Patent reveals plans for virtual, 3-D Apple store
Mon Apr 21, 2008 4:03PM EDT
See Comments (8)
Instead of just clicking around pages and pages of products, you'd slip on an avatar and roam the virtual aisles, "Second Life"-style. Exciting stuff...or at least it was back in 2006, when the patent was originally filed.
As a shopper in the 3-D Apple store, you'd be able to pick a badge for your icon depending on your experience ("N" for newbie, "E" for expert, and so on), while the virtual clerks would have nametags telling you their area of expertise ("Ask me about jazz music," "ask me about photo software," etc.), according to MacNN. And you might even hear "varying degrees of din" depending on how many other shoppers are nearby. Sorry, no flying (at least as far as I can tell).
Interesting...and indeed, it's pretty much what I assume we'll be getting once the "Second Life"-style PlayStation Home launches later this year. I'm also guessing that chatting up your fellow customers ("So…come here often?") would be part of the draw.
But first, let's keep in mind that the Apple patent was filed back in September 2006, when the "Second Life" craze was just gathering steam. Nowadays, "Second Life" and its ilk are looking pretty tired—and besides, the patent doesn't mean that Apple will actually follow through with the plans.
Still, if anyone were to get the 3-D shopping experience right, it would be Apple (and judging from its continually packed stores here in New York, Apple has the physical experience nailed). That said, Apple (or any company that tries "Second Life"-style shopping) would be foolish to entirely do away with traditional, Amazon-style shopping and search boxes, especially for those shoppers who already know exactly what they want.
So, what do you think—eager to browse the Apple store aisles, 3-D style? Or would you rather shop online the old-fashioned way?
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Comments on Patent reveals plans for virtual, 3-D Apple store
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2 Posted by matt_archbold2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:11PM EDT Report Abuse
Yeah, i dont really see the need for something like this. Its old news. Just let be browse the current way and im good. I really dont want to have to virtualy walk a aisle to find my music. I get enough of that when i go to the grocery store.
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3 Posted by hookemhorns5468 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:20PM EDT Report Abuse
Sounds pointless...
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4 Posted by nolo_8 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:40PM EDT Report Abuse
nerd paradise.
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5 Posted by bigdee431 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:07PM EDT Report Abuse
only if you dont have a life
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6 Posted by rapmetal47 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:29PM EDT Report Abuse
You posting people have a terrific sense of humor. I nearly choked on my laughter. Thank you very much for the amusement. I think I would be funny as anything to walk around a store in a computer program. As always, thank you for another great article, Mr. Patterson.
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7 Posted by master_tse on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:10PM EDT Report Abuse
Sounds like a great idea to me. Good for you Apple, for embracing new technologies. Bet those negative comments above come from non-Second Life users. Oh and hey, using Second Life is far from nerdy.
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8 Posted by pinche_ta on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:12PM EDT Report Abuse
Yeah right...try this out on Ticketmaster.com for a hot-ticket event. You have to take your "virtual" self to the online Ticketmaster outlet and right when you get there tickets are sold out. So lame & pointless.
1 Posted by soltal_tw on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:32PM EDT Report Abuse
If I want to browse a store...I'd just rather get up and go to that store. I'd like to be able to look up close. I might be a bit biased against this though...because I don't trust internet shopping much anyway...