Apple is reportedly adding Facebook to the list of Web sites that visitors can't access while testing out devices in its retail stores.
Neither Apple nor Facebook would confirm rumors that are circling on the Web, first reported on TinyComb.com.
The report quoted one store employee as saying,"Apple stores have become a regular Internet Cafe, so placing the most popular time-killer [Facebook] of them all on the banned list will certainly help everyone get a chance to test out the computers."
Two years ago, Apple stores told customers that MySpace is not your space, and blocked access to the popular social networking site in its stores, citing similar reasons.
"Nearly 2 million people visit Apple stores every week," Apple said in a statement. "We want to provide everyone a chance to test-drive a Mac, so we are no longer offering access to MySpace in our stores."
At that time, an anonymous Apple store employee said that the company had become frustrated with people hogging machine time.
"MySpace is a big issue for the Apple stores because people come in, Photobooth themselves (using Macs' built-in Web cams), then stick their picture up on their MySpace account and loiter at machines for hours," the source told CNET. "It is especially troublesome at the flagships and high-volume stores, and for a while there was no official word on how to deal with it."
Apple ended 2008 with 251 stores and now operates retail outlets in 10 countries, the company said when it reported its most recent financial results.
"Our stores achieved the highest-ever service volumes as customers came in record numbers," said Peter Oppenheimer, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Apple, in a call with financial analysts.
"Apple retail stores hosted a record 46.7 million visitors during the December quarter or 14,400 visitors per store per week," said Oppenheimer. "Revenue of $1.74 billion also established a new record and grew 2 percent year-over-year. Our stores sold 515,000 Macs during the quarter, almost half of which were to customers who have never owned a Mac before."
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