“When you walk inside an Apple Store, you can’t help but smile at people around you. People you never met before. It gives you the feeling of “community”. You know you are in a familiar place and your overall experience is better. So whether you go with Mac savvy friends or a “would be switcher” you find what you need and you can try a fully functional product first hand. No Reseller in Puerto Rico can offer this.”

-Luis Javier Juarbe, Ambassador             

iWant MUG of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico

100x35 Sq. Miles

3,950 Million of people

1,000 people per square mile

62 Walgreens

26 Starbucks

12 Walmarts

10 K Marts

9 Sears

8 JC Penney

Even 1 Krispy Kreme!

Apple Stores in Puerto Rico 0

iWant MUG - Statement

Here at iWant MUG, we want Apple to tell us in a statement the reasons we have not been considered as a destination for an Apple Store.

We are following very closely the roadmap that Apple is tracing and the international expansion plan they announced earlier this year. It is very disappointing for us to see how they can open stores just about everywhere but here in Puerto Rico. 

iWant MUG wants to know, WHY?  But more importantly, Mac Users are demanding, WHY? They come to us for answers, and this is why, we, as the voice of the Mac User in Puerto Rico, want Apple to tell us, “Yes, there is an Apple Store coming” or “No, there is no plan for an Apple Store, and THIS IS WHY....”

A simple “no” is not enough. We want to know why, in a Commonwealth, territory, or whatever you want to call this Country that has a very close relationship with the US and its laws, it is so difficult to buy a QuickTime Pro license or buy an iPhone, among other things. We want to know why we can buy from the iTunes Music Store in the US, yet we can’t order something as simple as a mouse on the Apple Online Store.

Times are changing, and consumer needs are changing too. Puerto Rico is a very high consumer of electronics and it is no wonder why Sears, Best Buy, Circuit City and others are making aggressive moves in Puerto Rico.

It is also no surprise why brand stores like Puma, Bose, GAP, Children’s Place and Old Navy, among others, are doing great here. It is no wonder to us why K Mart, while bankrupt in the mainland, was doing fine here. It is also no surprise why Tiger Direct decided to keep one of the Comp USA stores in Puerto Rico.

Yet we wonder WHY Apple is denying us or worse yet, denying themselves a chance to have an Apple Store in the Island of Enchantment and high consumerism. A place where Sony and its VAIO have found a niche and Dell is doing great. We know Apple has the numbers, and we also know how well they would do here. But what we really want to know is WHEN, if they are coming, and WHY if they are not.

Luis Javier Juarbe

Ambassador - iWant MUG of Puerto Rico

RUMOR SPREADING AROUND

iWant does not have confirmation of this, but it makes sense to us after doing a little research.

San Juan, Puerto Rico - There is a rumor going around. We have heard it ourselves from different sources, all unreliable when we consider their “closeness” to Apple and the decision makers at Cupertino; nonetheless, the word is that Apple is considering a location to open a store in Puerto Rico. 

At first it was a surprise to us because all sources agree that the destination won’t be a major mall in the Island. But after checking out the possible location it makes all the sense in the world. The alleged plan is to open a store at “El Condado” area. This is a high traffic area, especially for tourists, so the logical place for Apple to get their own place for a stand alone store, is there.

This makes even more sense when we think about exact locations since there is a huge development movement in that area, particularly the new “Convention Center District”. That area will be surrounded by hotels, recreational areas, housing, and high end commercial spaces.

What this tells us, if this rumor is to be believed, is that we may hear the first official statement from Apple as soon as 2009 and we may see a store open before the end of that year. While we wait for official word from Cupertino, it is our duty to keep spreading our message and keep asking people to sign our petition online.

Only time will tell if this is true or not. Apple can shed some light on this with a statement. They are free to do so here by sending an e-mail to iwantmug@mac.com.

Sign our petition for an Apple Store in Puerto Rico TODAY, join over 1300 signees that already expressed their desire to have the best place to get Apple products. click HERE to sign.

Check out what ifo Apple Store had to say about Caribbean Business promotional practices.

Here is what WE had to say to the editor of CB via e-mail

Good day,

My name is Javier Juarbe, president of iWant MUG of PR, a user group with over 265 members.

We found this promotional poster announcing the new webpage from CB. We were very exited to read the

top story in what supposedly is a picture of the web page. In an eye popping black square that clearly demands attention and with none other than the iPhone as eye candy, your ad declares that sources in California has confirmed CB about the opening

of an Apple Store Jan 2009.

I want you to know that one of our main goals is to lobby for an Apple Store here in PR. We take what we do very serious and we have some contacts as well. We think this part of the ad is fictional and a way to lure people to see your site and look for the "read more" link only to find no news at all. If this is the case, I find it very unfortunate that a publication like Caribbean Business has todo such a cheap and distasteful tactic to promote a site, and we want you to know as a User Group how deeply disappointed we are of you. Not only did you published news about the iPhone with very unreliable sources, but come as far as announcing a store with no follow up story.

I am no expert on legal terms, but I suggest that you consider to have some link on your front page that leads to a note that rectifies both news, as I am sure this clipping will be seen by Apple Legal and other sources very soon.

In closing, I want to ask you on behalf of over 265 members of our MUG to stop giving false hope and false news related to Apple products, services, and stores. Any real, complete and reliable news are always welcomed, but trust has to be kept.

Sincerely

Javier Juarbe

President - IWant MUG of PR

Official Apple User Group