Edible Apple

Apple’s retail store strategy works not only because it provides Apple with a means to showcase their products in the best light possible, but also because they’re bona fide places to come in and hang out. With desktops, laptops, phones, and iPods all at the ready, and typically pre-loaded with cool software, Apple’s retail stores make for a cool locale to try out the latest in Apple innovation.

Put simply, Apple retail stores are constructed such that consumers don’t simply pass by, but rather come in and stay for a while. And much like Starbucks, a key aspect of this strategy involves free Wi-Fi.

To that end, ifoAppleStore reports on a network engineer named Todd Ogasawara who decided to take a peek at the wi-fi network in a Honolulu Apple Store. In doing so, he found over 300 devices connected to Apple’s wi-fi network.

Ogasawara said the profile showed that Apple uses commercial-grade Cisco Wi-Fi access points at the stores. A typical mall-size Apple store can have 135 products on display, all connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi. A variety of other devices also connect to the store’s Wi-Fi: window displays using Mac minis, point-of-sale iPod touch devices, Concierge and Genius Bar iPads, and back-of-house computers. Lastly, a network profile also shows visitor devices using Apple’s Wi-Fi, either during normal use or while they’re being repaired, and even devices outside the store linked to the network.

If you’re curious as to a full listing of the devices found running on said network, hit the link for the full scoop.

via ifoapplestore