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Apple gives Vancouver Olympic visitors a rare treasure

For some fans of the Olympic Winter Games, it's all about the beauty and grace of figure skating. For others, it's the organized chaos of short-track speed skating, or the aerial bravado of the half-pipe. And for some, it has nothing to do with the sports of winter. Instead, they're intent on pin trading and collecting.

While this may sound like an odd pastime, for some Olympic fans pin collecting is a huge deal. The official Vancouver 2010 website store lists 459 different pins for collecting and trading with others, but those aren't all of the pins that fans will find. Often, local businesses or organizations will make their own pins to give away or sell, and at these Winter Games, Apple joined in on the fun.

TUAW reader Alan Waite was in Vancouver earlier in the week to attend the Games and visited the Apple Store at Pacific Centre. Much to his surprise, Apple was giving away a limited edition set of pins (see photo above) to store visitors to commemorate the event. Very classy, Apple! Waite noted that the Apple Store at Oakridge Centre had a special red iPod nano pin with the Canadian maple leaf on the screen.

Custom pins like these aren't as common as the mass-market versions sold by the official Olympics website, so Alan not only has cool memorabilia from the 2010 Winter Games, but a relatively rare piece of swag as well.

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Retail Odds and ends Apple

For some fans of the Olympic Winter Games, it's all about the beauty and grace of figure skating. For others, it's the organized chaos of...
 

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Gary (iPhoneinCanada.ca)

We first posted about these pins being given out 10 days ago, at the start of the Olympics: http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/main-page/limited-edition-apple-store-pins-available-in-vancouver/

The Apple Stores are pretty strict at limiting the pins to 1/person, but that might vary depending on who's giving them out. The Oakridge Store is never busy so they have tonnes of pins. Pacific Centre has way more foot traffic as it's downtown so your best bet is to go there fast if you want these!

@jay: these are already on eBay lol :)

February 27 2010 at 9:16 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alan

Very fun to get these. I was at LiveCity Yaletown in Vancouver and saw a guy wearing these on his lanyard (everyone has pins) and asked them him about them. He said you had to ask at the Genius Bar, but when I arrived at the Apple Store they were just handing them out in the front. I was able to get 3 sets!

February 27 2010 at 5:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
ecobore

Is pin collecting related to train spotting?

February 27 2010 at 5:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jay

This pin will be on ebay in 3... 2... 1...

February 27 2010 at 5:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Jay's comment
exnewt

Yep - bought a set. Although 15 hours later prices seem to be skyrocketing!

February 28 2010 at 7:32 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
James

I managed to sweet talk an apple rep out of this special pin for the olympics in Toronto Canada http://img131.yfrog.com/i/photove.jpg/

February 27 2010 at 3:24 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to James's comment
James

That should read, "I managed to sweet talk an apple rep in Toronto Canada out of this special pin for the olympics in Vancouver"

It's and awesome pin and I love it!

February 27 2010 at 3:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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