Apple Store at Fashion Show has delicious appeal

Kirk Baird

Friday, Nov. 8, 2002 | 9:58 a.m.

One of the biggest knocks against Macintosh computers has always been the perceived lack of products -- both hardware and software -- and customer support.

Most electronics chains don't carry Apple. The few chains that do, often relegate Macs to back-of-the-store status, along with a paltry software selection: numbering in the hundreds as compared to the thousands of titles for PCs.

And, frankly, the staff managing these Apple sections are often not always up-to-date on Apple products. Questions beyond price and basic features -- specifics on the Mac operating system, for example -- could well be answered with simple shrugs and mutterings of "I don't know. Have you checked the Apple website?"

But Apple is attempting to remedy these problems. Over the past few years, the Cupertino, Calif.,-based computer manufacturer has opened 46 Apple stores nationwide, including in Las Vegas at the Fashion Show mall.

The store, which opened Saturday, was good news to the Macintosh faithful in town, which turned out in full force for the store's debut.

Doug Hanley, president of the Vegas Macintosh Users Group (VMUG), was the second person in line when the store opened its doors at 9 a.m. He said the store was giving away T-shirts to the first 1,000 customers, but those quickly went.

"I left for an hour and a half and by the time I got back, all the T-shirts were gone," Hanley said. "I'd say by the end of the day, two or three thousand people were there."

While the Apple Store had no official numbers for opening-day attendance by the Mac faithful, store manager Carrie Harrison said she was pleased.

"I'm excited about the turnout," she said. "It was a successful (opening)."

Much of the throng were there simply to check out the new store, which, not coincidentally, resembles one of the newer Mac models: sleek, stylish and basic, with light-colored hardwood floors, bright white walls and minimalist decor.

Besides the newest Mac models on display -- from the $1,099 eMac to a $3,299 top-of-the-line Power Mac G4 -- there are sections for music, digital cameras, movies, and software, with several shelves crammed full of the latest Mac programs. There is also a special section for children.

Mac users -- novice and pro alike -- can get free assistance from Apple store staff at the "Genius Bar."

"You sit down and bring your machine in if you're having an issue or you need to learn something," said Stacey Brown, regional director for Apple. "They're there to help you with it. We have a very extensive training program (and) we have people familiar with both the Mac and PC platform.

"What I love about our people is that they have a passion for the product."

"Passion" may be putting it mildly. Mac users are known for their almost cultlike devotion to Apple.

After all, why else would there be such a large turnout for a store opening?

Hanley compares the fanaticism to Mac with buying a Porsche and Mercedes instead of a Plymouth.

"It's a better-quality machine, better experience in both ease of use and design," Hanley said. "Plus, it works."

Digs at the stability of a Windows-based machine aside, Hanley said having an Apple store in town will only help boost VMUG enrollment, which stands at 180 members.

"What it means to the Macintosh Users Group is new lifeblood," he said. "(And) I think it's definitely going to increase ownership (of Macs)."

As for how the Apple store will compete with CompUSA, which carries Macs, and Century 23 Computers and Technology, a Mac-only store, Brown said its mutually beneficial.

"We have great partnerships with our neighborhood retailers," she said. "They send customers to us and we send customers to them. And whenever you can create more brand recognition in the public's eye, it only benefits everyone. It creates a bigger brand presence."