Bellevue Apple Store
Not quite sure it was worth waiting an hour and half in line for the 20 minutes we spent into the Apple Store, but it was an interesting experience.
The store is located in the Bellevue Square downtown mall. Ironically, just a few miles from Microsoft Redmond's HQ.First impression — A lot smaller than I'd imagined. But I have to admit that they did a terrific job with the layout, considering the small space.
Quite a few people traveled from out of state for the event. Vicki even met a couple guys from Canada which were planning to buy and transfer songs from the iTunes Music Store to their iPods. Clever canucks, hey?
The whole purpose of the visit was to play with toys, specifically the new iPod. I had seen the old models, but never got a chance to actually use one. A table was setup with about 10 of them, which gave us both a chance to try them extensively.
iBook — We first tried a couple 14in iBooks. Vicki really digs them. I think they look cheap, but I really liked the keyboard.
iMac — Still ugly, even with a 17inch monitor. The eMac form factor is sooo much nicer.
iPod — The interface sucks. It reminds me of one of the OS X Finder view by columns option, which I despise too. The circular touchpad is a good marketing ploy but far from intuitive. It seriously lacks precise control abilities. It took me a while to figure it out, and I think Vicki's still working at it. ;-)
The experience left us perplexed especially considering we weren't the only ones struggling.
The 60GB Nomad Jukebox Zen is looking better by the minute.
PowerBook — The 17incher is already on my wish list. Sweet.
Cinema Display — Watching The Matrix trailer on a 23inch Cinema Display was the highlight of the day. The 21inch model was impressive too. Still a little pricey for my taste, though.
Speakers — Vicki also liked the Apple Pro Speakers. We had fun blasting a few sample tunes from the Music Store.
Vicki was really hopping for a free mouse pad but they gave us a couple commemorative el-cheapo t-shirts on our way out.
At least the Wi-Fi connection was good and strong.
Mallblogging again… Waiting in line to get to the new Bellevue Apple Store . The line is extending outside the mall into the street. Gotta love grand opening days. ;-)