April 2010
The photobooth specialists at Apple Industries rolled out five new products at last month’s Amusement Expo in Las Vegas, including a special unit called Face Place Double Take equipped with brand-new patent pending technology that for the first time in coin-op history features an interactive attract mode, which can capture the image of passersby and entice them to purchase one or a series of pictures.
Apple chief Allen Weisberg tells RePlay the supplier is pursuing a strategy of platform convergence, meaning its APB and Face Place photobooth lines will now enjoy the same feature-laden software technology.
The company has introduced two new additions to its APB brand. These booths are called the Sapphire and Royale. Both offer new and updated software. “We are constantly upgrading our software and adding features. We have been doing that from the beginning,” said director of sales Mel Laforce. “We have a new attract mode, and our interface is even more intuitive for the customer. These photobooths will also be sporting a new look with redesigned graphics.”
Apple Industries also maintains the popular Face Place photobooth brand, vending traditional black-and-white photo strips utilizing a custom-made Polaroid printer. Operators now have the option of purchasing the new Face Place Deluxe with the same eye-catching cabinet as the original Face Place. Face Place Deluxe is outfitted with color prints, a 17” internal monitor, special backgrounds and a custom-made Mitsubishi printer in an enticing, high-traffic unit.
“Like our popular line of Apple Photo Booths, Face Place Deluxe has a flat-panel monitor, showing the user in real time and demonstrating the various borders and backgrounds, and customers always receive a double set of prints,” said Laforce. “This unit will use the same film as the other Apple Photo Booths.”
Apple Industries has incorporated these very same changes into its Face Place Photo2go portable photobooth, which was created specifically for the growing rental market. The mobile unit now incorporates the APB software and flat panel. Weisberg said the unit is also being constructed from aluminum, reducing the weight from 500 to 320 pounds. “It’s the lightest weight of any photobooth out there on the market,” Weisberg declared.
Photo2go is housed in a stylish black cabinet with striking graphics perfect for weddings and receptions. “It’s retro and modern at the same time,” said Weisberg, noting that the machine can also dispense pictures on disc for viewing at a later time.
Lastly, Apple Industries debuted Face Place Double Take, essentially a Face Place Deluxe machine with a second photobooth on the outside of the machine. The external 32” touchscreen monitor has the ability to capture the image of a passerby, projecting different hairstyles and body types onto his or her face in an entertaining way. Using voice commands, the booth entices customers to have their image taken again and offers them the choice of many different styles of prints to purchase.
The machine can distinguish individuals from groups of two or more and uses its own brand of artificial intelligence to welcome back previous patrons. “As you walk by, it makes you part of the attract mode,” explained Weisberg. “Customers can choose as many prints as they like, essentially taking a typical vend price from $3 to a multiple vend price. As an example, if the customer chooses five photos to print, the sale would be $15. In addition, for an additional dollar, they can also send their photo to Facebook, Twitter, a Blue Tooth phone or an email address if they buy a print.”
To learn more, log on to www.appleindustries.net.
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