Lee Hyo-sik is Finance Desk editor at The Korea Times. He manages finance-related stories on macroeconomics, banks, stocks, bonds, crypto etc. He is passionate about covering what's happening in Korea's financial industry and explaining it to both Korean and non-Korean readers. You can reach him at leehs@koreatimes.co.kr. Your insights and feedbacks are always appreciated.
SK unveils iPad Mini at Concierge
A female employee of a Concierge store near Kunkuk University in Seoul offers a waiting customer coffee and a muffin, Friday. The country’s largest mobile device retailer began selling Apple’s new iPad Mini at 8 a.m. nationwide Friday. / Courtesy of SK Networks
By Lee Hyo-sik
By Lee Hyo-sik
Concierge, a mobile device retail unit of SK Networks, has begun selling Apple’s new iPad Mini, drawing tens of thousands of fans across the country. Its 28 outlets nationwide started the sale of the latest device at 8 a.m. Friday.
Long before the stores opened, thousands of people had already formed long queues to get their hands on the new, smaller version of the iPad as quickly as possible. Concierge employees offered waiting customers blankets, as well as coffee and muffins to help keep them warm in the chilly weather.
The first customer at the outlet near Kunkuk University in Seoul was awarded with a 1 million won ($910) gift certificate. Concierge also offered a coffee mug to those entering its stores from 9 a.m. as a souvenir.
All these promotional events showcase the firm’s commitment to maximizing customer satisfaction.
``We would like to express gratitude to the customers who visited our shops, despite the chilly weather on Friday morning. We will do everything we can to help them experience the iPad Mini without any inconvenience,’’ Concierge marketing director Kim Ji-eun said. ``The new device is small in size but is the fruit of Apple’s innovation in terms of pricing and portability. Those who use this new product cannot but fall in love with it.’’
The iPad Mini is 7.2 millimeters thick and weighs 0.3 kilogram, 50 percent lighter than the original tablet.
The subsidiary of SK Networks, founded in December 2010, operates Concierge Apple, a premium mobile device retail outlet certificated by the U.S. technology giant, and a Concierge Mobile Store where customers can compare Apple products with those manufactured by Samsung and other companies.
At the mobile store, customers can also consult information technology technicians about how to operate Apple’s mobile devices and solve problems they may face while using them.
``Many people want to experience the wide range of Apple products and compare them with those made by other firms. They should come to our store because we offer them everything they are looking for free of charge,’’ a Concierge spokeswoman said.
``We sell products at our shops and at the same time, offer after-sales services and consultation. We will continue to reshape the landscape of the information communication technology retail sector in Korea,’’ she said.
Concierge also plans to introduce the iPhone 5 as soon as SK Telecom and KT offer compatible wireless services.