According to Asymco mobile analyst Horace Dediu, Apple retail numbers went up across the board for this past quarter, with a 7% rise in the number of visitors compared to last year, as well as the average revenue per Apple store reaching $13 million for the quarter, which is Apple’s highest non-holiday quarter ever for its retail business.

As for the number of visitors on average, Apple ended up attracting 250,000 people per store per quarter over the last year, which is a fairly generous rise from 170,000 visitors three years ago. Dediu thinks that the rise in visitors is mostly due to the addition of larger stores, as well as renovations in older locations.

Overall, when compared to other top retail chains, Apple is doing twice as well as Tiffany & Company, who comes in second place as far as average sales per square feet, with Lululemon coming in third. Apple is currently doing three times as well as Lululemon. It’s not sure how long Apple will keep its first place retail spot, but their lead is good enough that they could keep it for quite some time.

In total, Apple Stores brought in a whopping $6.4 billion in revenue during the company’s fiscal Q1 2013, with average of over $16 million per store. Total number of visitors for the quarter was 121 million, which was up from 110 million during the same quarter a year ago. That’s certainly a lot to write home about, and we’ll see if Apple can keep this up and for how long.

VIA: CNET

SOURCE: Asymco

The Cube is available now on Staples.com, and will eventually be available in a select number of Staples store by the end of June. The Cube costs $1,300, which is quite a bit less than MakerBot’s offerings, which usually start at around $2,000. The printer is able to print objects that are up to 5.5-inches wide and tall.

The Cube features WiFi and is compatible with both Mac and Windows. Plus, the printer comes with 25 free 3D templates to get you off to a quick start, with more templates available online. Staples is also selling ABS and PLA plastic cartridge refills, CubeSticks, and replacement Cube Print Pads. We heard late last year that Staples would be starting its own 3D-printing service, so perhaps this is the first baby step into that realm.

The 3D-printing community hasn’t gone quite mainstream yet, as it’s still very much a niche hobby at this point, but with the beginning of selling 3D printers in major retail chains, the awareness for 3D printing may go up, encouraging more people to get into the hobby and create an even larger community around it.

The new stores that are opening today are located in Tampa, Florida and Elmhurst, New York. The Tampa location is at International Plaza and Bay Street, while the Elmhurst store is located at Queens Center. As for the three stores that are opening up later this month, those will be located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania; Murray, Utah; and Providence, Rhode Island.

Microsoft specialty stores aren’t necessarily full-size stores, but rather smaller, concentrated stores, located in shopping malls usually. However, they still sell the popular products, like Surface tablets, Windows Phone 8 devices, and Xbox 360 consoles. Roughly around a third of all Microsoft Stores are specialty stores.

Microsoft is expected to open more stores later in the year, including its first set of international stores outside of the US and Canada. Specifically, it’s said that the company wants to open its first international stores in the UK and other parts of Europe. However, the exact timeline on that is not yet known.

A common practice for consumers today is to go into a retail location where they can pick up an item they’re interested in, play with it, and see what it’s like. These people that often leave and go online to places like Amazon.com and others where they can order an item at a lower price without having to pay sales tax. Many retail stores, such as Target, are working with their suppliers to match online prices in their stores.

However, a brick-and-mortar store in Brisbane, Australia is taking a different tack. The store is reportedly some sort of specialty food store and has posted a sign that it will be charging five dollars per person to come into the store and “just look.” The store does note that the five dollar fee will be deducted when goods are purchased.

This seems like an incredibly ridiculous way to combat showrooming. This will certainly limit the number of consumers who walk into this specialty food store to see what the store offers and if they have anything that may be interested in. Very few people will be willing to pay five dollars to step foot into a store. The image included above is of the actual sign in the store window as it was originally posted on Reddit.

[via Consumerist]

The game will be pretty much identical to the downloadable version available on XBLA, and it will come with the upcoming 9th update to the game, as well as include all of the features and content of previous updates. The only major difference is that the game will come with a case and disc to display proudly on your shelf.

The retail version of the game will also be coming to Australia, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan sometime in early June, but an exact date and price weren’t announced yet. The three-year-old game has made quite the impact on the gaming community, and for being just a basic game, it’s replay value is infinite.

Collectively, Minecraft garnered over 15 million downloads in 2012, and just recently the game was released for the Raspberry Pi for free. The Raspberry Pi is a small, credit card-sized computer priced at $35 that’s able to run basic programs and games, such as Minecraft. Now if we could just easily get our hands on one, we’d finally be able to play Mojang’s infamous title for free.

A court in Paris has fined Apple 10,000 euros ($13,000) for forcing employees to work past 9 pm. That may seem like crazy talk, but it’s French law that companies aren’t allowed to require employees to work between 9 pm and 6 am unless the company provides social services, or the company is there to maintain economic activity. Basically, the company must have a good excuse in order to stay open late.

Seven out of the 15 Apple Stores located in France were accused of regularly forcing workers to stay until as late as 11 pm to clean and prepare for the next business day. Even though the store closes at 9 pm, workers were required to stay a couple hours later to organize and finish up any work for the day.

The Apple Stores involved in the fine include l’Opera in Paris, Parly 2 in Le Chesnay, Carre Senart in Lieusaint, Val d’Europe in Marne-la-Vallee, Cape Town 3000 in Nice, and Atlantis in Saint Herblain. Come April 16, a higher court in France is expected to provide its input on the case. Along with the 10,000-euro fine, an additional 50,000 euros will be required if Apple is found violating the labor law again.

[via Cult of Mac]

According to TechCrunch, one source is saying that Google’s Express service will be $10 to $15 cheaper than Amazon Prime, which means that it’ll be priced around $65 to $70 per year and will offer same-day delivery from brick-and-mortar stores like Walmart and Target, although a complete list of chains wasn’t given, nor is finalized.

It’s not said when the service would be launching, but sources say that internal testing has begun, so if we were to see this new service come to fruition, it could be fairly soon. In an effort to streamline Google’s e-commerce initiative, it’s said that the company will be creating a centralized storefront that will combine Google Shopping and Google Wallet services.

Google recently acquired locker storage provider BufferBox back in December, so it’s very possible that the Mountain View-based company could be planning to debut a locker delivery service that Amazon is currently testing in several markets, where packages are delivered to lockers in stores, and customers can pick them up at any time, similar to a P.O. Box.

[via TechCrunch]

Rubin also says that Google’s hardware is still too young to even be considering the thought of retail stores. Rubin doesn’t think that the Nexus program “is far enough along to think about the necessity of having these things in a retail store.” The same goes for the company’s Chromebook lineup.

As for Rubin’s comments on not having to actually go into a store to play around with a potential purchase, he says that many shoppers can get the information they need about a product either online or through friends that have used or own said product. The growth of the internet community and all kinds of reviews makes it easier to research different products.

Of course, you never know what could happen in the future. Companies change their minds, so while Rubin says that Google has “nothing to announced,” that doesn’t mean that won’t be the case a few years from now. A Google storefront is always a possibility, and it’s an idea that doesn’t sound too crazy at this point.

[via Android Community]

Staples has a bevy of products available, including the Magic Mouse, iPad Smart Covers, EarPods, Bluetooth keyboards, and Lightning cables. Apple products are only available on Staple’s website for now, and it’s not known when the chain will begin offering Apple products in-store. The company will eventually begin selling Macs and iPads, but they will only roll out to a select number of high-volume stores at the beginning.

This marks the first time that Staples stores in the US have been able to sell Apple products. The chain’s Canadian stores have been selling Apple products for years, so it’s finally nice to see the company’s US locations getting the same treatment this time around. With the addition of Staples in the US, it makes it easier to buy an Apple product in person if you don’t have an Apple Store or Best Buy nearby.

Prices for Apple products available at Staples don’t seem to be any cheaper than what you’d normally find them for at an Apple Store, which isn’t too surprising really. However, it’s possible that — like Best Buy — Staples will discount some of its Apple products during special sales throughout the year, something that Apple doesn’t do very often.

Riggio is already the largest shareholder of the company, and is also the Chairman of the Board. He’s pondering the purchase of all of the assets of Barnes & Noble’s retail business, according to an amendment to his Schedule 13D filed today with the SEC. It’s also been rumored that the company may steer away from hardware after the buyout happens, but nothing is confirmed on that front.

Of course, Barnes & Nobles emphasizes that Riggio’s proposal will result in any kind of transaction, and there’s currently no timetable for the Strategic Committee’s review, which will the committee that will oversee the proposal. Barnes & Noble doesn’t have any further details on Riggio’s proposal, and doesn’t plan to say anything more until a final decision has been made.

This wouldn’t be the first time that a big company has gone private recently. Dell ended up going private a couple of weeks ago, when founder and CEO Michael Dell bought back all shares with help from Microsoft. Perhaps Riggio liked Dell’s idea and may try it out for himself. In the meantime, we could see an overhaul of Barnes & Noble, but don’t hold your breath just yet.

Both the Surface RT and the Surface Pro are eligible for the ‘Microsoft Complete for Surface’ warranty, and it protects you from almost everything bad that can ever happen to your device. If your device is every dropped, submerged in liquids, or suffering from normal wear-and-tear, this warranty will cover you. If it suffers from dead pixels or defective hardware, such as a dead battery or malfunctioning connectivity port, you’re covered.

For a device you’re paying $500-$1000 for, you’re going to want that thing lasts for a while. Considering a recent report from iFixit, the Microsoft Surface devices have a repairability rate of only 1 out of 10, making it the worst repairability score for any tablet out there. If you damage your Surface tablet, and you don’t have a complete warranty for it… you’re pretty much screwed.

One important note to consider is that the complete warranty is only available online, or through Microsoft’s retail stores. If you purchase your Surface device from a Microsoft retail store, you have the option of purchasing the complete warranty in the same transaction as your Surface, or within 45 days of the transaction. The complete warranty may or  may  not be available if you purchase your device from another retailer, such as Best Buy.

[via Microsoft]

Considering that this is Google, we can expect their retail stores to be quite the spectacle. The store will probably be overly colorful and lively, which would be perfect for attracting the attention of curious customers. Inside you will be greeted by well-trained Google employees who will act as your in-person Google search engine (for all things Google).

The rumors state that Google came up with the idea of launching its own retail stores because it needed a way to give consumers a hands-on feel for their new Project Glass product. Google figured that consumers are more likely to purchase the Project Glass product when they get to try it out first-hand to see if its worth the hype. I mean, the Google name may be enough to sell Project Glass to the tech community, but it may not be convincing enough for the average consumer.

We hope that the Google retail stores become a reality, because it would be great to be able to try out products like the Nexus 4, or the Nexus 10 before we hand all of our money over to Google. Also, if Google keeps the prices of their products the same as the prices in the Play store, we can expect the Google retail store to be a big hit.

[via Android Community]

The five new locations being added this year include Natick Mall in Natick, MA; Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, HI; Pioneer Place in Portland, OR; The Somerset Collection in Troy, MI; and Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL. The six locations already scheduled for construction are as follows: The Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio, TX; Dadeland Mall in Miami, FL; Beachwood Place in Beachwood, OH; Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco, CA; City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, UT; and the St. Louis Galleria in St. Louis, MO.

Details are slim at this point, but the company notes that further details should arrive within the coming weeks at some point. All we know is that these stores will open by the time summer hits, which is in 4-5 months or so, obviously. Microsoft says we should expect more news in the future on openings of several more locations as well, so it seems that they’re not slowing down with retail locations.

2012 was a big year for Microsoft Stores. The company opened 51 new full-line and specialty stores during those past 12 months alone, including their first international stores in several locations in Canada. It’s rumored that Microsoft could be opening up their first European stores in 2013, which seems very likely at this point.

The console will also be available online at the company’s website and on Amazon. Of course, though, Kickstarter backers will be the first to get their units. Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman says that Kickstarter backers will receive their consoles in March, while orders from the OUYA website will go out in April, and retail stores will begin selling them in June. You can pre-order the console now through Amazon, Best Buy, or Target.

The console will sell for $99.99, and it’ll come with one controller. An extra controller will cost you $49.99 in retail stores, while getting one on OUYA’s website will only cost $40 shipped. Paying $50 for a controller certainly isn’t outrageous, but it raises some concerns when a controller costs half the price of the console itself. Uhrman says that $49.99 is a “premium price” for a controller, indeed, but she says that the touchpad built into the controller makes up for the cost.

The OUYA console raised more than $8.5 million on Kickstarter and has been taking pre-orders for the consoles on its website. There are over 68,000 consoles that need to be shipped out so far, with potentially even more orders to come no doubt. The tiny Android-powered gaming console is already a huge hit, and we’re pretty excited to see how the OUYA community will grow once the consoles start selling.

[via WSJ]

Users who want to gift a Facebook Card to a friend can do so right from the web. Just choose the stores that you want to put on the card and choose how much from each store will go on the card. Then, after checking out, the card will be sent directly to the recipient. Facebook Cards are reusable, so even after you’ve received another Facebook Card, it will instantly be added to your existing card, that way you’ll still have just one card.

The card can also hold multiple balances, and each balance can be managed independently, and when you use the card, Facebook will automatically send you a notification letting you know your remaining balance. It’s a pretty ingenious concept, and one that we’re not sure why it hasn’t already existed, but nonetheless, it’s here now.

The Facebook Card “will roll out gradually to people in the US,” according to the social networking giant, but no word on when exactly we’ll see these pop up. We’re sure this is just another revenue stream for Facebook, but we’re quite curious as to why a social network is jumping into the retail gift card business. Either way, we should definitely be seeing users eat this up once its out.

This fully granted trademark listing includes items such as “oblong table and stools [that are] set below video screens flush mounted on the back wall.” That’s essentially describing the sections many Apple Stores had where people were invited to classes on what their Apple product was capable of and what they could do with it in the future. You won’t see that feature in too many Apple Stores these days as the back is mostly reserved for the Genius Bar or sales counters (where applicable.)

Another feature listed in the trademark is “a clear glass storefront surrounded by a panelled facade.” This joins several other patents and trademarks surrounding the stores interiors that’ve been granted in the past, one of which is a design patent for a floating glass staircase granted back in 2003. You can find the full trademark listing at the USPTO right this minute complete with registration granted date set for January 22nd, 2013.

The original drawing of the store (which you see above) includes a note about what the store is put in place to show: “retail store services featuring computers, computer software, computer peripherals.” This listing goes on to note “mobile phones, consumer electronics, and related accessories, and demonstration of products relating thereto.” This should ring a bell as the patent was first applied for in 2010 and lists mobile phones but not specifically tablet computers – they must simply be included in the overall computer listing in the first place.

Have a peek at the patent and let us know if you find anything else that rings your bells on what Apple now has the rights to. Were you planning on opening your own store soon with an Apple look? Let us know what you plan to do now!

[via Reuters]

Before you get too bent out of shape, be aware that it’s the retailers who have the power whether or not to implement a surcharge, and if they do, they have to choice of deciding what percentage, but only up to 4%. While it’s not yet known how many retailers plan on implementing a credit card fee at checkout, we can’t imagine the backlash of such a decision being subtle.

The new fee comes from an anti-trust lawsuit filed by retailers who were being tricked by credit card companies that were all discovered to be fixing the fees that retailers pay to process credit cards. Essentially, every retailer pays a fee to a credit card company for the ability to accept that particular credit card in its stores. This fee would basically just be passed on to customers.

It’s a questionable practice, but it seems that it’s been given the go-ahead. Retailers will be forced to notify its customers if they do end up implementing a credit card surcharge, so there’s no risk of being surprised when you get to the checkout counter. Other than that, though, it looks like cash and debit cards may become more popular as a result. Only time will tell.

[via Reuters]

Soverain actually ended up suing Newegg for $2.5 million in 2010, and won. They also sued Amazon in 2005 and walked away with $40 million. However, unlike other online retailers, Newegg wanted to fight until the death. Instead of taking the safe road financially and settling with Soverain, Newegg decided to take down the retail patent troll for good.

Newegg ended up getting the 2010 court case overturned, thus invalidating all other lawsuits handed out by Soverain, effectively ending their reign on online shopping patent trolling. Newegg’s Chief Legal Officer Lee Cheng says that the attitudes of the court officials had a lot to do with Newegg’s win, when they finally decided that enough was enough and gave Soverain what it deserved.

Chong says that this isn’t the first time that the company has been hit with bogus lawsuits, saying that companies “claim to own the drop-down menu, or a search box, or Web navigation.” Chong also said that one of the reasons that Newegg was able to fight back so relentlessly was that the company is majority-controlled and had a bit more freedom to fight as opposed to other online retailers.

[via Ars Technica]

CEO Mitchell Klipper confirmed the news today, saying that the company expects to close 20 stores per year on average. In the past decade, the company shut down approximately 15 stores per year on average, but they were also opening at least 30 stores per year in new locations. However, that process met a roadblock a few years ago. The company’s peak number of stores at any one time was 726 in 2008.

While the closing of 30% of its stores is certainly not good news, Klipper tries to see the good things out of the downsize. He says “it’s a good business model,” because “you have to adjust your overhead, and get smart with smart systems.” It’s certainly not what the company hoped for by any means, but Klipper says that business models change throughout the years and you have to learn to adjust.

Barnes & Noble’s brick-and-mortar store business has been drying up more and more as consumers shift toward Amazon and buying ebooks online, but Klipper is confident in his new business plan, and while the company is closing many of its stores, they’re expanding their digital book arsenal to make up for the loss.

UPDATE: We received word from a Barnes & Noble spokesperson about the future closings of their various stores, and they note that the company “has not adjusted its store closing plan whatsoever,” and that the numbers being reported “are consistent with analysts’ expectations.” The spokesperson mentioned that “in 2012, Barnes & Noble opened two new prototype stores and in 2013 plans to test several other prototypes, as well,” saying that they are “fully committed to the retail concept for the long term.”

[via WSJ]

This call included notes that Apple opened up 4 new stores in Greater China as well as 14 stores being moved and expanded because of outgrowing their original space. With 396 stores open today with $16.3 million in revenue coming in per store, business is obviously quite good. Apple has also made it clear that the amount of visitors heading to the stores is jumping upward as well, with 121 million visitors coming in this quarter compared to 110 visitors coming in this quarter one year ago.

When you have a look at the number of stores that are open over the sea and the amount of sales that are also outside the USA, they seem to correlate, but not precisely. With 61 percent of sales sitting outside the USA here in Q1 2013 according to Apple, it would seem that more than 150 of the total nearly 400 stores would be outside the states. Instead we’re seeing the smaller number selling more – or simply the internet taking on a bulk of these sales.

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on this set of results and the rest of Apple’s Q1 2013 reports in segments. Note that the iPhone sold a massive, beastly amount of units with the iPhone 5 being fully ready for action this quarter, while the iPad has seen the iPad mini appearing amongst its ranks as well. Watch our Apple hub as well for more through the week!

“The board regrets to announce that it has been unable to reach a position where it feels able to continue to trade outside of insolvency protection” HMV said in a statement, “and in the circumstances therefore intends to file notice to appoint administrators to the company and certain of its subsidiaries with immediate effect.”

HMV first opened in London in 1921, but the growth in low-cost internet sales of CDs and DVDs and, subsequently, digital music and video content took its toll on the retailer. The company later attempted its own digital downloads system, but a sluggish start negated whatever impact brand recognition might have had on the business.

Trading in HMV shares has been suspended, but were at £1.10 apiece ($1.77) at close. Earlier in January, the retailer had kicked off a huge 25-percent sale, expected to last a full month, in a move that worried investors that holiday 2012 sales had underperformed.

The sale of the music business isn’t the only media failure in HMV Group’s recent past. The company previously owned bookseller Waterstone’s, which it sold in 2010 to a private capital fund after struggling to compete with rising ebook sales.

[via BBC]

First on the list is the company’s new Kiosk Retail, which features the iPad 2 or the iPad third-gen at the heart of everything. With Kiosk Retail, the built-in card reader has been outfitted with TDES encryption and DUKPT key management to keep things safe. While those are meant to keep data and sensitive financial information safe, the “impact-resistant” housing will keep the iPad itself safe from damage.

Anyone can stick a card reader onto an iPad and call it a point of sale solution though, so Griffin has taken it one step further and partnered with ShopKeep POS and POSiOS, two apps that have hit it big in the mobile POS space. Both apps will have support for Kiosk Retail’s hardware implemented starting February, and Griffin says that the system will be available for $299.

Griffin also announced AirStrap Retail today, which is a new version of the company’s original AirStrap. This time around, there is built-in structural support for the iDynamo credit card reader, which means users will no longer have to worry about damaging the iPad or its connector. The Airstrap Retail system also benefits from grips that make it easier to hold the iPad with one hand while keeping all of the ports free and open, and it will be available sometime this month with a price tag of $49.99

Essentially, Best Buy wasn’t too happy about Walmart’s steeper discount on the iPhone 5 because they don’t think that Walmart had enough iPhone 5 units to meet demand. Therefore, Best Buy was filling the stock at a discount that Walmart doesn’t have. Best Buy has reportedly claimed it lost about $65,000 in profit on the day Walmart advertised its iPhone 5 promotion, and the store says it was forced to match Walmart’s advertised price, even though they claim Walmart didn’t have enough iPhone 5 inventory in the first place.

However, Walmart claims that it did, in fact, have sufficient stock of the iPhone 5, quoting 98% availability at its stores carrying the device. Walmart had noted as the sale launched that it was working closely with Apple on the promotion and was securing significant numbers of units, but that the sale was first-come first-serve with no rain checks being offered.

Any way you look at it, it seems Best Buy was simply just upset that Walmart was undercutting them, and they felt like they needed a reliable excuse in order to effectively complain about the price difference. $65,000 in one day may not seem like a lot, and we don’t know what Best Buy’s sales goals were for the day, but that much of a loss in a single day is huge any way you look at it.

[via WSJ]

The six new locations for the Microsoft Stores are The Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio, TX; Dadeland Mall in Miami, FL; Beachwood Place in Beachwood, OH; Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco, CA; City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, UT; and the St. Louis Galleria in St. Louis, MO.

2012 was a big year for Microsoft Stores. The company opened 51 new full-line and specialty stores in the past 12 months alone, including their first international stores in several locations in Canada. Plus, it was rumored about a month ago that Microsoft would be opening up their first European stores in 2013, which seems very likely at this point.

So far, there are over 70 Microsoft Store locations in the US and Canada combined, most of them being located in bigger cities at the moment, but it’s no doubt that Microsoft wants to expand their physical stores to more cities across the US, and open up international shops in big markets like the UK and China.

Google recently acquired locker storage company BufferBox for $17 million, which sparked some speculation as far as the possibility of taking on Amazon’s new Locker service that ships products to select locations, and customers can pick up their packages at any time its convenient for them.

Samat says that the acquisition of BufferBox had nothing to do with becoming a retailer, but rather it was about helping other retailers become more competitive. Google is “trying to provide a level playing field for retailers” and said that there’s some companies that have managed to do both tech and retail well, but “how’s the rest of the retail world going to hit that bar?”

Over the summer, Google completely overhauled its shopping experience, redesigning the Google Shopping homepage and changing the way users search for items they want to buy. While the move has remained fairly below the radar for consumers, the changes did spark some speculation as to whether the search giant was slowly making their way into retail, but according to the company itself, that isn’t the case.

[via AllThingsD]

John Lewis is selling the 32GB Surface RT variant for £479 and the 64GB model for £559. Both variants come with a black Touch Cover, and you actually don’t have any choice in the matter. Whereas Microsoft offers Surface RT with the option of the Touch Cover, John Lewis is including it along with every Surface purchase. That’s not a bad deal, considering that the Touch Cover seems to be a pretty big part of the Surface experience.

We’re not sure if Microsoft will get Surface in other UK stores, but for the moment, John Lewis is it. Also unclear is whether or not John Lewis will get the incoming Surface Pro, but with Surface RT now on the store’s shelves, it seems likely it’ll be among the first stores to get Microsoft’s beefier Surface model.

Microsoft recently announced that it had increased Surface RT production, and that its temporary holiday stores here in the US will stay open into the new year. Some of those temporary stores will even transition into permanent retail locations, but Microsoft has yet to announce which ones will be hanging around. Check out our story timeline below for more on Surface RT!

[via Windows Phone Central]

Microsoft will be announcing additional retailers “soon.” Rumor has it that the Surface RT will also be available at Best Buy and Walmart. This will mark a big moment for the Surface RT, which is currently only sold at Microsoft’s grand total of 31 stores, plus online. Staples, meanwhile, has about 1,900 stores, giving the device a big boost in exposure.

Staples’ Executive Vice President of Merchandising Mike Edwards offered this statement. “Staples is excited to provide this innovative product to customers just in time for the holiday season. Staples is a leader in offering the latest technology for small businesses and consumers, and our customers can now experience Surface in store or online.”

Anyone who buys the Surface RT via Staples can utilize the company’s “8 Way Easy” offer, which provides Windows 8 training, support, and startup for free. The Surface RT comes with Office Home & Student 2013RT. The 32GB model is priced at $499, while the 32GB with the Black Touch Cover is $599 and the 64GB model is $699.

Since today is December 11, Microsoft’s retail partners should be carrying Surface RT tablets very soon. Microsoft didn’t say which retailers will be offering Surface in its announcement, but does say a number of stores in the US and Australia will be included in this initial retail roll out. Retailers in other countries will be getting Surface in the coming months, so if you’re not living in the US or Australia, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being left out in the cold.

On top of this news, Microsoft says that it will keep its temporary retail locations open into the new year. These stores were originally expected to shut down after the holiday shopping season has ended, but apparently Microsoft sees enough opportunity to keep them open longer. How much longer these retail locations stay open remains to be seen, but they’ll be around at least for the start of 2013.

Some of them will be around longer than that, as Microsoft says it will turn “several” temporary locations into permanent stores. Which locations will become a permanent fixture wasn’t detailed, but we imagine Microsoft will be making a separate announcement soon. Stay tuned, because we’ll have more details for you once Microsoft shares them.

Microsoft has been talking to landlords in the UK in an attempt to find a suitable spot for its first European store. According to the report, which is based on information from an anonymous person close to these talks, Microsoft could have its first stores up and running in the UK at some point in 2013, though a more specific launch window wasn’t mentioned. Of course, as is usually the case with rumors like this, Microsoft is keeping its lips shut on the matter.

It isn’t hard to see the appeal though – setting up actual retail stores in Europe would give Microsoft another way to deliver Windows 8 PCs and Windows Phone 8 handsets to consumers. It would also make sense to open up more stores if Microsoft were planning, say, a Surface smartphone to go along with the slate it launch last month. We’ve been hearing that Microsoft may have a set-top box in the works too, so if all of these rumors turn out to be true, then Microsoft would have a decent selection of its own products to offer consumers at its stores.

Whether or not Microsoft moves ahead with plans to open its first European stores in 2013 depends on how well the stores here in the US are doing. Regardless of when those European stores actually arrive, it’s seems like a no-brainer that Microsoft would want to expand across the Atlantic at some point in the future. We shall see soon enough, so stay tuned.

“We regularly test new options for our customers” a company spokesperson said. “At this time, we’ve completed our test and are no longer signing up new customers for Amazon Prime monthly memberships.”

Prime has been around for some time now, in the US offering shoppers a way to get unlimited two-day shipping for an annual fee of $79. Membership also includes instant streaming from Amazon’s video platform, and access to the Kindle Owners Lending Library for ebook loans.

At $7.99 per month, the monthly Prime membership worked out more expensive than the traditional annual plan. Taken over the course of a year, it amounted to $95.88, or $16.88 more than paying one lump sum; however, it had no minimum term, and as such could have been useful for holiday shopping when online sales increase.

Exactly what Amazon has concluded from its trial test is yet to be revealed, though the company may have been investigating the potential uptake of a streaming-only plan, measuring media access versus shipping physical sales. Those already signed up to the monthly package will be allowed to continue using it.

[via Phandroid]

This obviously works in both directions, as it allows businesses to see if they’re making a return on the advertising money they spend at Facebook. If they are, then it encourages them to advertise with Facebook in the future and could even pull advertising money in from other businesses. That, obviously, would be a good thing for Facebook, so you can bet the company is hoping for results that show the ads are working.

Facebook users don’t need to worry, however, as the company’s advertising product manager David Baser told Reuters that the sales tracking service doesn’t give retailers any personal information. It will tell retailers if you clicked on an ad and then proceeded to purchase the item, but other than that, retailers won’t know anything that could be used to identify you. Baser also said that sales tracking has long been a requested feature from Facebook’s retail partners, so they’re finally about to get their wish.

Another benefit of this new sales tracking tool: it will help advertisers determine who to target with their ads. Since they’ll have sales tracking data, they’ll know which demographics responded well to their ads and which didn’t. Check out our timeline below for more information on Facebook!

It’s been speculated that Apple was going to open up a store in Brazil, after several job listings on their website went live and pointed to locations in both Brazil and Istanbul, Turkey. Apple still hasn’t officially said anything about a possible Istanbul store, but we’re guessing that it’s definitely coming after hearing today’s news.

Apple currently has almost 400 stores located all across the world, with 250 of them located in the US. The Rio store marks the first time that an Apple store will be located in South America, meaning that Apple will soon have stores on four out of the seven continents on Earth. Apple plans to open between 30-35 more stores in 2013, 75% of which will be located outside the US.

Apple has not yet revealed the actual location of the Rio de Janeiro store, or the official date that it would open, but it could likely happen early next year. Apple certainly doesn’t have a huge franchise when it comes to retail locations, which makes a visit to an Apple store that much more special, but the company is looking to bolster its store footprint throughout the next few years.

[via 9to5Mac]

This update has Eddy Cue taking on additional responsibilities inside the universes of Siri and Maps. This change has all of Apple’s online services put in one group, a group that’s overseen items such as iCloud, the Apple Store, and the iTunes Store. Jony Ive will be adding Human Interface to his plate, this added to his giant role of leader of Industrial Design which he’s held for some time. As Apple says, “His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade.”

Mister Craig Federighi will be taking charge of both OS X and iOS at once. This will have both systems – mobile and desktop – seeing more integration than ever, making one user experience key for those that work with both. Bob Mansfield will be leading a brand new group called Technologies. This Technologies group will be covering Apple’s wireless teams across the entire company into one organization.

Technologies will also include the semiconductor teams and will be “fostering innovation in this area at an even higher level” than ever before. Expect big things to continue to come from Apple, but that this change of the guard in a couple of yet areas to have a real effect on the innards of the company. Now we must wait to see what’s next for Browett and Forstall – or who will be lucky enough to attain their talents!

[via Apple]

The document covers Nexus 7 endcaps for Staples stores, and more specifically, what those endcaps will look like once the 32GB Nexus 7 is released. Once October 30 rolls around – one day after the Google’s big Android event, remember – 8GB Nexus 7s will become clearance items, which of course means that Staples will look to move them quickly. This also confirms what we were expecting – that Google will unveil the 32GB Nexus 7 at its event on October 29.

So it seems that once the 32GB Nexus 7 has been revealed to the world, Google will stop producing the 8GB model. That makes much more sense than what we were originally thinking, and also explains why retailers are pricing the 32GB Nexus 7 in the $250-range. We’re not sure what price the 16GB model will drop down to, but it seems safe to assume that the 16GB variant will be given a $200 price tag once this new version is on the scene.

Of course, as Android Police points out, it’s possible that Google could continue offering the 8GB model online while only phasing it out in retail stores, but it doesn’t seem like there would be much point in that. In any case, Google’s Android event is right around the corner, so we should be getting all sorts of official details soon enough. Stay tuned.

Looking at the leaked listing, we can see that Apple may have quite the collection of iPad Minis planned. Internal storage options start at 8GB and go all the way up to 64GB, with Wi-Fi only and 3G variants of each model. Each one also comes in white and black, so if this listing is legitimate, customers will have a wide range of options to choose from. Have a look at a break down of the pricing below:

8GB Wi-Fi only – €249 ($323)
8GB Wi-Fi and 3G – €349 ($452)

16GB Wi-Fi only – €349 ($452)
16GB Wi-Fi and 3G – €449 ($582)

32GB Wi-Fi only – €449 ($582)
32GB Wi-Fi and 3G – €549 ($711)

64GB Wi-Fi only – €549 ($711)
64GB Wi-Fi and 3G – €649 ($841)

With those prices, it seems that Apple isn’t all that concerned with competing with the Google Nexus 7 directly. The 8GB Nexus 7 only costs $199, remember, and Apple’s cheapest iPad Mini comes it just north of $300. We’re hesitant to say that this is the real deal, mostly because Apple has so far remained silent on the existence of the iPad Mini, but with all of the leaks that have happened in the past few weeks, it’s hard not to believe that the iPad Mini is on the way.

The current whispers are telling us that Apple will reveal the iPad Mini at a press event on October 23, but so far the company hasn’t sent out any invitations to such an event. If October 23 is indeed the big day, that means we don’t have much longer to wait until the iPad Mini is made official. Stay tuned, because we’ll have all of the details you need to know right here at SlashGear.

Users will naturally be able to Like the collections they see on social network, while they’ll also have to ability to say they want the products in the collection by clicking on the Want button. If users are already collecting the products on display, they’ll be able to let the world know by clicking the Collect button. The world will know too, as your Want and Collect clicks will be added to your timeline.

Basically, think of this as a way for retailers to get customers excited for their products while gaining increased exposure at the same time. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard talk of a Want button on Facebook, as such a feature was rumored to be incoming back in June. Facebook has even dropped some hints that buttons aside from just the tried-and-true Like button would be making an appearance, so the roll out of an actual Want button shouldn’t surprise too many folks.

There isn’t any word when Facebook’s Collections feature will enjoy a broader roll out, but for now the company says that it won’t be available as part of a plug-in for other sites. Now, all we need is the oft-requested “Dislike” button and Facebook users will be good to go. We’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more information on the Collections roll out, so keep it tuned here to SlashGear for additional details!

ComputerWorld says that in all, Microsoft is opening 29 out of its 32 temporary stores in the same mall or center as an Apple store. That probably won’t make Apple very happy, but then again, these stores are only temporary, and will shut down sometime after the holiday season ends and the (expected) Windows 8 rush dies down a bit. Still, Apple can expect some stiff competition from Microsoft throughout the holiday season.

That’s especially true if Microsoft sells Surface at these stores, which, given the fact that Surface is being teased on the websites for the temporary retail locations, seems likely. Microsoft has said in the past that it will only sell Surface through its retail stores and website, so if Microsoft has managed to generate enough buzz around Surface, then these stores should see a lot of traffic while they’re open.

The opening of these seasonal locations is going to double the amount of Microsoft stores across the US and Canada, so Microsoft is definitely anticipating a big holiday season. It’s good that Microsoft will be prepared, but we’re wondering if the demand will be there once Windows 8 and Surface launch. We will find out soon enough, so stay tuned.

The way IdeaFactory works is that you submit your idea via a written description and an image. The image can be a rendering or a detailed engineering style drawing. ThinkGeek then reviews the ideas and ensures that it passes a few unknown caveats and will then respond to you within 60 days. If the product is deemed worthy, you make some money.

ThinkGeek will pay you in advance of $1000 if your idea is selected for production. That thousand dollars isn’t all you get, you also earn 10% of all retail sales the life of the product up to $1 million. If the product should reach that $1 million mark, the royalty rate drops to 5%. Royalties are paid out quarterly, and ThinkGeek will sell you all of the product that you want to buy for slightly more the cost plus shipping.

You can sell the product on your own website or at public appearances. Unlike some other sites on the web, there is no submission fee and no development costs. That means all you have to do is submit a decent idea to make some money.

Online sales of tablets from several well-known tablet manufacturers such as ASUS, Acer, and Sony, will continue while in-store sales will be completely cut off at all or nearly all Target stores in the USA. This comes not least of all, we must assume, because of less-than-stellar offline sales over the past few months. We spoke with one employee earlier today on the subject, and though he wished to remain anonymous due to the nature of the subject, he was quite open about the situation:

“We had [tablets] out for a while, the iPad is still out, but they wont be out now at least in this area now until Christmas. … We sold just a couple back when they were out here, some Acer tablets, they sold to people who specifically were real anti-Apple, other than that not much [as far as tablet sales go.]” – Anonymous Target Employee

This should come as no surprise for a couple of reasons to SlashGear readers, first of all because Target made a statement on the Kindle lineup back in May:

“Target continually evaluates its product assortment to deliver the best quality and prices for our guests. Target is phasing out Kindles and Amazon- and Kindle-branded products in the spring of 2012. We will continue to offer our guests a full assortment of ereaders and supporting accessories including the Nook.” – Target

Above: Target’s previous tablet selection in-stores circa Spring 2012

Before that, we’ve had a discussion or two about the placement of non-iPad tablets as well. Take a look at the news bit entitled Target Android tablets lifted above iPad 2 and Target is finally selling some Android tablets as well. Peek at the timeline below to continue on with the Target news back several weeks as well.

For that reason, just about everyone believes that technology brick-and-mortar stores will eventually go extinct. A host of companies have tried to be successful in that market, like Circuit City, CompUSA, and others, and they have all failed. Now Best Buy, the company that helped put tons of competitors into the ground, is starting to lose its footing.

Surely, Best Buy’s fall would lead to the end of the tech brick-and-mortar, right?

Think again.

Like it or not, we still need brick-and-mortar stores that carry all of the tech goodies you’re after. Although early adopters are more than willing to watch a couple of videos on the Web or check out a product page and plunk down hundreds of dollars for a device without even seeing it in person, the mainstream consumer isn’t like that. And the mainstream consumer isn’t going to change.

The typical consumer wants to go to a place like Best Buy and touch the product they’re considering. They also like to ask sales folks for information on alternatives to see if they’re getting the best bang for their buck. And although we can debate the quality of the advice they’re getting from places like Best Buy, they still like having it.

Will that save a store like Best Buy? It’s impossible to say. A couple of years ago, I might have said that Best Buy has a long and profitable future ahead of it. But with the recent turmoil and continuing trouble attracting customers, I’m not so sure any longer. There is a chance that Best Buy might meet an early demise, similar to the way its predecessors did.

But just because Best Buy might take a nosedive, it doesn’t mean that the brick-and-mortar is dead. Another company will crop up behind it with a unique take on tech sales, and all will be right in the world again. It’s the longevity factor that has proven an issue with today’s technology retailers.

Still, it’s not a good idea to count out brick-and-mortar retailers. I won’t sit here and debate the fact that brick-and-mortars are more expensive than online counterparts. And in terms of convenience, there’s simply no comparison to online stores. But for the vast majority of customers that want to take products for a test drive before determining once and for all if something is right for them, they’re incredibly necessary. And for that reason alone, they’re not going anywhere.