Macbook Air.

I’ve always wondered about the people endlessly tinkering around with the demo units at Apple stores. What the heck are they doing? Playing games? Surfing? Emailing?

Well, we know what one person was doing - writing a book.

Isobella Jade, an aspiring commercial model, has actually written her memoirs without owning her own computer. She’d write bits and pieces on demo units inside an Apple Store in Soho, New York, saving the files to her Yahoo account in email form, day after day. Isobella says she’s too poor to buy her own iMac, so she mooched off the Apple Store until her book, Almost 5′ 4″ was finished.

I remember one of my favorite writers, Harlan Ellison, who as a publicity stunt wrote one entirely while inside a store display window where you could watch him work from the street. Isobella’s stunt is more sneaky, though.

Her book has been self-published, but she has signed over the world rights to The Friday Project in the UK, and a commercial version of Almost 5′4″ will be available next year.

How she did it, and an interview with the author, is over at the Mental Floss blog.

(And man, here I am with 5 computers, and I can’t even finish one. Sheesh.)

New York City’s got a new Apple Store, and an even bigger one than the original.

The new branch opened Friday at the corner of 14th and 9th, and is home to the largest, most elaborate and complicated-looking glass staircase ever built. This Apple Store has three floors, with the first floor 40 by 85 feet. It’s got the same styling as the other branches worldwide, but is unique in that you can get a view of the inside from anywhere around the corner because of the wide glass windows on both street fronts.

Apple’s press release:

The Apple Store West 14th Street is Apple’s first three-story store with two floors dedicated to products and a third dedicated to services, including a 46-foot Genius Bar and specially designed areas for workshops and personal training. The Apple Store West 14th Street also introduces Pro Labs where customers can receive free, in-depth training on Apple’s industry-leading pro applications including Final Cut Pro.

The knowledgeable staff at the Apple Store West 14th Street includes more than 175 highly trained Mac Specialists, Mac Geniuses and Creatives who are ready to share their expertise in video editing, digital photography, music production and more. The team of Creatives at West 14th Street will begin leading free multi-session Pro Lab series in January, offering personalized instruction and hands-on experience for customers who want to take their music, video and photography skills to the next level.”

More pictures from AppleInsider.

Apple’s just reversed themselves and have increased the number of iPhones an individual can buy, from their previously mandated two units, to five iPhones in the US and the UK, according to Macsimum News.

Nice. Which means the third-party unlocked resellers are getting a break and can get more stock now. Which begs the question, why give them bad boys the opportunity to restock, and then clamp down on them at the same time (see previous MAD post)?

Go figure.

Some guys unearthed an interesting six-year-old article from BusinessWeek Online by Cliff Edwards, entitled “Commentary: Sorry, Steve: Here’s Why Apple Stores Won’t Work”, which goes to show that Michael Dell apparently is not alone.

In the article, Edwards says that Steve Jobs is putting his foot in it by setting up Apple Stores. The article says

…Jobs thinks he can do a better job than experienced retailers at moving the beluga. Problem is, the numbers don’t add up. Given the decision to set up shop in high-rent districts in Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, and Jobs’s hometown of Palo Alto, Calif., the leases for Apple’s stores could cost $1.2 million a year each, says David A. Goldstein, president of researcher Channel Marketing Corp. Since PC retailing gross margins are normally 10% or less, Apple would have to sell $12 million a year per store to pay for the space. Gateway does about $8 million annually at each of its Country Stores. Then there’s the cost of construction, hiring experienced staff. “I give them two years before they’re turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake,” says Goldstein.”

Edwards adds,

What’s more, Apple’s retail thrust could be one step forward, two steps back in terms of getting Macs in front of customers. Since most Mac fans already know where to buy, much of the sales from Apple’s stores could come out of the hides of existing Mac dealers. That would bring its already damaged relations with partners to new lows.

The article ends

Indeed, rather than taking on the retailers who ought to be its partners, Apple would do better improving how it works with them. A good step would be to end the “think secret” approach that shrouds every new-product announcement. Covert operations worked beautifully when Jobs first arrived on the scene; his charismatic stage presence and Apple’s eye-popping designs created priceless buzz. Now, retailers complain that the secrecy prevents them from doing advance advertising to hype sales and clear out inventory. “They are the most secretive company I’ve ever done business with,” says one top retailer. “They should let the news leak out, to convince the world how exciting their stuff is. That’s how everyone else does it.” Maybe it’s time Steve Jobs stopped thinking quite so differently.”

Edwards tries hard to pull a Michael Dell, but not quite. Dell still holds the record firm, but Edwards’ piece is still an interesting read. For the the full, smug article, click here.