Way back in 2004, long before I joined the magazine, I wrote a letter to MacFormat bemoaning the lack of Apple merchandise available to buy. Mac and Apple t-shirts sold for significant sums on eBay, and staff at Apple stores were regularly asked whether the snazzy, Apple-branded clothing they wore was available to buy (it wasn't). But genuine Apple merchandise was limited to the tops given away at Apple store openings.
Over half a decade later, nothing has changed. At the time of writing, a second-hand official Apple polo top is offered on eBay for �35, and there was a huge, t-shirt-hungry crowd at the opening of our local Apple store in Bath earlier in the year, including the brutally honest gentleman pictured here. But there's still no Apple merchandise in the shops.
I can't think why Apple doesn't capitalise on this demand, and get itself some free advertising for the brand into the bargain. Would you buy a suitably-stylish t-shirt that celebrated your favourite Mac or the current operating system? I certainly would. These things can look indescribably naff if done badly, but I'm sure we can trust Apple to get it right. For example, a top featuring the Snow Leopard Aurora desktop would look amazing, and those silhouette iPod ads are crying out to be printed on a t-shirt. And what about some posters? Vintage designs from the Think Different campaign a few years back are again highly sought after, so why not launch a new set? With Christmas coming, it could've made a killing at the tills.
So what does everyone think? If Apple sold Mac- and iOS-related merchandise alongside the computers and peripherals, would you buy them? Share your thoughts via the 'Add new comment' link below.
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