Apple being bribed city councils to set up stores

PanARMENIAN.Net - Apple is being bribed to set up its cathedrals for its new religion by local councils who believe the stores are status symbols for a city which magically attract new business, TechEye reports.

The report cites Ars Technica, which says that city councils have been offering Apple taxpayer money to set up shop. Some deals include Apple getting to move in rent-free.

One case was Utah which is bringing an Apple Store to the City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake City. Apple was bribed with five years' free rent to move in.

New York's MTA transit authority offered Apple a bargain-priced deal of $60 per square foot to open a store in Grand Central Terminal. Any other computer seller would have to pay $200 per square foot. Another retailer would also have to give the city's underground system a cut of the profits, but Apple didn't have to agree to that.

Apple also made a deal with Chicago officials, scoring 10 years of free rent in exchange for $4 million to renovate a nearby underground station.

While this seems unfair to other businesses, it would appear that the reason the sweeteners are being offered is because other stores benefit from Apple's haloed presence, the report says.