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Susan Henderson
Best Buy will unveil Chattanooga’s first and only Apple Shop today at the Gunbarrel Road location where an official said it will help bring new technology to the city.
“For so long you had to go to Atlanta, to Knoxville to Nashville,” said Susan Henderson, Best Buy community service spokeswoman. “This was kind of a dead spot for Apple computers, but now you can touch it, feel it and get it right here.”
The new Apple Shop will carry some of Apple’s most popular products such as the IMac, MacBook, the new MacBook Air plus just about any related software.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin today at 10:30 a.m. and will include a class about Apple computers.
City Education, Arts and Culture Administrator Missy Crutchfield said a representative from her office will be on-hand for the ceremony.
“The mayor is always excited when a new business opens or when a business expands,” she said. “This is great for the city and great for the community.”
Steve Dowling, an Apple spokesman, said the Chattanooga Apple Shop is part of the company’s plans to expand it’s partnership with Best Buy from 286 Apple Shops located inside the electronics store to more than 600 nationwide.
‘We are thrilled with the program,” he said.
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Staff Photo by Angela Lewis -- Lee University student Sarah Morell, right, looks at Macintosh computers with computer associate Susan Henderson at Best Buy on Gunbarrel Road on Friday. The Apple kiosk is new to the store.
Ms. Henderson said Geek Squad representatives, known for their Volkswagen Beetle “geek mobiles” and their 24-hour computer service assistance, will head a class beginning at 11:30 a.m. to discuss the benefits of Apple computers and explain the difference between Apple’s and PCs.
“We’re bringing a whole new technology to the Tennessee Valley,” Ms. Henderson said.
Officials also will recognize four area schools that each received a $2,000 technology grant because of how they are using technology in their schools.
Receiving grants in the Chattanooga area are Ooltewah High School, Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, Dalton High School in Dalton, Ga., and Graysville Elementary School in Ringgold, Ga.
The grants are part of $4 million Best Buy awards to schools across the country each year.
“To have four schools in one metro area is huge,” Ms. Henderson said.
