Apple stores to get virtual counterparts?

This is the Genius Bar at Apple's new retail store on West 14th St. in New York. Does Apple have a bright idea for re-creating the interpersonal retail experience in a virtual world?

(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET News.com)

A patent filing by Apple is prompting speculation that the Mac and iPod maker could be getting ready to open up Apple stores in the virtual realm--perhaps in Second Life.

On Thursday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple titled "Enhancing online shopping atmosphere," filed in September 2006. The PTO's action was first noted by the Mac news site MacNN.

Judging by the patent application, the company apparently is looking to do more than just spruce up its own Apple Online Store. Rather, it seems interested in creating a whole new experience for consumers looking to buy its products via the Web.

In dissecting the application, MacNN picked up on a number of clues that portend a commercial undertaking of the sort that have been popping up in the virtual world Second Life in recent years. And indeed, even a quick reading of the PTO document makes such an assumption quite plausible.

First this, from the Background of the Invention paragraph:

(O)ne drawback of online shopping is that the experience can feel sterile and isolating. Customers in such an environment may be less likely to have positive feelings about the online shopping experience, may be less inclined to engage in the online equivalent of window shopping (e.g., will not linger in front of a display), and may ultimately spend less money than their counterparts who shop in physical stores.

And then this, in Detailed Description, after Apple has titled a hypothetical visitor to the online store "Alice":

Other visitors to the site are represented by human shaped icons such as icon 118. Both Alice and one other visitor (118) are currently viewing the main page of the Acme website. They are represented by icons in entryway 120 accordingly. Other visitors are viewing other portions of the website.

People shopping at a site like Amazon.com, Zappos, or Store.apple.com don't get to see others while they're browsing and buying. On Second Life, by contrast, the core experience is all about seeing the avatars of other participants.

And Second Life is no stranger to commercial endeavors or the incursions of high-tech companies such as IBM. It's worth noting again, however, that the Apple patent application was submitted in 2006, during the first wave of corporate interest in what virtual worlds might offer to a profit-minded business.

So do take a deep breath before concluding that this is a done deal. As Wagner James Au says on the GigaOm site--while also noting that "when a Second Life user built an unofficial Apple Store last year, it generated tremendous buzz (as the 270K views of this YouTube video suggest.)":

So does this mean Steve Jobs is going to show off his avatar in a virtual Apple store at the next big Mac show? Possibly, but even with my pronounced Second Life bias, I'm more than a touch skeptical. Companies file all kinds of patents that go unused, as a way of preemptively staking out territory.

[csven]

Too obvious, imo

As far as I'm concerned, there are 3D virtual commerce/interaction ideas already out there which go beyond what I read in this patent ... including one of my own posted eight months prior - <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://blog.rebang.com/?p=577" target="_newWindow">http://blog.rebang.com/?p=577</a> (might want to skip down to ?Okay, so let?s piece things together?, in bold). Consequently, I personally consider Apple's "innovation" too obvious to warrant a patent award.<br /><br />This feels to me like Amazon's "1-Click" all over again. I hope a ton of prior art is unearthed before the USPTO hands them this one.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Mac has 2.2% worldwide market share...

Might as well try to sell them in "PhonyLife".

[SixVodkas]

And?

Ferrari commands even less a percentage than that.<br /><br />Enjoy your Yugo!<br /><br />(I agree with another writer here, you're the best ad-man for <br />Apple who posts on C-Net, EVAH!!!. How much is Steve Jobs <br />paying you?)

[seniorboba]

How did they patent

How did apple manage to patent a way to act superior and rude online? Will the clerks online be just as annoying as they are in real life? The few times I did walk into the Apple store I was made to feel very unwelcome, and that my presence in the store was unwanted. Granted I wasn't wearing an emo outfit and whining, I just had money to spend, which the staff made sure that I didn't do at the store. I still bought a new iPod, just not at an Apple store.

[Lee in San Diego]

Maybe it was the scarlet T

"The few times I did walk into the Apple store I was made to feel <br />very unwelcome, and that my presence in the store was unwanted."<br /><br />Maybe it was the scarlet T branded on your forehead

[Ric Mollor]

Second Life unlikely

It would be very unlikely for Apple to use Second Life for it's virtual marketing as the Second Life client is notoriously crash prone on Mac hardware.<br /><br />Additionally, it would be unusable for owners of older systems as a fairly recent graphics subsystem is needed.<br /><br />Perhaps something done in Flash or better still for Apple, Quicktime. Certainly not something that requires a large download, install, and then steep learning curve before use.