Apple Store Ireland

jpfahy

Apple stores seem to be springing up around the UK, why are there none here. Are there any plans to open one. You would think that there would be at least one here seeing as Apple have A base here (Cork)

Creamy Goodness

there was one on kildare street, it has been closed for about 2 years now.

spectra photo/o2/3g stores could all i suppose be branded as apple stores.

still i'd love to see a new apple store opening up as with the upcoming iphone and appleTV could see the increase in sales to justify re-opening a store.

Shane O' Malley

The 3G Store in Galway is Irelands First Premier Apple Reseller.

Should be able to get most Apple products there.

jpfahy

Theres a lot more to the Apple Store than just getting a Mac. They have the Genius Bar where experts can answer questions on Macs, iPods, Software, etc. and they do lectures on Mac related topics. The Regent Street store gives free lectures on the hour all day up to 9pm some nights. It has a little lecture theatre which is also a free wifi hotspot. Also they have loads of machines, ipods and all the aproved peripherals on display and you are encouraged to play with them. You won't get that in a 3G shop...

Cabaal

Shane O' Malley wrote:

The 3G Store in Galway is Irelands First Premier Apple Reseller.

Should be able to get most Apple products there.

sadly still not a Apple store and if any of the other 3G stores is anything to go by they have a awful selection of products and no jack about them

whippet

the shop on kildare street was part of compustore and closed it's doors the same day that compustore did.

Apple really have no interest in investing in the Irish retail market .. it's too small and they are quite happy to have 3G, Spectra, O2 etc paying the premium rents and to stock their retail products.

Apple depend on the independent Business to business resellers like Galmac, Typetec, The MacShop, Mactivate etc.. to support the customers and provide service outside of the retail arena. ... xServes etc.

Urban Weigl

You could always buy from Apple online direct from www.apple.com/iestore/

Just like Dell...

Shane O' Malley

The 3G store in Galway has an Apple Expert on Site, demo machines plus all the accessories.

It is mainly a Apple store rather than a Mobile Phone store.

trout

Urban Weigl wrote:

You could always buy from Apple online direct from www.apple.com/iestore/

Just like Dell...

now that's a little harsh ... i've always had good experiences with the Apple Store:D

seriously though, the Apple Store does have some great deals, especially with external hard drives, and the Refurb section is excellent if you are on a tight budget.

Fast turnaround times too, I've ordered stuff on Fridays, and had it delivered the following Tuesday.

heggie

i think theres definately room for an apple store in ireland (even if its one of their 'mini' stores!), not only the brand awareness it would bring, back in the day when I used to sell them, we never had enough, and the demand was growing, i'm sure there is much more demand now - they would probably aggrevate the current dealers now tho if they were to open a store

parsi

Urban Weigl wrote:

You could always buy from Apple online direct from www.apple.com/iestore/

Just like Dell...

Aye but it's a pain wiping drool off your own keyboard... much better to leave it for the Genius or 5th-initiate-in-the-rite-of-the-adepts-of-st-steve to do.

monkeyfudge

The online apple store is terrible.. I've had so many problems with them over the years.

Only last month they sent me an order acknowledgment via email... freaked me out as it was for a bunch of stuff and I hadn't placed an order with them for ages. But on closer inspection it was someone else's order acknowledgment which they'd sent to me for no reason at all... You have to wonder how secure their ordering system is if they're sending other peoples details out randomly.

rip2roar

There is one just off Grafton street in the city centre. Head towards Trinity, it is beside Boyle Sports

xebec

rip2roar wrote:

There is one just off Grafton street in the city centre. Head towards Trinity, it is beside Boyle Sports

That's a spectra store with a small mac section. The O2 store halfway up Grafton St has as much if not more.

eamon234

There's one in Galway that has been established for years called Galmac they're pretty good

http://www.galmac.ie/

and also one in Limerick called Compu B

http://www.compub.ie/

While not actual Apple stores they have both been resellers for many years and are very experienced and I'll pick them over some ponce in a mobile phone store who's had a week's training and thinks he knows it all.

BostonB

jpfahy wrote:

Apple stores seem to be springing up around the UK, why are there none here. Are there any plans to open one. You would think that there would be at least one here seeing as Apple have A base here (Cork)

There used to be loads of Apple Resellers but a lot of them closed down. Simply isn't the sales volume to support them I assume.

heggie

the margins apple set are ridiculous, i would guess it's more to do with that, as sales are consistantly growing for apple.

Cabaal

heggie wrote:

the margins apple set are ridiculous, i would guess it's more to do with that, as sales are consistantly growing for apple.

Only in more recent times imho, Intel chips have helped tbh

Thumper Long

Apple themselves reckon it could be 5 years before they open a store here as there is a huge amount of work involved in setting up in a new country and they only see dublin as a viable market volume wise, personally i cant see the problem but thats the sh11te i was told direct from the head honchos in cork

*Tripper*

I've been into many Apple stores over the years but I just don't know if they'd work here! Also they "experts" in these 3g, o2 etc. stores are rubbish. They wouldn't know a panther from a tiger....

ethernet

Shane O' Malley wrote:

The 3G Store in Galway is Irelands First Premier Apple Reseller.

Should be able to get most Apple products there.

Was in there a few weeks ago. Didn't see any minis. Maybe they're just not on show.

lfc1892

whippet wrote:

the shop on kildare street was part of compustore and closed it's doors the same day that compustore did.

Apple really have no interest in investing in the Irish retail market .. it's too small and they are quite happy to have 3G, Spectra, O2 etc paying the premium rents and to stock their retail products.

Apple depend on the independent Business to business resellers like Galmac, Typetec, The MacShop, Mactivate etc.. to support the customers and provide service outside of the retail arena. ... xServes etc.

I've heard on the Grapevine that there is an Apple Store in the pipeline for Limerick. They are looking at locations and expect to have it up an running in the next 12 to 18 months (it's insider information so I believe it to be true!, I can't say more about it though cos I'm submitting my CV!)

Cabaal

lfc1892 wrote:

I've heard on the Grapevine that there is an Apple Store in the pipeline for Limerick. They are looking at locations and expect to have it up an running in the next 12 to 18 months (it's insider information so I believe it to be true!, I can't say more about it though cos I'm submitting my CV!)

I really doubt it would be an official apple store. most likely a reseller or dealer as I'd bet money on it that any store thats opened will likely be in Dublin.

lfc1892

Cabaal wrote:

I really doubt it would be an official apple store. most likely a reseller or dealer as I'd bet money on it that any store thats opened will likely be in Dublin.

Oh it is a Reseller under Franchise. Now, it won't be like the Regent Street Store but it will be branded "Apple Store".

Why not Limerick before Dublin? It would be cheaper to have it in Limerick because they charge the same price for the products but have less taxes to pay and rents are lower.

Oh, I have to say this, I love the Regent Street store!

Irish Halo

Why not Limerick before Dublin?

Co. Limerick ~131,000 people
Co. Dublin ~ 1,186,000 people
Ireland ~ 4,200,000 people

So Dublin has 9 times the population of Limerick and contains about a third of the country's population.

I'm not saying it's better but with those numbers Apple would go with Dublin first and IF they did go for somewhere outside Dublin I would have thought Cork would be the location due to their European HQ being based there.

whippet

the apple plant in cork really isn't a HQ most of the european operations are based out of Uxbridge near heathrow .. the apple store and and CS are based in Holyhill plus some of the manufactoring for the MacPros