BrandBrains

I want an iPhone 3g.

I haven’t purchased one yet because the waiting time on “the iPhone line” at Apple retail stores is just more than I can invest on any given day.

But the iPhone 3g doesn’t represent the only bit of coin I intend to drop at The Apple Store: I’m also planning to get a new MacBook as my first generation machine is showing its age after nearly 3 years.

My “CFO” (A.K.A. “My Management“; A.K.A. My Wife) suggested that I wait until after our summer vacation to get my new MacBook. OK. Fine.

Then I had an idea: if I bought a new BlackBook now (a top-of-the-line black MacBook), couldn’t I also purchase and activate an iPhone 3g (a top-of-the-line, 16 GB white iPhone 3g) at the same time? What self-respecting, capitalist, cash-motivated store manager wouldn’t want that, right?

An Apple Store Manager.

A “Genius” at the Apple Store in Soho told me, “that’s the official policy.”

Now, I understand managers at Apple retail stores need to keep the line-sitting iPhone fanboys/girls happy and motivated - these customers don’t want to watch someone walking out of the store with a new iPhone 3g after only a few minutes while they’ve waited for hours to get their hands on their precious iPhone.

That said, I’m offering to accelerate my purchase of a new piece of Apple hardware just so that I can purchase still more Apple hardware.

WTF!?

Put another way: I’m offering to spend more money at an Apple Store, so that I can have the privilege of spending money at an Apple Store.

Is it just me or is that a freakin’ crazy policy? Can anyone else confirm this is the “official” policy?

UPDATE: I’ve received a few comments/questions from some folks on my little rant. (Thanks. Why not just post them in the comments next time?)

1) Where do you draw the line in terms of price point?

Sure, this makes sense. Someone buying a $20 iPod case can make an argument that they’re also spending additional money at the store and they’d like to check out at all at once.

Answer: turn it into a new Mac promotion! You then have two lines outside the Apple store: the iPhone line and the iPhone + Mac line. “This line is for customers purchasing a new Macintosh with their iPhone 3g.” I’d bet that you’d sell a lot of Macs that way!

2) What about returns? What’s to stop someone from buying a Mac + iPhone on a credit card, then returning the computer the next day?

This is a tough one. Maybe a restocking fee? (I despise restocking fees, but it could be one of the Terms & Conditions of the above “promotion.”)

Technorati Tags: Apple, The Apple Store, iPhone, iPhone 3g, Retail, MacBook, Computers, Notebooks, Hardware, Laptops, Corporate Policy

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I thought I would stop at The Apple Store in Soho on my way to the office today to get an iPhone 3G. I thought that the lines would have subsided by now. I thought, surely, all the Apple Fanboys (and girls) would have gotten their fix by now.

My thoughts were wrong.

The store opens at 9 AM. This was the line at 9:15 AM.

They had to separate it into two segments so as not to block an active alleyway. They estimated a five hour wait time.

Maybe I’ll get one next week. (Or the week after…)

UPDATE: As of 1:00 PM, the line was the same length, if not longer. Apple provided umbrellas to folks who weren’t lucky enough to be shaded by the building.

UPDATE 2: As of 5:00 PM, the line was down to about a three hour wait time.

Technorati Tags: iPhone, iPhone 3G, Apple, The Apple Store, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics, Cell Phones, Mobile Phones, Digital Media, Trends, Tech, Technology

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I’ve recently seen this transit billboard on my regular subway ride from 34th street to Lafayette & Broadway on the F/V/B/D line in NYC.

Ostensibly, there’s nothing wrong with the ad - until you consider the context: except for probably a few El stops in Brooklyn and Queens, it’s in the subway. There’s no cellular coverage in the subway.

How many people are going to be so motivated as to record the SMS short code for use when they reach the surface? I’d like to know. Probably a lot fewer than people who would respond to this type of promotion on billboards above ground.

Technorati Tags: Advertising, Subway, Transit, Billboards, Chase, New York City, NYC, SMS, Texting, Contests, U.S. Open, Tennis, Sponsorships

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I set up my Netflix Roku player today. Already I have a love/hate relationship with it.

I’m delighted by the setup and operation of the device. I had it running in a few minutes.

That said, most of the things I really want to watch aren’t yet available for streaming. I’m betting that they’ll improve it the catalog over time. (If I thought otherwise, I wouldn’t have dropped $99 on it the moment it was available).

Click here for the complete unboxing photos on flickr, including screen captures.

Technorati Tags: Netflix, Roku, IPTV, Hardware, Gadgets, Broadband, Digital Media, Movies, Television, Streaming Media, Video

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A series of posters found in Soho, NYC for St. Germain liqueur.

Now, I’m far from prudish but I have to ask: Just because the photos are shot in what appears to be Victorian-era styling and the women aren’t the usual waif-like models, does it make it more appropriate for a public place? What if I were walking around town with my 5-year-old son?

You should click through to the entire photo series on flickr here to get a better understanding of what I’m talking about.

Technorati Tags: Advertising, St. Germain, New York City, Soho, NYC, Billboards, Out-of-Home, Outdoor Advertising, Wildings, Posters, Liquor

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I received this email today in response to a customer support message that I sent to Neighborhoodies:

We at Neighborhoodies think Curiosity is an underrated virtue, so thank you for writing in. This email is merely to confirm that your question or comment has been successfully received.

Here is your ticket number:

http://www.neighborhoodies.com/ticket_view.php?tlid=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ticket Number: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It is a meaningless number and you do not need it. Nevertheless, please print out this number, memorize it, then shred the number into pieces and eat it. Chew first. If at that moment your phone rings, it’s us. Let the phone ring twice then speak the code in Swiss-German, or make guttural sounds to indicate you are choking on the shredded bits. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Neighborhoodies

I think it’s great when a company doesn’t take itself too seriously - but still treats its customers with respect.

Technorati Tags: Email, Neighborhoodies, Ecommerce, Customer Service, Brand Experience, Communication, Humor

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When I got my iPhone, I immediately went to the Seidio web site to purchase one of their rubberized cases and matching holster.

This would be the third such case I’d purchased from Seidio, the others being for my Palm Treo 755p and my BlackBerry 8830.

I bought the innocase bundle with black case and matching holster.

After little more than a month, the rubberized coating began to peel off the case. I was certain I had received a defective case since my others were in great condition for years.

I reached out to Seidio customer support via their support page and received an RMA almost immediately. It took about 10 days to get a new one, but they were very accommodating and delivered the replacement without questions.

Thanks, Seidio.

Technorati Tags: Seidio, iPhone, Cases, Gadgets, Cell Phones, Customer Service

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The latest episode of On Digital Media has been posted. Show notes and audio can be found here.

Subscribe in iTunes here.

Technorati Tags: John Federico, Ken Gellman, Chia-Lin Simmons, Steve Hatch, Wine, Digital Media, On Digital Media, Downloads, Audio, Music, iTunes, Retail, eCommerce, NewsCorp, Microsoft, Circuit City, Blockbuster, Vudu, Home Theater, Twitter, Pownce, AlertThingy, FriendFeed, SocialThing, Advertising, Business Models, Amazon Tax, Sales Tax, Mail Order, Catalogs, AOL, Apple TV, TiVo, Cable TV, Platform A, Mike Troiano, Conversational Marketing Conference, John Battelle, Venture Capital, Investments, Twinkle, Location based services, Mobile, Wireless, twitterific, Google, Podcamp NYC, Podcast, Yahoo, MatchMine, Apple, iPhone, Media, Acquisitions, Alexander Blu, Jobs, Careers, Career Development, Events

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The latest episode of On Digital Media has been posted. Show notes and audio can be found here.

Subscribe in iTunes here.

Technorati Tags: Online Advertising, Advertising, John Federico, Ken Gellman, Chia-Lin Simmons, Steve Hatch, Wine, Digital Media, On Digital Media, Podcast, TV, Television, Nielsen, Podcasting, Digital Audio, VOD, Blu-Ray, Apple, iPhone, Microsoft Exchange, John Battelle, IAB, Interactive Advertising Bureau, Research, iTunes, Music Retailers, Music, Wal-Mart, Audience Measurement, Metrics, PRX, Public Radio Exchange, NetFlix, Earnings, AT&T Wireless, AT&T, Audible, Amazon, Random House, Audiobooks, Downloads, Media, Google, Spring VON Conference, VON, Acquisitions, Alexander Blu, iTunes, Microsoft, Yahoo, MicroHoo, Jobs, Careers, Career Development

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I love my Kindle and I’m a big fan of Amazon - even more now after dealing with their Kindle Customer Support folks.

My Kindle developed a strange crack on the bottom of the unit where the ports and volume control are located. I called Amazon support to explain the situation and they immediately shipped a new Kindle (so I wouldn’t be without mine while they replaced it.)

When the new one arrived, the process for deactivating the original Kindle and activating the replacement was fast and flawless.

I packed up my original unit into the replacement’s box, slapped on the return shipping label that Amazon sent me and off it went, back to Kindle-land.

Nice job, guys.

Technorati Tags: Amazon, Kindle, Amazon Kindle, Customer Service, eBook Reader

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