030234 photo shortpump

AppleInsider reports that Apple retail employees are restricted from taking time off between May 20 and May 22nd.

Retail employees were told this week via e-mail that they may not request days off between May 20 and May 22, AppleInsider has learned. It was said that store managers are "very excited" about those dates, but no other details are available.

They go on to speculate that Apple may be using those days for a 10th anniversary event celebrating their retail stores. While Apple is also due to refresh the iMac computer, those simple product refreshes don't routinely result in any special retail events. The last time Apple reportedly enforced such blackout dates was due to the Verizon iPhone 4 and iPad 2 launches.

Apple opened their first retail stores on May 19, 2001 in Tysons Corner, Virginia and Glendale, California. Apple's retail store initiative was met with significant doubts from analysts at the time. A Businessweek article from 2001 titled "Sorry, Steve: Here's Why Apple Stores Won't Work" confidently predicted the doom of the stores.

Problem is, the numbers don't add up. Given the decision to set up shop in high-rent districts in Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, and Jobs's hometown of Palo Alto, Calif., the leases for Apple's stores could cost $1.2 million a year each, says David A. Goldstein, president of researcher Channel Marketing Corp. Since PC retailing gross margins are normally 10% or less, Apple would have to sell $12 million a year per store to pay for the space. Gateway does about $8 million annually at each of its Country Stores. Then there's the cost of construction, hiring experienced staff. "I give them two years before they're turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake," says Goldstein.

Apple, of course, has gone on to open over 300 stores worldwide to great success.

Update: We've received a report that this may be due to some internal training rather than any sort of event.

Top Rated Comments

qtx43 Avatar
168 months ago
Steve Jobs: Hey, I read on the internet that our retail stores' 10th anniversary is coming up.

Tim Cook: Really? We ought to do something.

Steve Jobs: Make sure there's a press release.

Tim Cook: Good thing they reminded us. How about everybody spending $100 at a store on May 19th gets a free 0.99$ iTunes credit. That'll be fun.

Steve Jobs: Make it $500.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MarximusMG Avatar
169 months ago
Its always funny to read analyst predictions that are so wrong.

Was thinking the same thing. This one was especially amusing. :D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
La Porta Avatar
169 months ago
I've got to say, the comparison with Gateway is pretty funny....where are they now?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crazy dave Avatar
169 months ago
An amusing read ...

That Business week article was amusing to read. In fairness though, predictions should always be taken with a grain of salt (unless they come from me of course) and that was before Apple starting really turning itself around. It is interesting to note though how many times the analysts have predicted doom and gloom for Apple's products and how rarely have they been right. Though halo effects from its other products helped more, the Apple retail stores certainly helped rather than hurt that turnaround happen. Anyway reading prognostications from the past is always nice for a chuckle almost regardless of subject matter. :p
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macnerd93 Avatar
169 months ago
10th Anniversary iMac? :rolleyes:

the iMac has been around for more than 10 years though, '98 the first version arrived so its 12-13 years old the iMac:D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
talkingfuture Avatar
169 months ago
Its always funny to read analyst predictions that are so wrong.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...