Ron's Log

iPad Accessories

The Wirecutter (a site freer of BS than most) makes a couple of recommendations for iPad accessories:

Best iPad Keyboard Case: he says its best to buy the keyboard and case separately, but that if you are bound and determined to do otherwise, he recommends Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover as "the best of all the lousy keyboard cases out there." Read his review for further fleshing out of that.

Separately, he recommends the Apple Wireless Keyboard and the Joy Factory SmartSuit3.

Here is his review of "Not-Horrible iPad Cases."

Amplifiear

No, you can't buy it! But they're looking for start up money.

Retail Sales

An analysis of retail sales per square foot of all 160 (or so) American retailers (excluding restaurants) who publicly report financial information.

Horace Dediu at Asymco says that $300/sf is considered respectable. Regional malls in the U.S. average $341/sf. Jewelry stores average $600/sf. Zale average $742/sf. Whole Foods averages $867. Signet Jewelers average $955/sf. Costco averages $998/sf. Tiffany averages $2,974.

Apple stores average $5,626/sf.

Apple also leads in year to year sales growth at about 70%. But sales of just plain Macs (the computer, not the iPad, not the iPhone, not the iNuthin) are expected to grow at "only" 20% per year.

A simple mathematical projection will show that Apple will own all the cash and all the retail businesses in the world by mid-2013.

How To Get Your iPad (3rd gen) Tomorrow Without Resorting To Time Travel

Todd Haselton called three Radio Shacks in Manhattan and was assured that he could just saunter in on Friday and pick one up, no wait. Of course, now that word about this has been smeared all over the internet, those 20 iPads at your local Radio Shack may go pretty damn lickety split fast. OTOH, Desert Hot Springs is not Manhattan (at least not yet, anyway) so why not saunter yourself into the Desert Hot Springs Radio Shack and treat yourself to the new iPad. Then you can head over Stater Bros. and pick up a 40-ouncer to celebrate.

New iPad Pre-orders Have Gone The Way Of Burning Man Tickets

The pre-orders have sold out. You can still order up to two iPads and get an estimated wait time for delivery from Apple. At the moment their website is saying they will ship in 2-3 weeks.

BTW, as I was browsing the accessories available for the iPad I noticed the little graphics that tell you which iPad versions the accessory is compatible with:

They don't call it the "new iPad" there. They give it a nice unambiguous name: "iPad 3rd generation."

Fresh & Easy In Santa Monica

It's a whole 'nother world in Santa Monica! A major neighborhood concern is traffic and parking. The store will have off-site parking and will provide access to showers and secure bicycle parking for employees. They will also provide discounted bus passes. Neighbors also don't want early morning deliveries, but an attempt to restrict delivery hours at Whole Foods resulted in delivery trucks simply double-parking in front of the store to wait until delivery hours began.

My suggestion: put the Santa Monica Fresh & Easy at Palm and Hacienda in Desert Hot Springs. The City of Santa Monica could run a half dozen Big Blue Buses out here every day for their shopping convenience. We would not charge them anything to park their buses in our city, but our residents would get to ride the Big Blue Bus to Santa Monica at no charge. Win-win!

Google Street View Into B & H

Google Street View has been expanding to include the interiors of businesses, and now they've done the interior of that retail temple of photography and electronics: B & H Photo on 9th Avenue in Manhattan. They didn't photograph the entire store. I can understand that things like navigating a stairway are still in beta at Google, but they didn't even include all of the street level floor.

A part of the overhead conveyor system that carries your purchases to the cashier area.

Film.

Cashiers.

Eggs Were Thrown

The BBC report on the civil disturbance in Beijing includes video of the actual egg being actually thrown, plus actual aftermath footage. Oh, the humanity! Sanlitun Apple store website translated.

Who comes to an Apple product debut with eggs?

What To Do With An Empty Big Box Store

What with the news that up to 120 Sears and Kmart stores will be closing soon, people should be wondering what do with empty big box stores. Fill them with other retail options? Turn them into skating rinks? Host raves?

Here's what's going to happen in an empty PetSmart store:

Last week the Covina City Council unanimously approved a Skyzone trampoline park to occupy the 25,608 s.f. building. Here's the website for Skyzone Indoor Trampoline Parks. They will charge $12/hour at the Covina location which is midway between the 10 and 210 on Azusa Avenue, near the AMC Covina 30.

Responsible persons will be pleased to note that the Skyzone trampoline park will be only 13 minutes from the nearest emergency room, according to Google maps.

Their website indicates they are planning to open facilities in Riverside, Glendale, Ontario, Torrance, and San Fernando Valley. Currently, you can find them in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Sacramento as well as several other cities across the U.S. and Canada. The Boston location is in Readville, an easy walk from the commuter train stop.

"You Are Not Special"

Fight Club soap, caffeinated, $15, quite possibly real.

The same company offers caffeinated marshmallows and Sex Panther cologne: