It has been widely reported that Apple has opened a new AppleCare warranty/warehouse location in Carlisle, PA, its second major US warranty center. However, the deal is apparently not quite done.
The source for the original rumor is 9 to 5 Mac, which has a pretty strong though not unblemished record. However, on Wednesday, the Carlisle Sentinel cornered a local development official who said that Apple has its eye on the building (image above) at 700 Allen Road in South Middleton Township near Carlisle, PA.
“I think this possible announcement [emphasis added] again demonstrates the strength that Cumberland Valley is not only known for its great location but also for having a strong workforce,” said Jonathan Bowser, CEO of the local development authority.
So, whereas earlier reports had AppleCare East as a done deal, which it might be, a local Carlisle official is saying close but no cigar just yet.
Why Carlisle, PA?
Carlisle, PA is located in south-central Pennsylvania, which is chock-a-block with infrastructure, manufacturers and service firms. The building Apple is said to be eyeing is just off Interstate 81 and only a few miles from Interstate 76, a.k.a. The Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Paste “700 Allen Road, South Middleton Township, Carlisle, PA” into Apple Maps, hit return, click satellite view and you will see dozens of warehouse, distribution center and factory shaped rectangles in the neighborhood. If you do a bit of digging around on the internet, you will find that this address is within “spitting distance” of other major interstate highways (83, 95, 70), railroad intermodal yards (NS, CSX) and airports (PHL, PGH, JFK, MDT, DUL, WAS, DCA).
Zoom out a little farther and you can see that Apple’s “planned” AppleCare East warranty/warehouse center would be within easy driving distance of the entire Northeast megalopolis, a 400-mile-long region running from Boston to Washington, DC where tens of millions of people live.
That said, you’ve gotta wonder why it’s taken Apple so long to establish an East Coast AppleCare warranty center…
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I used to be on the news staff of the Carlisle Sentinel.
A key reason why there are so many warehouses and truck terminals there that 60 percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 hours’ drive time, the length of time a trucker’s allowed to drive without a layover (last time I checked).
It would be spiffy if they opened an Apple Store on-site.
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