‘ifo Apple Store’ creator Gary Allen, “Apple’s biggest fan,” dies aged 67
Gary Allen, creator of the now-defunct but historic web site ifo Apple Store, died Sunday at age 67, reports The Washington Post. ifo Apple Store tracked Apple Store retail openings and changes from their earliest days, when the Stores were considered by some to be a risky gamble, until well after the Stores had become ubiquitous in higher-end shopping malls and profoundly lucrative for Apple. Allen’s articles discussed opened stores, as well as details about unannounced stores that were expected to open in the future.
Having announced in March that he was shuttering ifo Apple Store based on increasingly widespread reporting on Apple Store openings and changes, Allen was actually suffering from brain cancer, his brother confirmed to the Post. During the years he ran ifo Apple Store, Allen traveled to over 140 new Store openings across the country and internationally, notably including locations in Europe and China. ifo Apple Store’s site currently reads “Please come back later,” without links to its past content.