threats such as terrorist attacks.
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07/30, 1:27pm
Bidding 'severely slanted toward Apple'
New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority gave Apple an unfair advantage in bidding for the retail space it now occupies in Grand Central Terminal, according to a newly-completed audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. The report says that last May, the MTA allowed Apple to put forward an offer including $5 million in cash, which other parties had just 30 days to attempt to beat. "The competitive process followed by MTA...was at a minimum severely slanted toward Apple," the document reads.
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07/14, 9:00pm
Revamp features larger theatre, new 'Briefing Room'
The New York SoHo store that closed nearly a year ago for renovation finally celebrated its grand re-opening, featuring a complete re-design and larger space that drew large crowds and line-ups as is customary for new store openings. AppleInsider staff grabbed pictures and video of the revamped store, which now offers a new theatre for events and workshops, and New York's first "Briefing Room" a special meeting place for business customers.
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07/12, 3:57pm
Long expansion project finally finished
Apple's SoHo outlet in New York City will finally reopen on Saturday, July 14th, according to an official announcement. The store is said to have been "completely redesigned," and now features an event theater with extra seating, as well as the first Briefing Room in the city for business customers. The Genius Bar has been expanded as well; to attract people to the store, the first 3,000 visitors will get commemorative t-shirts.
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06/28, 5:06pm
New York, Tennessee, Australia locations announced
Apple is opening three new retail stores this Saturday, June 30th. The first is the Ridge Hill location in Yonkers, New York. The outlet is just outside of New York City, and will be Apple's 17th in the state; a disproportionate number of those are clustered in and around the New York City area.
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06/22, 5:37pm
Quad-core Exynos omitted in favor of S4
Samsung held a flashy event in New York City to reintroduce its Galaxy S III handset ahead of its North American arrival. We already checked out the international model when it was unveiled early last month in London, however we took another look at the US editions to experience the carrier-specific modifications. Variants headed to Verizon, AT&T, US Cellular, Sprint and T-Mobile are powered by a different chipset, lacking a quad-core processor, and each offers slightly different connectivity options.
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06/11, 6:40pm
New initiative sees Powermat charging stations throughout city
Joint venture Duracell Powermat has launched the 24-Hour Power System, bundling an iPhone case with a wireless charger and a backup battery. The collection arrives ahead of the Wireless Power Nation initiative, which will see public wireless charging hotspots for Powermat users.
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05/24, 3:02pm
Fate of legislation remains unclear
New York State Senator Thomas O'Mara is attempting to push "right to know" legislation that would effectively ban online speech posted anonymously. The bill aims to "amend the civil rights law" to "protect a person's right to know who is behind an anonymous Internet posting."
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04/04, 5:15pm
Leaks point to Evo One
HTC and Sprint have invited journalists to a launch event in New York City, where the companies promise to detail "their latest collaboration." A flurry of leaks points to the HTC Evo One as the focal point of the event. Check out our live coverage page at 5:30 Eastern for pictures and updates.
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03/26, 11:35am
Calims glass doors a hazard to elderly
A woman from Queens, New York is suing Apple for $1 million after smashing into the glass door of a Long Island Apple Store, says CBS. Evelyn Paswall is 83, and says she broke her nose on the door because she didn't realize she was walking into glass. The lawsuit claims that Apple was "negligent...in allowing a clear, see-through glass wall and/or door to exist without proper warning."
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03/16, 10:15am
Thousands gather outside NYC Apple Stores
A few short hours after Asian and European debuts, Apple has begun the day's US launches of the third-generation iPad. In New York City, the Grand Central Apple Store alone is said to have seen about 500 people in line. Similar numbers were seen at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store (see video below).
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03/05, 4:35pm
Should fill in urban coverage cap
Apple is now doing early hiring for a retail store in Yonkers, New York, a Craigslist posting indicates. The company is searching for workers in all categories, including store leaders, Geniuses, specialists, and others. There is no clue as to when the store might open, or in what part of town, but it is not uncommon for Apple to start hiring before all details are made public.
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02/24, 3:45pm
Apple co-founder would have turned 57
Two New York City Apple fans are hosting a posthumous birthday party for Apple co-founder Steve Jobs outside Apple's Fifth Avenue retail store, the New York Post reports. The event is already underway, but should last until about 5PM Eastern time. People are expected to dance to music by Bob Dylan while the event's organizers hand out vegetarian birthday cake and black turtlenecks.
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02/16, 3:10pm
Adelaide may get next Australian outlet
Some of Apple's 2012 retail plans should involve New York and Florida in the US, and the city of Adelaide in Australia, according to ifoAppleStore sources. The Carousel Center mini-store in Syracuse, New York is expected to move into a larger space later this year, possibly to one currently under construction near a Clark's in the same mall. The current location is rare in not only being a mini-store, but having its partner full-sized store situated 95 miles away, in Albany. The new Carousel Center shop could be ready by mid-year.
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02/08, 1:25pm
Chinese supplier standards at stake
Over 250,000 signatures from petitions on Change.org and SumOfUs.org will be delivered to New York City's Grand Central Apple Store on Thursday morning, according to an announcement. The effort is part of a campaign to push Apple to develop a "worker protection strategy," in light of stories of poor labor conditions at Chinese Apple suppliers like Foxconn. Employees are known to often work extreme amount of overtime for little pay, sometimes in dangerous conditions.
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01/18, 1:20am
Would be second NYC store outside Manhattan
The New York Daily News is reporting that Heskel Group Chairman Yeheskel Elias is in "preliminary talks" with Apple about a store in the Queens section of New York City after a broker from Apple reached out several months ago. The developer, who is quoted as saying he will "do anything I can to bring Apple in," may have sabotaged the deal by speaking of it with the press. Apple generally requires participants to stay mum about future stores.
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12/19, 9:55am
Businesses, buyers snared
A sting operation involving undercover New York Police Department officers resulted in 141 arrests last week, according to an announcement. The NYPD say that having identified a number businesses throughout New York City -- including some thought to have received stolen goods before -- the undercover officers went out to sell iPhone 4s and iPad 2s with the claim that they were stolen. Devices were offered at prices between $50 and $200.
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12/09, 11:30am
Terminal jammed with visitors
The public launch of the Grand Central Apple Store in New York City has drawn hundreds of people, accounts and photos show. The outlet opened at 10AM local time, by which point many people had been waiting line. Those towards the front of the line reportedly waited overnight with sleeping bags; Apple workers distributed Smartwater bottles.
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12/07, 12:20pm
Photo shows completed interior
Apple today held a special press preview event for the Grand Central Apple Store, which opens to the public December 9th at 10AM. An accompanying press release mostly reiterates existing details, but does reveal some facts. The store will play host to 315 workers, for instance, and use not one but two Genius Bars.
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12/05, 9:35am
Premiere scheduled for 10AM Friday
Having just recently confirmed a December 9th opening, Apple has now posted an official webpage for the Grand Central Apple Store in New York City. The shop is technically located at 45 Grand Central Terminal, and on the 9th will launch at 10AM. Regular weekday hours will begin at an unusually early 7AM, just an hour after the terminal itself usually opens.
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12/02, 1:30pm
'Bring it on,' claims official press release
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has issued a press release claiming it doesn't feel threatened by the state comptroller investigation into the lease terms for the Grand Central Apple Store. "Bring it on," the release reads. "This is the best possible deal for the MTA, quadrupling the rent we receive and bringing foot traffic to Grand Central Terminal that will increase revenue from all of our retailers. We look forward to explaining the details of this competitively bid transaction to anyone who is interested."
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12/01, 9:30pm
Users report new 4G connectivity
AT&T is reportedly quietly rolling out its LTE network in certain areas around New York City, though the move has yet to be officially confirmed. Attendees at LG's special event, where the Nitro HD was unveiled, are said to have noticed that the prerelease devices were able to connect to AT&T's LTE network.
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12/01, 11:40am
Shop mired in controversy
The Grand Central Apple Store will officially open on December 9th, Apple has revealed. The digital ticker in front of the store has changed, with the "arriving soon" portion of the scroll now reading "arriving Friday, December 9." Reports initially indicated that the outlet might be open by Black Friday, Apple's usual retail deadline, but construction workers disclosed that there was too much work left to be done.
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12/01, 10:45am
Terms may have been too generous
New York state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has started an investigation into the lease behind the Grand Central Terminal Apple Store, says the New York Post. The paper recently revealed that New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority gave Apple extremely generous terms, including a much lower price per square foot, and a rare exemption on revenue sharing. The only other business in the GCT with the exemption is a Chase ATM branch.
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11/30, 12:00pm
Apple thought be paying substandard rent
Apple has managed to secure an unusually beneficially real estate deal for its upcoming Grand Central Terminal store, according to the New York Post. The paper says it has obtained copies of leases showing that Apple will be paying just $60 per square foot, "well below" what many other GCT tenants are paying. A future Shake Shack, for instance, is expected to pay over $200 per square foot.
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11/23, 3:55pm
Station officials prep for press, large crowds
Apple will officially unveil its Grand Central Terminal store on December 9th, the New York Post claims to have learned. Apple and railroad officials are said to be preparing a "splashy media event" for the premiere. The latter party is "making plans for a lot of press and accommodating Apple’s own people," a source says, while the Post elaborates that officials are preparing for swarms of Apple fans that will only compound problems caused by the terminal's normal high traffic.
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11/23, 11:00am
Outlet closer to launch, may still take time
The still-unopened Grand Central Terminal Apple Store has gained a new display advertising its imminent opening, photos and video show. Unlike most similar displays by Apple, the one for Grand Central uses a series of screens, designed to resemble the flipping tiles the station used to rely on for timetables. "Apple Store, Grand Central. Arriving soon," the ticker's main message says.
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11/22, 5:00pm
Outlet likely to miss Black Friday
Apple's new Grand Central Terminal store in New York City will actually miss Black Friday, contrary to rumors, construction workers on the project suggest. "It won’t be any time too soon," one of them is quoted as saying. "We still have a lot to do, so my guess is that it will be ready in December."
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11/21, 6:55pm
Additional rollout in GA, NH, NY
Verizon has expanded the list of cities that will be included in a mid-December LTE network rollout across several regions. Additional locations in the Northeast will include Dover, Deleware; Greater Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire; Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg and Townsend, Massachusetts; and Clintondale, Fishkill, Hyde Park, Kingston, New Paltz, Platekill, Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Saugerties and Wappingers Falls, New York.
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11/04, 10:20am
Final cost of cosmetic changes unknown
As planned, Apple has formally unveiled the updated cube sitting on top of its Fifth Avenue store in New York City. The revised structure uses just 15 panes of glass, rather than the 90 originally installed. Crews hired by Apple have also made changes to the surrounding plaza, removing bollards and upgrading or installing new water drains and pavers.
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10/31, 12:05pm
Checkout option would be limited to shelf items
Apple may be ready to unveil its overhauled Fifth Avenue cube on November 4th, sources for MacRumors claim. Work on replacing the original cube has been in progress since June, with special accommodations made to allow shoppers to continue entering the store below. The project is estimated to be costing Apple at least $6.6 million, and has seen an original 90 glass panels reduced to just 15.
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10/20, 4:10pm
Revives Tech Talk concept
Apple has unveiled plans for an iOS 5 Tech Talk World Tour. Apple experts are scheduled to visit nine cities during the tour, including Berlin, London, Rome, Beijing, Seoul, São Paolo, New York City, Seattle, and Austin. Events will start in Berlin on November 2nd and end in Austin on January 23rd. Registration for January 13th's New York City event is already full.
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09/20, 4:15pm
Replacement work still distance from completion
Apple has entered into a new phase in replacing the cube over its Fifth Avenue store, an observer notes. On Tuesday morning construction workers were spotted removing parts of the wooden support frame covering the upgraded cube's glass. The panes are still masked with a protective film, the witness remarks. Access to the store remains open; as in past weeks, people must simply enter through a temporary hallway.
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08/19, 12:50pm
Complaints kept quiet to allow confiscation
Apple is suing the operators of two stores in New York City accused of selling counterfeit accessories, Reuters reports. Although the trademark infringement case was originally filed on July 25th, it was only unsealed yesterday after a Reuters request. US laws allow a company to file a trademark infringement suit under seal so that counterfeiters can't thwart seizure operations.
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