Apple's appeal draws hundreds
By Diane Knich
The Post and Courier
Andrew Green motions through the glass to Karey Pittaro, an Apple employee, about a iPhone game before the store opened for the first time Saturday. Following Zach Greene's, 8, (not seen) recommendation, Pittaro downloaded Zach's favorite game, Tap Tap Revenge, to her phone.
Video
Apple of my eye
The new Apple store opens on King Street - Geoff Marshall catches up with people who started lining up the night before
The new Apple Store's first customer had been waiting on the sidewalk more than 12 hours when a manager thrust open the doors of the new King Street store at 10 a.m. Saturday.
James Heyward, 20, was the first in a line of more than 400 people. The Apple aficionado, who has a tiny Apple logo tattooed on his inner forearm, was the first person of the day to purchase an iPhone 3G and get one of 1,000 free T-shirts.
The new store at 301 King St. offers technology support, warranty work, free workshops, children's programs and a "genius bar" that offers one-on-one product advice.
Apple stores are the first retail outlets to offer the company's most sought-after new products. Though Apple sells its products through retailers all over the Charleston area, its flagship shops are magnets to Mac fans.
Joseph Tomarchio arrived on King Street at 5:30 a.m. also hoping to snag an iPhone. He was 29th in line and held one of the coveted white, "pre-qualified" tickets that Apple employees had handed out to some customers before the store opened.
People can order an iPhone at other stores in Charleston, he said. But they then must wait four to six weeks or longer for the phone to come in, he said.
Tomarchio, a systems administrator, said he also uses Apple products at work. "I'm a geek," he said.
Angela Grech of Mount Pleasant, who arrived about 7:30 a.m., might not have heard the store's employees, who wore blue and orange T-shirts and cheered to get themselves fired- up before the big opening moment.
Grech stood about halfway back in the line, around the corner from the Apple Store. She said she came to get advice at the genius bar, which offers one-on-one product advice.
"My wireless mouse isn't working and they'll fix it for me," she said.
In the past, she said, she and her family had to go to Apple Stores when they were in Charlotte, N.C. or New York City.
"We're big Apple fans," she said.
Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
Sheesh! And I thought I was a nerd.
July 27, 2008 at 1:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iceman1978 (anonymous) says...
I still miss the Helly Hansen store that used to be on King St.
The iPhone is nice but I just wish it were available on other carriers.
July 27, 2008 at 1:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jhota (anonymous) says...
glad to see someone had their Haterade this morning.
the Genius Bar is a technical support source, not a product sales point. the "Geniuses" (which i do think is a silly term) are there to help fix user problems and determine whether a computer requires repair.
i've used Apple products since the Apple II days - but i've been cross-platform since the PS/2.
branding is only a small part of Apple's success; they have (and have had for years) a better design aesthetic than any of their competitors. which is nothing to be sneezed at. the hardware inside the pretty package tends to be "better" too, if more proprietary. which is fine for 99 percent of casual computer users.
so it's about time we got an Apple Store - and it fits with the "hip" image that King Street is trying to project.
July 27, 2008 at 8:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tulane75 (anonymous) says...
Why the anger and name calling? I am sure 8theistic doesn't really believe that the same products are available elsewhere at half the price. If that were true, I would be at the other place in a minute. Even if it were true, why would he or she care what other people think or do?
Personally, Apple suits me better, because with Apple I do not need to have an IT person on staff. I concede that I may not be as smart as 8theistic who probably knows about "clean install" and is advanced enough to use Windows computers.
At the same time though, I can also run Windows on my Mac, if necessary. Some experts think a Mac is the best Windows computer available. In fact, I can run Windows at the same time I am running the Mac OS!
Here's the good part! Its a free country and most Apple people are fine with the idea that 90% of the populace uses something else.
Dell and Sony make good products, but they are not the SAME product that Apple sells. Nevertheless, 8theistic is free to believe that they are the same, or to believe the sun comes up in the west for that matter.
In the US, we can believe anything we want. Heck, I believe the Cubs are going to win the World Series! What a country!
July 27, 2008 at 8:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
STREETLAW (anonymous) says...
Well you really have to give Apple a big hand for their latest and soon to be announced innovation.
Seems they have developed a breast implant that can store and play music.
The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size.
To many, this is considered a major social breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.
July 27, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
a_set_love (anonymous) says...
STREETLAW -_-_-_ " The iTit will cost from $499 to $699, depending on cup and speaker size. "
I am so "Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off", I can't type a straight line.
To think these people spent all night parking on King Street in the City of Charleston. They must have more money than sense. Risking your life like that.
The rest of the normal people in the Tri-County Metro Area have been Apple shopping at Best Buy for a while, where the prices are more reasonable and the parking is "FREE".
STREETLAW - You added a good touch to a silly, shop in the Downtown City of Charleston, advert.
July 27, 2008 at 10:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MSC (anonymous) says...
Good Bye locally owned Cumberlands and Granny's Goodies.
Hello nameless, faceless big corporation Apple.
Good Bye King Street charm, Hello Kings Street Mall.
Anyone up for an Orange Julius?
July 27, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
geekboy (anonymous) says...
"Grech stood about halfway back in the line, around the corner from the Apple Store. She said she came to get advice at the genius bar, which offers one-on-one product advice.
"My wireless mouse isn't working and they'll fix it for me," she said. "
****************
Well, since the mantra of Apple zealots is "It just works", nothing can be wrong with your hardware, can it? So I can solve this for you Angela.
It's called a battery. You can get them for less than a dollar at Wal-Mart. Or you can stand in line to pay for the privilege of having a "genius" tell you the same thing.
(twaj, nfn)
July 27, 2008 at 11:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
letstakeawalk (anonymous) says...
@ Tulane75
"At the same time though, I can also run Windows on my Mac, if necessary. Some experts think a Mac is the best Windows computer available. In fact, I can run Windows at the same time I am running the Mac OS!"
LOL! The only reason you cannot run Apple OS on a non-Apple branded computer is because they will sue you. The only reason their software exists is to sell their own hardware (which is made by ASUS and others). At least Windows will refund your money if you don't agree to their EULA. BTW, why even bother putting Windows on a Mac in the first place? What's wrong with OSX that you have to have both?
July 27, 2008 at 11:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
STREETLAW (anonymous) says...
I use to wonder about why anyone would want to use a Mac. I rationalized that it is because there are left brained and right brained people in the world and those who are graphically oriented big picture people find Apple computers more intuitive for them. But these people often miss important details that are essential to success. They talk in Messianic oratory about "change" and visions of a better world. And if they have their way it will be for them.
But then I came to realize it was people like Bill Walsh that have a lot to do with it. Every darn time the sky clouds up he warns us, "STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS!"
July 27, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tulane75 (anonymous) says...
letstakeawalk said, "The only reason their software exists is to sell their own hardware."
Answer: Huh? Is this a "trick" comment? Why else would a computer retailer be in business, but to sell their wares?
letstakeawalk said, "Why even bother putting Windows on a Mac in the first place?
Answer: BECAUSE I CAN!
July 27, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jhota (anonymous) says...
i can understand MSC missing Cumberland's, and therefore not being a fan of the "mall-ization" of King Street in the person of the Apple Store.
but the rest of the anti-Apple Store folks here seem to be anti-Apple because it's different and not their preference. look: you're just as bad as the rabid Apple zealots.
this is a news story, not an unpaid advert. when was the last time a new store opening in the Charleston area drew a notable crowd? really? maybe Northwoods Mall in '72? whether you like the store, or will shop there, the fact there's enough pent-up demand (and yes, Apple fanboys) to create the hullabaloo i saw Saturday morning is noteworthy.
8theistic: Macs are good for whatever one wishes to use a computer for. not everyone is a super-duper ultra-user like you and willing to run Linux. the vast majority of computer users know nothing about the way the machine works, and don't want to. they want something they can take home, turn on, and start getting email with. or surfing the internet. or playing games. Macs do all these things very well (as do the preconfigured products from other vendors, like Dell).
and STREETLAW? "... Messianic oratory about "change" and visions of a better world... " you know Rush Limbaugh is a Mac fanatic, right? El Rushbo has spent at least $54k on Mac computers this year alone (he bought six maxed-out Mac Pros in February). so not everyone who uses a Mac is a raging liberal hippie. condecension and intentionally inflammatory political references inserted into a discussion of computer choice seems a bit childish. and beside the point.
what happened to the idea of personal choice? the folks who camped out overnight to be first in live in a free country. that should mean the right to be free to do dumb things, too. they didn't do anything to hurt you folks that are berating their choice (that i know of). so what's got your knickers in a twist?
July 27, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jbr1039 (anonymous) says...
THIS is what's making Charleston such a horrible place to live! I just finished reading about how the police spent all this time and money cleaning up the streets from the drunks until 2:00 am, just to have all these "Apple People" descend on the city and loiter on King St in the early hours. These people should stay show some responsibility and stay home and use Microsoft products like good citizens! Yes, it might be fun now to buy your iPhone for $400, be part of the cheering crowd, but just wait until it becomes obsolete, then who will be laughing? Mayor Joe and the rest of Team 2 should have swooped down and locked these ne'er do wells up! Who knows? These people could be congregating in parking lots or on the streets talking loudly on their cell phones at 7:30am!!!! These geeks should be made to stay home and play on their PCs at that hour like every other Gates fearing Microsoft user and not ruin Charleston for the rest of us!
July 27, 2008 at 12:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jeff61 (anonymous) says...
I bet Apple will sue the kid that stole thier logo and had it tatooed on his arm
July 27, 2008 at 7:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
voyager12 (anonymous) says...
If we needed any more proof that most of King St has jumped the shark this is it. There should be an agressive program to encourage and support the locally owned shops left on Upper King.
July 28, 2008 at 7:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
512c (anonymous) says...
I have been using macs since day one, and pc's
Not a big fan of the ideal that to shave or tatooo a logo to ones body makes you and individual....
hmm it looks like apple may have paid some people to clap there in that video, reminds me too much of a religious group.
July 28, 2008 at 8:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MissVAbch (anonymous) says...
Lot's of apple haters here. What is the problem? Must be jealousy. Or uneducated.
Once you go Mac, you never go back. Ha!
July 28, 2008 at 9:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
letstakeawalk (anonymous) says...
@ Tulane75
I wasn't trying to "trick" anybody; I was just responding to your implication that an Apple PC is superior because it can run Windows OS and OSX. Any computer can run any OS, as long as hardware requirements are met.
You can install OSX on your Windows Box, and it will run. But Apple refuses to let other hardware manufacturers install OSX. Why not? Because then it would expose OSX to the wide variety of hardware that Windows is exposed to - and people would realize that OSX is as problematic as any other OS. I'm not a hater, just a realist.
My second question was simple: if you like OSX so much, and Apple provides a superior experience, then why is one of the first things many Mac users do to install Windows? It just seems silly to me to buy a premium-priced system solely because you like the software (we've established that Apples are the same hardware as other PCs), and then go and install a totally new operating sytem. What's wrong with using Apple's word processor?
I get the "because I can" ethic... but sometimes it just doesn't make sense.
"I bought a brand-new BMW M3 with one of the best V-8's in the business, but I think I'd rather put in a Chevy crate motor because my mechanic knows how to fix those..."
July 28, 2008 at 11:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
iceman1978 (anonymous) says...
voyager, I try to support local businesses whenever I can. When I shop for clothes I usually go to Berlin's, Ben Silver, M Dumas or Gwynn's. James Island has a great coffee shop across from Blockbuster that's every bit as good as Starbuck's. Also, Folly Beach still has its main street businesses.
July 28, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
FiscalConservative (anonymous) says...
Early you can get the old iPhone cheaper because it was crap. It is a toy that cannot be used well for business. They will never overtake the blackberry.
July 28, 2008 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Tulane75 (anonymous) says...
Its not every news article that keeps the comments coming for two days.
I don't have an iPhone, but I hear there is an app that will make the iPhone into a phone (light) saber.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightsaber
One thing you need Windows to do that you can't (at least I can't) do on a Mac is listen to Bobby Hartin!
July 28, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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