ifo Apple Store (dove ifo sta per in front of) chiude dopo 14 anni di attività. Gary Allen lo aprì nel 2003, quando gli Apple Store erano ancora una novità, e quando fare la notte per l’inaugurazione di un nuovo store era una cosa nuova:

After following Apple retail for 14 years, I’ve reached a happy ending, and am gracefully backing away from the crazy world of following the company and its stores. No more stories or analysis, or flying out to far-flung locations to join overnight crowds,waiting for the excitement of new store opening (NSO). I began this Web site as simply a way of celebrating the fun of grand openings and the close friendship of the people I met when I arrived in a new country or city. My first overnight camp-out was with my son Devin on the sidewalk in front of the epic Palo Alto store in October 2001, I continued to other store openings with him in China, Australia, UK and other countries. I’ve visited over 140 stores around the world. I even drove cross-country back in 2011 to celebrate the chain’s first store. Along the way, I have enjoyed every experience and personal encounter. I’ve met and corresponded with people from every continent who share my enthusiasm for Apple, its employees and products. Back in 2001, It seemed like I was the only person studying the stores. In fact, most onlookers were skeptical of the stores’ future success.