Bona fide Apple enthusiast Gary Allen has passed away because of brain cancer at 67 years old on Sunday, leaving behind a loving wife, a son and two brothers. The Washington Post's Michael Rosenwald recounts anecdotes of the times he and Allen met.
What's interesting about Allen is that he wasn't really captivated by Apple's new products or the latest iOS update despite buying a lot of Apple devices. What pulled Allen to Apple were the stores, from their steep stairs, huge doors and skylights.
"Apple retail store enthusiast, traveling to celebrate the grand opening of new stores anywhere on earth," Allen described himself on his Twitter account.
Apple's new method of attaching glass stair treads minimizes hardware. No more TriPyramid Structures, Inc.? pic.twitter.com/Cw6Bw3oGPW
— Gary Allen (@ifostore) February 22, 2015
For those who don't know who Apple's biggest fan is, here's his story. "Allen, a retired EMS dispatcher, traveled around the world — obsessively and expensively — to be among the first in line at the company's new stores. He attended more than 140 openings, collecting all sorts of trivia. He could even tell you where Apple store tables are made," Rosenwald said.
Interesting process to refinish the wooden product display tables at the Strasbourg (France) Apple retail store. pic.twitter.com/HbLx07oGhN — Gary Allen (@ifostore) February 12, 2015
His admiration for Apple's retail stores led him to create his own blog, ifo Apple Store, but when he heard the news of his brain cancer in March, he stopped working on it. However, he collected a huge amount of info of Apple's retail footprint before he stopped writing, which would require an extraordinary effort to match.
Allen's long excursion of chasing down one Apple store after another remains unrivaled. He even drove across the country to attend the 10th anniversary of Apple's first store.
What Allen's adventure has taught us is that when you love something, you pursue it no matter what. Jim Allen, his brother, tells Rosenwald that Gary enjoyed his experience, as he met people of different cultures worldwide and made friends with them, saying that "that's the part of it he most enjoyed."
Photo: Jon Skilling | Flickr
