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Wi-Fi provider Gowex has turned on its Wi-Fi network covering New York City, providing free Internet access to residents and tourists. Covering the areas of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, the 1,953-hotspot network is available to anyone wanting to use the 1-megabit connection through their mobile device.
Sprint is enabling its 4G LTE network in areas, without officially announcing a market as "live." Areas including New York City, Washington D.C., and San Francisco are finding some locations are getting 4G LTE service, though not a blanket coverage of entire areas as usually associated with normal network rollouts.
The rollout by City24/7 of 32-inch touch-screen information kiosks in New York City has begun, offering details on local destinations, news, as well as emergency and government-related alerts. So far, ten payphone sites have been refitted with the SmartScreen displays, with this initial trial set to convert a total of 250 kiosks in the five-borough area over the next few months.
Time Warner Cable is investing $25 million into expanding fiber-based broadband in New York City. Boasting speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second, the new network will be built in Brooklyn and parts of Manhattan and hopes to gain new business-based customers with high data throughput requirements, including those situated in the Flatiron and Financial districts.
New York City has started a pilot program to add Wi-Fi access to its payphones. The new scheme sees an initial ten kiosks gain cost- and advertisement-free public Wi-Fi in the city, with a view to expanding the service to more locations if it is considered a success.
Two of Apple's New York City stores will be participating in the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival with free events and workshops throughout the week of the event, April 20-28. In addition to panels of filmmakers and actors, there will also be a "What's New in Filmmaking" event with product demos, and the company is also promoting an official Tribeca Film Festival app for iOS (free) in the App Store. Final Cut, iMovie and even the iWork suite will be the subject of daytime workshops as well.
Following on its recent promotion to air travelers for free Wi-Fi during the past holiday week, Skype will be offering free Skype Wi-Fi for New Year's Eve and Day in New York City. For 24 hours, the VoIP provider will be letting revelers have general Internet access. The promotion runs from noon Saturday until noon on Sunday.
While those strongly invested in the latest Apple news are often well aware of planned Apple Store openings months before they happen, the actual preparation work for securing the sites are often veiled in Apple's notorious secrecy. On the eve of the New York City Grand Central Station opening, CNN has launched a two-part report on the sometimes preferential, sometimes deferential treatment Apple demands of its retail landlords.
The launch of the iPhone 4S so far appears to be drawing major crowds in the US. At the company's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City, the lineup reportedly stretched around two sides of the block. While last year's iPhone 4's lineup is said to have wrapped around four sides, rain is thought to be keeping some 4S buyers at home for the time being.
New glass panels have arrived for the rebuilding of Apple's iconic glass cube at its Fifth Avenue store in New York City, TUAW reports with the help of photographer Justin Parmer. The original cube, which cost the company around $7 million to construct has been dismantled and will be replaced with a new one that follows a similar design but uses 15 much larger panes of glass rather than the 90 the previous cube required. A video showing the arrival of the glass is below.
Apple has opted to close at least some of its New York City locations this weekend in response to the threat of Hurricane Irene, which is predicted to hit the city in approximately 24 hours, MacRumors reports. The company is closing its West 14h Street, SoHo, Upper West Side, and Staten Island stores on Saturday and Sunday, and will also close its iconic Fifth Avenue store for the weekend as well, contrary to earlier reports. The city's mass transit system is also closing beginning at noon on Saturday.
Apple is expanding its non-retail presence in New York City, BusinessInsider is reporting, with an additional 40,000 square feet in a 1906 Flatiron building on Fifth Avenue. The company's iAd group already resides in a 10,000 square foot space within the same building, and the report characterizes the additional footage as "executive offices" and says Apple will use the space to "launch new business projects."
New York City has plans to test a “pay-by-phone” parking meter smartphone application. The app will alert users when their meter is close to expiring and give them the opportunity to remotely top-up the meter. Initially, the trial will be rolled out to 300 parking spaces for a one-year pilot program. NYC transport officials argue that they system, already used in Atlanta and Washington, will offer convenience for users and cost savings for the city.
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.
Committee members from New York City's Metro Transit Authority have provided further details surrounding the Grand Central Apple Store proposal, which was confirmed earlier today following a number of leaks. Previous reports suggest Apple will face $800,000 for annual rent as part of the agreement, however the yearly charge is said to jump by an additional $300,000 after the first ten years.
Grand Central Terminal management is reportedly ready to approve Apple's proposal for a retail outlet in the 42nd Street terminal station. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which handles the leasing arrangements for the building, is expected to allow an Apple Store to be added on the balcony overlooking the main hall, unnamed sources have told The New York Times.
Apple has reportedly settled on plans to build a new flagship retail location within Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Recent reports suggested the company was considering the new location, but unnamed sources have allegedly told Cult of Mac that the decision has been made and application process has begun.
Apple is setting up a new Manhattan office for its iAd sales team, several sources claim. The space is said to be located near Union Square, and should replace or complement an existing office in SoHo. The latter is actually a former home of Quattro Wireless, which Apple acquired for $275 million in order to found iAd. The SoHo office is believed to be too small, however, never meant to hold more than 30 people.
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.
Brooklyn-based alternative rock band Atomic Tom organized an impromptu performance using only iPhones and a battery-powered speaker system. Using apps for vocals, keyboards, guitar and drums, the band members played "Take Me Out," the lead single from their debut album The Moment, on a New York City subway train.
Since the beginning of iPad pre-orders in March of this year, Apple stores have experienced a sales surge that has been maintained through the summer, with the chain outperforming the average purchase figure for the electronics and software retail sector as a whole by about 20 percent in New York City, statistics show.
A private telecommunications company has proposed adding Wi-Fi service to two New York City area train lines. Mobilitie, which operates the free Wi-Fi service NYFI, submitted the proposal to build a wireless network for the Metro North and Long Island Rail Road lines. The service would be free to riders. The network and service would be built and supported by revenue from ads.
Apple's iPad marketing efforts are being helped through two different public exposures, reports note. In Tampa Bay, Florida, Watergrass Elementary School has given away 16GB Wi-Fi iPads to 13 fifth-graders, a gift for the students as they graduate to the sixth grade. The tablets are also meant to help with future homework and research. An Apple saleswoman who has worked with Watergrass, Andrea Barr, says a photo from the giveaway may be used in an upcoming ad.
Officials at Yankee Stadium in New York City are now preventing people from carrying iPads into Yankees games, the Associated Press writes. The policy is an extension of one affecting notebooks, and MLB Advanced Media CEO Bob Bowman claims it was put in place to prevent people from becoming "distracted and getting hit in the face with a ball." Anecdotes suggest that it may still be possible to smuggle one in at personal risk.
T-Mobile has announced ongoing expansion of its HSPA+ network which brings faster 3G data speeds for subscribers. The company's HSPA+ network has been broadened in the New York City metropolitan area, including New Jersey and Long Island, along with other New York Cities such as Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.
Some workers at Apple's SoHo retail store in New York City are discriminating against Chinese people, according to a Queens assemblywoman. Grace Meng notes that she has been approached by several disgruntled shoppers, who allege being denied iPads with inappropriate questions, such as wanting to see passports. "One person was asked why they wanted one since their English was not so good," adds Meng.
Apple and AT&T have been targeted in yet another lawsuit over the initial lack of MMS support on the iPhone. The latest suit, which aims to establish class-action status, has been filed in New York City. As with the other disputes, frustrated customers claim Apple and AT&T mislead customers into believing MMS functionality would be added sometime in June to the iPhone 3G and 3GS.
Jason Barry, 17 years old, has been charged with making a terrorist threat at the Staten Island Apple Store, writes the New York Post. Prosecutors allege that Barry promised "bloody death" with a bomb note left on a screen in the store, signed under the name of a friend's father. Sometime after Barry left, an Apple worker discovered the note and called police.
Without some intervention from Apple or the police, a replacement iPhone will go to a thief and not the original owner, a robbery victim claims. Identifying herself only as Alisa, the victim notes that her iPhone was stolen over two weeks ago in a Brooklyn subway. No progress had been made until recently, when the thief asked for a replacement phone through AppleCare. A notification e-mail was sent to Alisa's address.
(Updated with policy reversal) AT&T has temporarily put a stop on online iPhone sales to New York City, multiple reports say. While residents can still buy the device from AT&T retail outlets, as well as Apple Stores, representatives from AT&T are said to be refusing to sell anything more than a refurbished 8GB iPhone 3G, even over the phone. "We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels," says AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook.
Apple has revealed that its Upper West Side store -- based in New York City -- will open to the public at 10AM on November 14th. The outlet is Apple's fourth in Manhattan and 280th worldwide; it will employ over 200 workers, and on its basement level feature the company's "largest area ever" devoted to training and tech support, for instance incorporating a 45-foot Genius Bar. Normal operating hours will run from 9AM to 9PM Monday through Saturday, and 9AM to 7PM on Sunday.
Apple has sent out media invitations for a preview of the company's fourth Manhattan retail store, scheduled to occur November 14th. The store is situated in the Upper West Side of the island, at the corner of Broadway and 67th; neighbors include the Lincoln Center and the Julliard School. It is still unknown when doors will open to the general public.
Apple is finally on the verge of finishing its fourth Manhattan retail store, eyewitness reports note. The outlet is situated at the corner of Broadway and 67th, near Lincoln Center and the Julliard School. Likely because of a more elaborate design in a prestigious neighborhood, the store has taken some time to build, having been in development for well over a year.
Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer confirmed plans to open several new retail locations in France and New York City. The executive, speaking at an investor conference call, mentioned that the company is finally ready to reveal the store at Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. Although the project was initially acknowledged by Apple in June of last year, reports early this year suggested construction had begun to stagnate.
Nearly a third of all iPhone calls made in the New York City area are dropped, according to a Genius Bar technician at Apple's SoHo retail store. A person who recently brought his iPhone 3G to the outlet says he complained of being repeatedly disconnected, thinking the issue was related to faulty hardware. On testing, the Genius is noted to have discovered that over 22 percent of the phone's calls had been dropped.
Apple has picked out an area for its latest New York City store, according to the company's retail chief, Ron Johnson. Speculated for some time, the shop will open later this year in the upper West Side of Manhattan, joining three other stores on the island including the famous Fifth Avenue flagship outlet. No specific building site has been announced, but some rumors have proposed that it could be established near Lincoln Center, or possibly within the Time Warner Center, which is already home to a number of luxury-oriented businesses.
Apple's flagship store in New York City is likely producing the highest gross of any shop along Fifth Avenue, says the executive VP of Newmark Knight Frank Retail, a New York real estate broker. Jeffrey Roseman comments that the cube-shaped Apple Store probably has annual sales of over $350 million, despite only occupying 10,000 square feet in its luxury shopping district. Faith Hope Consolo, a division chairman at Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, notes that Apple could be the all-time champion of Fifth Avenue sales, though Apple does not publicize individual store revenues.
In early-morning launches at carrier and Apple Stores, the iPhone 3G S has gone on sale in different eight countries, including the likes of the United States, Canada, France and Germany. The most prominent launch so far has been the one at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City, where despite less press coverage and lower publicity from Apple, approximately 200 people waited in line to be some of the first in the US to own a 3G S. The Soho and 14th Street stores in New York bore witness to smaller lineups.
Apple's flagship store in New York City has proven extremely profitable, reporting sales of approximately $440 million a year, according to the New York Post. Part of this may be attributable to people shopping less in the SoHo area, instead purchasing more goods at Fifth Avenue stores. Such behavior would be odd however, considering that Fifth Avenue stores typically have shorter hours than their SoHo counterparts. The Fifth Avenue Apple Store pulls in at least some extra revenue as a result of being open 24 hours a day.
Information has emerged on two new Apple Stores, located on opposite sides of the United States. The most prominent is Apple's fourth New York City outlet, which while acknowledged by the company has not been given an official location. Reports now suggest that the store is under construction in Manhattan's Upper West Side, at the corner of 67th and Broadway. The site was formerly a Victoria's Secret, but has already been surrounded by a facade resembling the cubic shape of an Apple Store. Photos can be seen below.
Apple is looking at taking over a thrift shop in order to set up a dedicated Brooklyn retail store, claims Gothamist. Anonymous source say the company has already bought a building at 176 Bedford Avenue, on the corner of North 7th Street; the location is not empty and up for lease, as is usually the case with Apple's acquisitions, but presently occupied by the Salvation Army. The church may be looking to sell however, as earlier rumors suggested the building could become a McDonald's restaurant.
Apple's flagship American store, the Fifth Avenue location in New York City, will temporarily close on July 10th, Apple has announced. The store will shutdown at midnight on the 10th, and only reopen several hours later at 8AM, allowing preparations for some of the first North American sales of the iPhone 3G. The closing is notable in that the Fifth Avenue location is normally open 24 hours a day, year-round, making tomorrow a rare disruption.
Four Brooklyn men have been arrested in connection with a scam involving the iPhone, writes the New York Times. Michel Origval, Elorge Zamy, Ulyses Campbell and Christopher Thervil have been charged with robbery and possession of a weapon, following a string of incidents in which people responded to Craigslist ad promoting a bulk sale of iPhones. The men would arrange meetings with potential buyers on Flatbush street corners, only to steal money and any other possessions they had with them.
A massive line formed unexpectedly today at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City, observers say. Accounts indicate that at one stage during the day the line was in excess of 60 people long, even though customers can technically visit the shop at any time of day or night, bypassing the large crowds at peak periods. Lines only typically form at the Fifth Avenue store for major launches, such as that of the iPhone.
Apple is focusing in its hunt for an additional New York City store, according to the New York Post. "Sources" tell the newspaper that after having considered the linked locations of 15 Broad Street and 23 Wall Street, it is now concentrating on the latter, and in the middle of serious leasing negotiations with Robert K. Futterman and Associates. A representative for Apple at RKF, Karen Bellantoni, has declined to comment on the issue.
Apple is planning to open its first retail store in Maine this year, the Portland Press Herald reports. The newspaper observes that Apple's official job listings mention a location in the Maine Mall, and listings on Monster.com refer to openings for artists, store managers, sales representatives and inventory specialists. An Apple spokeswoman has refused to confirm either half of the equation, but has not denied any claims either.
Apple is claiming that a new logo for New York City's GreeNYC campaign is too similar to its own. According to Wired, the GreeNYC logo shows a stylized apple with a stalk and a leaf that bears a resemblance to Apple's famous logo. When the city applied for a trademark on the logo, Apple filed a formal opposition, claiming that a trademark grant on the logo would "seriously injure the reputation which [Apple] has established for its goods and services." The city of New York stated, in response: "The city believes that Apple's claims have no merit and that no consumer is likely to be confused. This well-known city is using its new design in a variety of contexts that have absolutely nothing to do with Apple Inc."
Linkin Park's Apple Store concert, hinted at by band member Mike Shinoda, was played last night at the New York City SoHo location. The event got underway just after midnight according to reports, and was filmed and recorded for a later release on the iTunes Store, sources for Billboard say. The finished product will likely be ready in March, featuring songs such as "Wake," "My December" and "Bleed It Out."
Linkin Park and Apple are putting together a "secret" concert in New York City, according to band member Mike Shinoda. He writes on his blog that the band had recently won its second German Echo award, and is preparing to play a sold-out show in Madison Square Gardens, before briefly mentioning the "secret" project. According to AppleInsider, this could potentially coincide with a highly rumored Apple event, but is unlikely, since Apple has not sent out invitations.
A new location has been suggested for Apple's long-rumored retail store in Brooklyn, New York City. Added to the list of possible sites is 345 Adams Street, a formerly city-owned plot bought for the creation of upper-class shops and restaurants. Sources in the real estate industry claim that Apple is one of several retailers considering a portion of the 40,000 square feet being made available for retail, located inside a former court building.
