Apple Store staff outnumber queues as new iPad goes on sale Braying hordes of fanbois hungry for new iPads failed to turn up outside Blighty's Apple stores today despite months of rumour, hype and speculation. Although slab shoppers were nonchalant in London, they were positively wet in Scotland. A queue of hundreds swiftly ebbed away outside the fruity tech titan's Regent Street …
Have you never realised people who more money than you could possibly have _more_ sense than you?
The Reg hasn't covered it so no one is to know but the guy at the front is brain damaged. He does amazing things considering his disability and he was queueing with the help of his friends and family.
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for the barriers - must have had local council/police OK - obstruction of the pavement is an offence.
PS - the look of those Apple staff doesn't fill me with confidence in their skills. I did say "look" though. does anyone know any good questions to see if the staff are up to speed (or to wind them up?)
Apple probably paid for the barriers, this is normal with a 'sales' like event.
Westminster Council are very fussy about the pavement being blocked, especially across the road in Soho where they will impose the most draconian measures and threaten to shut the business down, whereas their contractors can get away with blue murder.
"Apple Store staff outnumber queues". Well, of course!
Just how many queues do you need? Do you really need more than one queue?
Anyway, from what I could tell from the photos, even if there would have been more than one queue, the store staff would STILL have outnumbered the queuees.
Unless you count empty queues.
Doesn't "staff" cover all the employees?
In which case, there would be an equal number of queues and staff.
Unless the purchasers get out of hand and start forming queues in different places. Is there a One True Till in an Apple shop, or are their many paths to Purchase?
I suppose one or more of the staff could have brought a staff into the shop, but that might mean they meant to go to a WoW convention. It does seem unlikely though - would you bring the Staff of Weirdness [+2 Clapping] to work? Oh wait...
I'm not sure what happens if the staff have a staff infection.
It's time to get my coat.
The terms seems to get some peoples backs up. But when they turn up to buy the item 4 days before it's released I think all of the mocking is appropriate.
The lack of normal stupidity is a good sign, perhaps people have finally realised that queuing at midnight to buy the next, slightly updated version of what you already have is a complete mugs game.
Nah doubt people learned "that queuing at midnight to buy the next, slightly updated version of what you already have is a complete mugs game."
I think its more along the lines of Steve Jobs being dead. Without anyone doing huge press reviews, while wearing a black turtle neck to look different, telling them it was the newest most revolutionary device ever made that would make their life complete they obviously didn't queue up.
"or ordered from John Lewis to take advantage of the 2 year warranty instead of the usual 1 year warranty."
The European Directive 1999/44/EC says all EU countries have to ensure a retailer can be held liable for all "non-conformities" which manifest within two years from delivery, and the Sale Of Goods Act should cover faults in the goods themselves (for the thick end of the six years given the premium status and price associated with Apple). The John Lewis route would most likely be the more convenient route however, but not the only one.
They can, but under the Sale of Goods Act the responsibility is on the consumer to prove the "non conformity" after 6 months of ownership in the event of the retailer not cooperating. A two year "no questions" warrant is more than just "likely" to be more convenient than paying an independent expert to prove the fault and then attempting to recoup that from the retailer.
"A two year "no questions" warrant is more than just "likely" to be more convenient than paying an independent expert to prove the fault and then attempting to recoup that from the retailer."
Of course - "in the event of the retailer not cooperating" as you say - but the 'likely' was taking into account those retailers for which this would not be an issue, as well as those that would. My own experience with taking goods back to high street retailers for faulty goods outside of the usual one year warranty has so far been very good (although perhaps not a huge sample size) - which suggests that some of them, at least, tend to understand the intent of the law - and/or the potential issues of nick-picking the letter of it.
I'm not knocking the extra convenience of John Lewis' warranty - it's something I use when judging purchases myself, even if it's not (in reality) a 'no questions' one - I was merely try to highlight certain rights for those that might not be 100% aware.
I'd rather give my iMac to the cretins on Jeremy Kyle to repair.
A girl I met at an apple store a few months ago had brought in her iMac as John Lewis had sent the thing back worse than what it was sent in. Covered in gunk, issue not fixed and a chipped stand.
Must admit to being completely amazed - I expected hordes of braying fanbois (and gurlz) to be taking up entire blocks of pavement, all a-twitter about how they're queueing for a V3 via their V2 tablets with their V1 as a backup in case the battery died.
But no. It's like some kind of crazy outbreak of common sense or something.
Maybe everyone mail-ordered this time round? Perhaps bosses got wise and wouldn't allow any annual leave on a launch day to improve their own chances!
One of our execs has just returned his iPad2 to the service desk with a massive dent in the side and unresponsive controls.
Funnily enough his iPad1 screen mysteriously shattered on the launch day of the iPad2.
I'm pleased his bad luck won't mean a long queue for whichever wonk has to head over to Apple's shop with a corporate credit card.
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