Apple Store REVERSES Its No Cash For iPads Policy (VIDEO)

Diane Campbell saved up $600 in cash to buy herself an iPad, but her money was refused at a Palo Alto Apple Store. An employee informed her that in an effort to keep iPads off the black market, Apple would accept only debit or credit cards for its "magical" tablet.

Campbell, dismayed by the store's no-cash-for-iPad policy, contacted ABC News' '7 On Your Side'. "Mr. Jobs, give a sister a break," she implored.

'7 On Your Side' brought attention to Apple's "no plastic, no tablet" policy, and the company has since revised its "no cash" rule.

Apple's senior VP Ron Johnson told '7 On Your Side,' "About a month ago, we said we'd like you to use a credit card when you buy your iPad, and that was the best way we could think of to make sure that people only bought two per individual [...] And then it came to our attention that Diane [Campbell], through your story, was very interested in buying an iPad with cash, and we made a decision today to change that."

'7 On Your Side' explains the new Apple Store policy:

As of today, anyone can pay for an iPad with cash as long as they set up their Apple account at the store. Apple accounts are needed for the iPad anyway, so that is not putting anyone out.

Apple delivered a free iPad to Campbell's house (no word on which model it was). "I am just so excited," Campbell said. She added, "What I would like to say to Steve is thank you."

Read '7 On Your Side's' full report here.

Comments

[ReichstagFire]

06:29 PM on 06/01/2010

Since every bill bears the inscription "Legal tender for all debts public and private" I would like to know how Apple thought it could ban payment in cash in the first place. This is significant in that
the courts have in the past rejected demands for payment in other forms- gold, for example- by the same logic.

[montessoriteacher]

11:08 AM on 05/31/2010

I bought 2 iphones and several ipods at the apple store with cash in Leawood, Ks. This must be a new policy. It was a big hassle but it can be done. They had a procedure where you had to purchase a gift card and they used the gift card to allow the purchase. After that, they had to make a lot of phone calls but it was done. Best Buy has the ipad and doesn't require purchasing a gift card first. Lots of people have credit cards but do want to limit the amount they place on them. I agree it is difficult to do without a credit card these days, as many purchases can't be done without a credit card.

[OldBear]

12:48 AM on 05/24/2010

iCash coming to your area SOON.

[Christians4Obama]

08:37 PM on 05/22/2010

Why would a low-income person need an iPad any way? To job search on the bus?
Besides, you can't buy the apps with cash.

People who don't have credit cards or bank accounts are usually people who had them but screwed up - often by buying things they could not afford.

[DWGRadio]

03:16 PM on 05/23/2010

Apple's policy was ridiculous. But you make an excellent point.

[kareemachan]

03:43 PM on 05/23/2010

Or maybe someone wise enough not to get sucked into the whole credit thing in the first place. Gotta love your dismissal of poor people not needing some high-falutin' iPad, btw. Not.

[alanposting]

01:21 PM on 05/22/2010

A little shine has come off the apple cult...

[Toonguy]

05:32 PM on 05/21/2010

If that was all it took to get a free iPad I would've done that months ago! ;)

[mmgbizgirl]

10:21 AM on 05/21/2010

Quick, clear decision.

[blueballs]

07:28 AM on 05/21/2010

Finally, Apple makes a smart PR decision. I was beginning to think there was little hope left at that place.

[planetarywisdom]

04:19 AM on 05/21/2010

"Apple Rejects iPhone App that Measures Cell Phone Radiation Levels"

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/apple-rejects-iphone-app-that-measures-cell-phone-radiation-levels

[planetarywisdom]

04:36 AM on 05/21/2010

could this be because the iphone 3g is the second worst cellphone in terms of radiation?

everyone is so happy the REGULATORS are on top of this as they were on top BP.
CONFIDENCE is just a 10 letter ENGLISH WORD..............................................!!

[Cryostatic]

07:59 AM on 05/21/2010

I think it's probably more due to the fact that the iPhone itself has no hardware capable of measuring radiation, and therefore any application attempting to do so is pulling the data out of it's ass.

If there were apps claiming to turn the iPhone into a time machine, I'd expect those would be rejected as well.

[TashaDK]

06:45 AM on 05/21/2010

Could it be because it was a BS application that did nothing but pull fake "data" out of it's electronic behind?

[planetarywisdom]

08:06 AM on 05/21/2010

Could be. CLEARLY you think Freud would have found Job's purity of motive
analy retentive in the extreme; Apple as America's proudest form of constipation, only allowing GOOD APPs to drop down upon users. Kinda a MAFIA PROTECTION SERVICE..........................................oh my oh my...........where is Eliot Ness when
we need him?

[planetarywisdom]

01:15 AM on 05/21/2010

Everyone is familiar with the LEADEN aprons Dentists use when doing XRAYS.
Perhaps the time has come for Apple stores to recognize
that the number of IPADS being demonstated
by mean
that people ENTERING APPLE STORES SHOULD ALL BE GIVEN
A
LEADEN SACK TO WEAR TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM
ALL THE
IPAD
RADIATION? AFTER ALL, apple is not putting their DATA
ON
THEIR EXPERIMENTS WITH mammals touching the ipad
on the windows to their stores
SO right now people entering DONT KNOW ABOUT THE RISK OF COMING IN.

THE LEADEN SACK could be a good stopgap PROTECTION
till the DATA ARE AVAILABLE ABOUT THE RISKS of being around so many
RADIATION TOYS FROM CHINA.

[Cryostatic]

08:09 AM on 05/21/2010

Tell you what. I'll try to get my hands on a geiger counter, and take it into an Apple store (even though I shudder at the thought of setting foot in one) and we'll see just how much radiation is bombarding me.

Hell, I'll even take it right up to an iPad. I'll get within ~touching~ distance of it.

And I'll wager the thing doesn't even register a click.

[planetarywisdom]

08:17 AM on 05/21/2010

oh oh oh...such a BRAVE HEART. perhaps you don't see the clear contradiction
between EPA advice to max. distance from radiation, and the need to TOUCH
THE IPAD CONSTANTLY. everyone else sees this
.............................................as a vividly CLEAR CONTRADICTION.
TRY thinking about it for a few seconds, BRAVE HEART

[planetarywisdom]

12:49 AM on 05/21/2010

Hopefully the Canary cages will be installed today at all these stores
and the chirping will indicate the canaries are all feeling well and suffering
no symptoms of radiation poisoning....................things like headaches,
nausea, fatigue, vomiing..................or falling off their perches in
the bird equivalent of a human fainting. But if the canaries start
fainting from all the ipad radiation its going to be necessary
and revive them gently and get them as quickly as possible
OUT OF THERE............to the veternarian closeby.

[stevebol]

07:58 PM on 05/20/2010

I only ask one thing of Apple users. Please stop saying computers are "intuitive." You sound like the Borg from Star Trek and it's kinda scary.

[Mydian01]

01:06 AM on 05/21/2010

no computers are not intuitive at all.. the mac os is more-so than most, but not entirely, and the iphone os is as close to a relatively intuitive experience as an os gets.. but no, as a whole, an os must be learned.

[jasev01]

03:23 AM on 05/21/2010

koolaid

[Thomas Luptowski]

07:55 PM on 05/20/2010

duh der, you should take cash

[planetarywisdom]

01:02 AM on 05/21/2010

your commenting seems to be deteriorating rapidly......intelligibility giving way to
puffy grunting homo applemania...................this could be due to too much
touching your ipad without having a Canary nearby as do most WISE IPAD users.

[GerryS]

07:31 PM on 05/20/2010

It's way safe in the good old USA,

when working in south america, I noticed that there are armed guards in apple stores down there----

[blueballs]

07:31 AM on 05/21/2010

Walking into an American 7-11, I saw an armed guard, too.

Not as safe as you might think

[Warren Peace]

07:28 PM on 05/20/2010

I paid cash when they first came out. This was a bribe blanketed in a soft story to avoid a lawsuit.