Thursday, June 4, 2009

What Detroit Can Learn From the Apple Store

As Detroit teeters in and out of bankruptcy, thousands of car dealerships are closing. Here’s an idea: Why not close them all?

Much has been made of the U.S. auto industry’s out-of-touch design priorities, manufacturing inefficiencies and failure to innovate. Its legacy is giant lots stacked with inventory that may never sell.

But car makers have fallen equally far behind in their distribution and sales methods, even as more prescient industries have embraced online strategies that reduce waste and empower consumers. To rise from the ashes, automakers must think like Silicon Valley — blow up “stores” in favor of experience centers. Let people buy what they want, when they want and how they want.

So, what would a car industry without dealerships look like? Keep reading here.

Virgin America is the first airline in the world with fleetwide WiFi service

Internet service on Virgin America costs $9.95 for flights up to 3 hours and $12.95 for longer flights. Red-eye flights offer a discounted rate of just $5.95 and passengers with a WiFi enabled PDA or Smartphone can get online for just $7.95.

A Fifth Avenue Topshop May Be on the Horizon

The only large vacant store front on Fifth Avenue's prime shopping stretch won't likely stand vacant for very long.

Sources said trendy downtown retailers are swarming like bees over the former Brooks Brothers corner site at 666 Fifth Ave. at 53rd Street. Among those crunching numbers are Japan's Uniqlo, which conquered Lower Broadway last year, Britain's Topshop, which made a big splash in SoHo this spring and would love to be in the heart of Midtown, and discount department store Century 21.

Also in the running are Spain's Zara, which already has a Fifth Avenue outpost at 54th Street but wants more elbow room, and Forever 21, which is opening a megastore in Times Square.

Arctic Monkeys Announce New Album

They've already cranked out two albums' worth of snarly, bratty, ridiculously fun post-Britpop, and now the Arctic Monkeys have their third album loaded up and ready to go. This time, though, things are looking a bit different.

Domino will release the new Arctic Monkeys album on August 24 in the UK and August 25 in the U.S. The album doesn't have a title yet, but the tracklist is below.

The Sheffield band recruited two producers for the new LP. One of those is a familiar face: Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford, who co-produced the band's moderately rougher second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare. But the other producer screams "new direction": Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, who worked with the band in his Mojave Desert studio.

So yeah: They went out to the desert with Homme, and their new press photo prominently features long hair and a Sabbath shirt. Something tells me the Arctic Monkeys might indulge some stoner-rock ambitions on this new one. (And if "Fire and the Thud" isn't a stoner-rock song title, I don't know what is.) Given that the band's first two albums gained much of their power from their punchy, straight-ahead energy, it's anyone's guess how things will turn out once prodigious fuzz finds its way into the mix.

Tracklist:

01 My Propeller
02 Crying Lightning
03 Dangerous Animals
04 Secret Door
05 Potion Approaching
06 Fire and the Thud
07 Cornerstone
08 Dance Little Liar
09 Pretty Visitors
10 The Jeweller's Hands

AT&T CruiseCast in-car TV finally launches nationwide

AT&T is launching its CruiseCast in-car TV service today. Of course, such a unique offering ain't running anyone cheap, with the initial hardware package totaling $1,299 and the monthly fee ringing up at $28. If those numbers have yet to faze you, click here for a look at the channel lineup.

Vice Squad

Dude, I understand you barely got any sleep last night (and even if you did, a 12 hour shift at The Peach Pit is exhausting). But you are scaring me. Can you please close your eyes when you sleep? You’re making me feel like Pol Pot.

Stuff White People Like - #126 Vespa Scooters

Within white culture, your choice of transportation method says a lot about you. For example a Prius says you care about the Earth, a bicycle shows you REALLY care about the earth, and a bus shows that you are probably not white. But these three options are not the only viable ways for a white person to get around, they have literally dozens of choices including Volvos, old Mercedes that run on vegetable oil, Subaru Outbacks, and Vespa Scooters.

As it stands, every single white person on earth either owns, has owned, or is dreaming about owning a Vespa Scooter. And why not? They are Italian, feature vintage design, low emissions, make the rider look more sophisticated, and they carry a little bit of risk. In fact, were it to have a liberal arts degree and a steady income, a Vespa scooter would possesses every important quality that a white person looks for in a spouse.

In addition to these superficial qualities, there are some very practical benefits to white people. Namely, scooters are perfect for gentrifying neighborhoods which are often short on parking and heavy on people who are impressed by Vespas.

If you are in search of a fun game, a white person who has recently purchased a Vespa can be a source of tremendous entertainment. Step One, get them talking about their Vespa (easy). Step Two, start asking them why they didn’t save money by getting a Honda or Suzuki that gets the same mileage. Step Three, see how many of the following justifications a white person will use during the ensuing rant: environment, parking, urban lifestyles, union labor, writers, fuel efficiency, Roman Holiday, study abroad, and being into Vespas before other people.

Finally, the Vespa has produced one of the great paradoxes in white culture. Vintage Vespas are infinitely cooler than newer ones, but the vintage models produce more pollution than most automobiles. If you know a white person going through this dilemma, just say something like “the amount of energy and carbon used to produce a new scooter will probably cancel out the emissions from your vintage one.”

Problem solved forever.

Fail of the Day

is a Musician and Copywriter living in San Francisco, California.