Apple Store (online)

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This page is about the online store. For the retail chain, see Apple Store (retail).

The Apple Store is Apple Computer's online store. All of Apple's product lines are carried as well as select brands of accessories for its products. It is owned and operated by Apple Computer in Cupertino, California. Besides the online store-front, items from the store can be ordered by phone (1-800-MY-APPLE).

[edit] History

Less than a year after aquiring NeXT in the final days of 1996, Apple opened an online store 10 November 1997, built using NeXT's WebObjects web application technology. WebObjects had previously been used by Dell to build its online store. After NeXT was purchased by Apple, Dell scrambled to recreate its store using tools from Microsoft.

WebObjects enabled Apple to build and deploy its online store within a year. Steve Jobs announced that the new online store received over $12 million in orders in its first month of operation. [1]

[edit] Products Sold

Hardware, including: MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, iMac, Mac Mini, iBook (only through the Education Store), iPod, Apple Cinema Displays, iSight, Airport cards and base stations, XServe, and Apple accessories such as wireless keyboards and mice, and Apple Pro Speakers. Computer hardware purchased from the Apple Store online, or over the phone can also be configured-to-order with options that often include faster or larger hard drives and faster processors.

Apple Software, including: Mac OS X, iLife and iWork application bundles, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Shake, and other miscellaneous Apple software titles.

Third Party Software made for Mac OS X, such as design software, productivity software, games, utilities, and pretty much anything new that has been released for Mac OS X.

Select Third Party Accessories for Apple products, ranging from carrying cases for Apple notebooks and iPod sleeves to speakers, printers, scanners, memory upgrades, and digital cameras.

Also available are Apple Instant Loans, as well as gift certificates to both the Apple Store and the iTunes Store. It offers automatic online discounts to "educational" users which include both faculty and students of higher education, and faculty of K-12 schools in addition to discounts for business buyers internationally and United States government employees.