LEAK: FIRST GLIMPSE OF APPLE'S NEW GRAND CENTRAL STATION STORE

Grand Central Terminal’s iconic main concourse, with its ceiling of glittering stars, will likely welcome another icon later this year: a single, glowing white apple.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials offered a glimpse Monday morning at the Apple store proposed for the train station, near the terminal’s east staircase. Apple plans to start building the gadget shop immediately, should the agency’s board give its approval Wednesday. Construction is expected to take about four months.

Apple is paying Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur restaurant $5 million to vacate its space on the terminal’s east balcony more than eight years before its lease expires. The MTA will get significantly higher annual rent: $1.1 million from Apple vs. $263,997 from Metrazur.

In addition to the space currently occupied by Metrazur, Apple will move into an adjacent, currently vacant balcony on the northeast side of the terminal.

“It maintains Grand Central as the iconic structure and place that it is,” Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut said at a meeting of the MTA board’s railroad committee. That committee oversees Metro-North, which controls the terminal.

During his presentation, MTA Real Estate Director Jeffrey Rosen announced both the Apple store and a new Shake Shack for the terminal.

“I can’t imagine why any kid in Westchester would want to do anything other than go into Grand Central and shop at Apple and eat at Shake Shack,” Rosen said.

DISH NETWORK CLOSING 200 MORE BLOCKBUSTER STORES

Dish Network on Thursday revealed plans to shutter 200 additional Blockbuster stores, dropping the number of nationwide locations to approximately 1,500. Dish won an auction to take control of Blockbuster and its remaining assets this past April, after the fallen giant filed for bankruptcy last September. Dish said that the 15,000 employees working in Blockbuster locations that will remain operational will not lose their jobs. The company also said employees of the locations set to be shuttered will have the opportunity to transfer to other stores. Blockbuster failed to evolve with the shifting movie rental industry — when it finally did begin to offer new portfolio options to compete with the likes of Netflix, it neglected to add any real value or differentiation beyond competitive offerings. Coupled with the expense of operating physical rental shops, Blockbuster didn’t stand a chance. Dish Network acquired Blockbuster’s in April for approximately $228 million in cash, and it remains to be seen whether or not Dish can manage to transform the current business into something worthwhile.

VIZIO TABLETS DROP INTO COSTCO

We know it's been a long wait since CES, but after getting pawed at by both Blake Griffin and yours truly, the Vizio Tablet is starting to show up in stores right about on schedule. A source was able to snag this tablet at a local Costco store for $329 ($20 off the regular price), an achievement also unlocked by the folks at Mobileslate.

According to their reports you may have to ask around to find out if the VTAB1008 is actually in stock but it may be lurking along with its $40 Accessories Kit. The low end tablet is already showing in stock on the Vizio online store. Impressions so far suggest a "budget" tablet experience, above that of the flood of craptablets, with decent hardware and battery life, but a software experience behind the top of the line slates due to the custom UI, small internal storage and RAM and slower single core Marvell CPU.

LEAK: APPLE PLANNING OVERNIGHT SHIFT FOR OS X LION LAUNCH

Apple has reportedly scheduled overnights for Tuesday night in preparation for the OS X Lion launch. According to 9to5 Mac, Apple Store outlets are already equipped with hard drives to quickly install Lion on the show floor computers, and the stores have been sent new posters to outfit the walls with advertisements for the new operating system.

Apple is also expected to refresh the MacBook Air in the imminent future, however it will not be tomorrow. We’re expecting the new notebooks to pack the Thunderbolt I/O port in place of DisplayPort, Intel’s new Sandy Bridge processors, and a backlit keyboard.

APPLE RENOVATING NY FIFTH AVE STORE; COST $6.7 MILLION

The iconic glass cube Apple Store located on Fifth Avenue in New York City is getting a makeover. The cube will be temporarily removed, which will be an interesting feat in itself. Taking the cube down and then putting it back up comes at no small cost and Apple will spend about $6.7 million on the renovations.

According to documents discovered at New York City’s Department of Buildings, Apple will remove the glass and “its sophisticated hardware.” It will also make improvements to the surrounding plaza and then “reinstall” the cube. There are currently plywood panels surrounding the cube and scaffolding will be added soon.

What we don’t know at the moment is why this is being done. Is there a fault with the existing cube that needs fixing? Or is Apple going to add something new or improved to it?

The 32-foot cube was completed in 2006 for a reported cost of $7 million. Steve Jobs is said to have designed the cube himself. Just to make sure no other stores copied Apple’s glass cube, Apple trademarked the design last year. In fact, the store’s lease says that if Apple decided to move, it would take the cube with it.

Perhaps the Fifth Ave. store is gearing up for some competition from an Apple store rumored to be opening in New York City’s Grand Central Station. The store is said to be the world’s largest Apple store, though we’re not sure that will be possible since the monstrous Covent Garden store in London covers 40,000 square feet in its two floors.

The Fifth Ave. store holds a special place in many people’s hearts. It’s one of the most photographed spots for tourists, according to Flickr’s geotagging data. Furthermore, the store is more than just a tourist attraction; a happy couple even got married in the Fifth Avenue street cube by a black-turtleneck-wearing wedding officiant who read off of an iPhone.

Though the store is the most popular of New York City’s four Apple Stores, it’s actually the smallest. However, that doesn’t stop it from selling more than the three other Apple Stores combined.

The construction is supposed to be completed by November of this year – just in time for the holiday shopping rush.

NOKIA CLOSING UK WEB STORE AT END OF MONTH

Nokia’s affiliate team has confirmed that Nokia will close its UK online shop by the end of the month. In a letter to partners, the Finnish firm said, “This message is to inform you that Nokia is closing their affiliate [program]… in keeping with a strategic business decision to close down the Nokia UK online shop.” The company argued that it has been hard to compete with wireless carriers that are offering products at subsidized prices. “We are planning to close the current UK online store to simplify our channel structure and focus our resources on our key trade customers,” a Nokia spokesperson told Tech Radar.

APPLE RETAIL CHIEF JUMPS TO J.C. PENNEY

You may not know the name Ron Johnson, but you're definitely familiar with his work -- this is the man who built Apple's retail empire. Eleven years ago Jobs brought Johnson on to create the first Apple store, stealing him away from his position at Target. Now the man who brought you the Genius Bar and roaming, iPhone-wielding sales reps is moving on, and taking his expertise to the department store stalwart J.C. Penney.

A spokesperson for the Cupertino crew told All Things D that the company was already searching for his replacement, but we're more interested in what Johnson will be doing with the shopping mall staple when he takes over as CEO on November 1st.

RUMOR: APPLE TO BID ON 15,000 SQUARE FEET IN GRAND CENTRAL STATION FOR STORE

According to The Wall Street Journal Apple is interested in two balconies that are located on the north and east sides of Grand Central Terminal — a total of 15,230 square feet. BGR has also independently confirmed that Apple has indeed been scoping out the space during the past few weeks. A restaurant currently occupies one of the areas up for rent, but it’s expected to close its doors on July 1st, which would presumably allow Apple to start construction later this summer. According to some experts speaking to The Wall Street Journal, the store could have the potential to be Apple’s most popular retail location to date. The MTA is expected to issue a request for proposals on Monday.

APPLE'S REVAMPED STORES UNVEILED

We all knew something was up, and over the weekend Apple took the wraps off what is being called “Apple Store 2.0,” a revamp that includes various new niceties. The changes, which coincided with Apple’s 10th retail anniversary, involve both consumer facing changes and behind-the-scenes tweaks that will combine to improve an already unique retail experience. Most notably, perhaps, are the thousands of iPad 2 units that have replaced paper signs and info cards next to Apple’s demo devices spread throughout the stores. Each iPad is interactive and features info about the product it accompanies, and there is also a “Specialist” button that will allow perusers to call a sales rep over for help or to make a purchase. These new iPad 2 displays won’t perform any other function — at least, not that the typical shopper can access — and they’re encased in acrylic enclosures to prevent people from walking off with them.

RUMOR: SOMETHING BIG COMING FOR APPLE'S 10TH RETAIL ANNIVERSARY

An Apple source is stating Apple is gearing up for a big event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its retail stores next Monday. According to the source:

• There’s an overnight shift planned for around 10-15 individuals at each Apple Store to work from late Saturday all the way through mid-Sunday.
• During the overnight shift, it’s going to be required that employees lock cell phones in the main office. They will also have to sign an NDA with Apple.
• There are a wide variety of roles, we’re told, for the overnight shift. This includes all visuals staff, a manager, a business team member, a few Genius team members, one back-of-house employee, and a few generic Apple specialists.
• Apple stores have apparently already received hardware to install, and are expecting more hardware to come on Friday or Saturday. All materials that Apple stores have received have been instructed to be under lock and key until after close on Saturday night.
• Apple employees will be putting up black curtains at all stores so that people walking outside cannot see inside.
• Employees have had to download gigabytes of data from Apple corporate labeled, “training” in a password-protected zipped folder that won’t accessible to managers or anyone else until Saturday afternoon.
• Lastly, all Apple retail stores have mandatory meetings on Sunday, May 22nd. Most meeting are scheduled for the morning, but there are evening meetings as well.

ELUSIVE WHITE iPHONE 4 FINALLY EMERGES IN UK

Well, would you have a gander at that? That, friends, is Apple's long-awaited, hardly-forgotten white iPhone 4, and so far as we can tell, this is actually the real deal. We've seen retailers making space for the elusive handset over the past few months, and earlier today, we heard that Vodafone UK's inventory systems were showing the white iPhone 4 as shipping in. Now, we've secured a few images of a 16GB model from a separate source that has seemingly made its way into the hands of one lucky customer over in Britain.

LEAK: GOOGLE CHROME NOTEBOOKS COMING IN JUNE/JULY

Neowin has confirmed from a reliable source that the Google Chrome OS based notebooks will be available for "purchase" in late June/early July. The search giant also is planning on using an unconventional form of distribution to customers. Google will be selling the devices as part of a subscription based model with Gmail to customers. It's not clear if this applies to mainstream Gmail.com users, or to Google Apps premier customers.

According to our source, Google plans to make the notebooks available for $10-$20 a month per user, and will provide hardware refreshes as they are released as part of the package, and will replace faulty hardware for the life of the subscription. On top of this, Google will make the devices available for a one time payment as a normal retailer would, but is likely to not distribute the devices directly. Instead, the company will distribute them in a fashion similar to the way Android is distributed.

DISH NETWORK KEEPING 500 BLOCKBUSTER STORES

Earlier this month, when Dish Network announced that it would be taking over Blockbuster's remaining assets, we openly wondered about what the deal would mean for the thousands of (mostly) empty rental stores still scattered across the country. Shuttering all of them seemed like a very real possibility, but it now looks like Dish has plans for at least a few of Blockbuster's old stomping grounds. On Saturday, the company agreed to assume the leases for about 500 of the 1,700 Blockbuster locations still in operation, according to papers filed with a New York Bankruptcy Court. Of course, it's still unclear what Dish plans to actually do with these stores -- or, for that matter, with the Blockbuster brand, as a whole. But it certainly looks like its long-term vision may incorporate at least some of Blockbuster's brick-and-mortar roots.

iPAD 2 SHORTAGE PUSHES SHIPPING DATES OUT 4 - 5 WEEKS

If you thought you’d just hold off until after the weekend rush had died down to head to your local Apple Store, Best Buy, Target, etc., you’re going to have to keep waiting. While Apple’s online store said the ship time was only a few days long on Friday’s launch day, waits are now between four weeks and five weeks for the new iPad.

The iPad 2’s sales went above and beyond industry expectations this past weekend, which left many store shelves empty before the weekend even ended. Online sales were backed up to two to three weeks before the iPad 2 was even available in retail stores. When the original iPad came out 11 months ago, Apple said it sold more than 300,000 on the first day, and 1 million after 28 days. Analysts say the iPad 2 sold 500,00 units in just its first day.

APPLE TO SERVICE SMALL BUSINESSES THROUGH APPLE STORES

Apple announced its Joint Venture service this weekend to Apple Store employees. The new offering aims to bring small business customers into retail stores, providing more business-centric and personalized services. Users can enroll in Joint Venture for an annual fee of $499.

What does that steep fee get you? The fee covers up to five users (additional users can be added for $99 per person per year) and provides priority service at Apple’s Genius Bars (skip the line), phone support from business-focused Geniuses, loaner machines for repairs taking over 24-hours, and access to customized workshops. The new service is set to roll out beginning March 2nd.

APPLE REMOVES MOBILEME FROM ONLINE STORE; PULLS BOXED VERSION FROM RETAIL

Big changes appear to be happening to Apple's MobileMe product. The company has removed all traces of the program from their online store and pulled all boxed copies from retail stores as well.

Apple Insider further reports that both single user and family packs of MobileMe have been declared "end of life" by Apple, and that the service will undergo some scheduled maintenance tonight that may leave its web-based applications inaccessible for half an hour.

RUMOR: CLEARWIRE DITCHING RETAIL; GOING WHOLESALE ONLY

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Clearwire plans to exit the retail business and become solely a wholesale WiMax (and perhaps someday LTE) operator. An anonymous source (potentially at Sprint, who benefits the most from the news) doesn't specify when exactly this will happen, though they say the company has no plans to shut their 140 stores "at the moment." Reuters, who also spoke to two anonymous insiders, notes that Clearwire is stuck in leases so they can't cut retail presence just yet -- but they can cut advertising costs and put that money toward funding network expansion:

One of the sources said that while it would be difficult for Clearwire to get out of lease agreements for its stores it could instead pull back in areas such as advertising in order to prioritize spending on expanding its network. "It's more about not putting any more investment into areas like new ads," the person said.

That may not necessarily be a bad thing. Clearwire hasn't shown they're a particularly good retail residential ISP, their fixed service suffering from poor reviews, and their new WiMax service fairing only somewhat better, with users complaining of inconsistent coverage, signal quality issues, and random service throttling.

The move could certainly be good news for Sprint, who would then operate as the sole retail arm of the network -- something Sprint executives have preferred all along. It could also be good for Clearwire, who could now see more funding from a happier Sprint. Clearwire and Sprint's relationship had been fracturing over the last few years, with indicates that Sprint might just go ahead and build their own LTE network. Those plans could be less likely under a Clearwire LTE/Mobile WiMax wholesale model with Sprint as the primary retail player.