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Apple opening a temporary store in Austin for SXSW and the iPad 2 launch

Categories: Apple
By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, March 10th, 2011 at 4:20 AM

Apple is planning to open a temporary 5,000 square foot store in downtown Austin that will open on the day the iPad 2 launches, that’s tomorrow by the way, and that just so happens to be the first day of South by Southwest (SXSW). Geeks, musicians, and other creative types typically flock to SXSW by the thousands. They’re there for three reasons: to find out what startups are working on, to listen to music they would have otherwise never been exposed to, and to enjoy party after party where free food and alcohol flow for eternity thanks to fat corporate expense accounts. The store is to be located in the Scarbrough Building on Congress Avenue and it’ll be the third Apple store in the Austin area. The other two are located in the Barton Creek Square mall in Southwest Austin and at the Domain in North Austin. Putting a store right in the middle of the downtown area will help drive sales of Apple’s latest tablet, but you’ve got to wonder, did they really need to do this?

There’s no doubt in our minds that the iPad 2 is going to sell like hotcakes. Forget about the people who already have an iPad and are going to upgrade to the newer version. The second generation iPad is meant for people who’ve been curious about this whole tablet product category, but wanted to see what Apple would do to improve on the first model. The dual core A5 processor, dual cameras, thinner design, and slight decrease in weight have made the iPad 2 the definitive tablet to purchase. Android 3.0 is a bit immature and the first products to run it are expensive. That being said, the tablet space is barely 1 year old now, so a lot can change over the coming years.

Frankly, we’re more looking forward to iOS 5 and the third generation iPad.

[Photo above of the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City]

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

  • Bruce

    “Frankly, we’re more looking forward to iOS 5 and the third generation iPad.”
    That’s good strategy. Keep talking about the future. That way you won’t have to make any intelligent comments on what is available in the present.

  • Anonymous

    lol, I didnt think the rednecks of Texas were smart enough to use Apple products.

    anonymous-web.at.tc

    • Attaboy_now

      Truth is, Apple designs products specifically for idiots!