Training iPads Arrive at Apple Retail, Staffers to Use New 'RetailMe' App - Sources

Apple is equipping stores with iPads in anticipation of its rumored 10th anniversary event for the company’s retail segment. The devices are to be used for training, according to people familiar with Apple’s retail operations.

Quoted by AppleInsider, these people allegedly learned that stores across the U.S. have been stocked with dozens of second-generation Apple tablets.

Targeted at employees, they’ll be used in training, the sources said.

According to the same people, around 40 iPads have been supplied for a store with about 100 specialists, which means that everyone working on any given day could be equipped with one.

It is believed the tablets will eliminate the iPod touch-based EasyPay terminals, in addition to offering more “interactive” functions, as reported by 9to5mac yesterday.

The devices would run an iPad-optimized version of Apple’s in-house communications app, ‘RetailMe.’

The tool is used for information about products and boasts training videos for retail staffers, according to the report disclosing Apple’s plans with the iPads.

The Apple-centric site posts a picture sent to it from one of the Apple retail locations stocked with iPads as further evidence of the impending roll-out.

As the photo shows, all tablets have their Smart Covers on to prevent them from getting scratched on either side, as the devices seemingly arrived unboxed.

The tablets may have already been filled with the ‘gigabytes’ of raw training data reportedly necessary for the weekend gathering.

Whether or not the weekend reserves something special for customers too, it was revealed yesterday that CEO Steve Jobs and design guru Jony Ive have been personally involved with whatever is planned for this weekend.

Based on this information, we speculated that Apple’s 2.0 Retail Store initiative would not only feature new services, but all-new aesthetic changes as well.