By Daniel Monson
White earpieces and fancy laptops are so hot, in time they may need Honor Code restrictions.
Honing in on the Wasatch Front, Apple Computer, Inc. is opening their first Apple store in downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday.
For students who enjoy Apple''s fashionable and sleek design, there is no better way to show off technological savvy. While some may need the Apple for video editing and digital engineering, a new group of casual consumers has emerged.
Apple has continued to market their technology to students who are hip, fresh and jivin'' to the music.
The new store will be located at The Gateway, and marks the 123rd Apple store in the United States. People are eating up Apple products like ? well, apples.
'Apple is more simple, and so much more stylish than any other computer on the market,' said Aaron Walker, a 24-year-old biology major from Scottsdale, Ariz. 'At first I was hesitant with compatibility issues. Now I never will go back, and it''s actually easier to use.'
Grand opening ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. at 10 South Rio Grande Suite B, and the first 1,000 people to grace the store will be given free T-shirts.
The 'digital lifestyle' is what Apple appears to be expounding, and customers continue to seek new ways to incorporate the products into their lives.
Customers at the Salt Lake store can register up until Dec. 19 to win a 'Digital Lifestyle Collection' valued at $2,350, including a 17-inch iMac, iPod nano, Canon Powershot SD400 digital camera, Canon ZR100 digital camcorder and an Epson CX4200 printer.
Apple items have continued to sell well at The BYU Bookstore. They have been sold on campus since the early ''80s.
'In recent history, Apple has really taken off with the professors and students,' said Joe Allred, computer hardware purchaser at the BYU Bookstore. 'This may be in connection with the popularity of the iPod.'
To benefit students, Apple and BYU have an agreement to sell academically priced hardware and software. The Bookstore tries to stay updated on trends and the 'digital lifestyle.'
'I will try to make it out to the opening downtown,' Allred said. 'We do a good job offering services to campus, and I want to make sure we are up to par with Apple.'
With the new stores opening, many students have already found jobs there.
'Apple is opening more and more stores every month ? it''s exploding,' said Bradley Chapman, a 23-year-old former BYU student who works for Apple in California. 'Apple has always been popular with the educational crowd, and this is probably why they now are focusing on Utah.'
Chapman works as a part- time sales associate. In the Apple world he is known as a 'mac specialist' or a 'mac genius.'
'We took weeks of training to know the products, and I was also asked to teach classes to the public,' Chapman said.
Many college students used Macintosh computers throughout elementary school for such semi-educational programs as Oregon Trail. Now, Apple is ''in'' again in a different way.
Classes at the Gateway location are scheduled for public attendance, in programs such as iMovie, iPod and iDVD. The Apple store accepts walk-ins only.