Apple is setting up a temporary store in Austin, Texas, to sell the iPad 2 and other gadgets at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference (SXSW) this week.
Apple will sell the iPad 2 March 11 at 236 U.S. retail
stores and in more than 10,000 other stores, including AT&T and Verizon outlets
and top retailers, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.
But there's one outlet that Munster likely didn't account
for in his tally.
That's an ad-hoc shop in downtown Austin, Texas, which local news
outlets are reporting is being set up to accommodate iPad 2 (and other Apple device) buyers attending
the
South by Southwest
Interactive Conference (SXSW) March 11 to March 20.
The American-Statesman
said Apple will open a 5,000-square-foot temporary store Friday in the
Scarbrough Building at 6th and Congress downtown. The store, whose
windows are
currently covered by black vinyl sheeting, has been leased for two weeks.
An Apple spokesperson denied knowledge of the event.
For anyone who follows the Internet sector, setting up
shop at SXSW is a no-brainer. The event, draws thousands of attendees, ranging
from geeks to social media experts and top tech journalists, many of whom have
raved about the event's culture and coolness.
Twitter use rocketed after the company appeared there in
2007 and 2008 and Foursquare, the check-in service with more than 7.5 million
users, gained prominence at SXSW in 2009.
Twitter and Foursquare were both designed to run first on
mobile phones, but tablet such as the iPad function as smartphones with large
screens, lending themselves well to apps designed with a mobile bent.
There's no question many of the people attending the
event for work or play (there's tons of bands, film premiers and other pop
culture delights) will be of the iPad-purchasing persuasion.
Meanwhile, Jaffray's Munster
said the availability of the iPad 2 in more stores this year means it will sell
1 million units faster than the 28 days it took the first-generation iPad to
sell.
The iPad 2 is
thinner, lighter and faster than the predecessor that sold 15 million units
last year.
Email
Print
