New York City nightlife used to mean hanging out in smoke-filled nightclubs at the edge of town and stumbling home as the sun came up. But, from what we hear, you can't smoke in the clubs anymore (not that we're really too upset about that), the real estate boom has squeezed a lot of them out of town, and there's even been talk of more aggressively enforcing the city's
decades-old anti-nightclub statute. So, what's a denizen of the night to do? Well, it looks like Apple's come up with the answer. As previously rumored, the company's
new midtown store, which opens tomorrow, will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The store, which has gotten a lot of buzz for its five-story, glass encased, Jobs-designed, cube-shaped entryway, will feature 4,000 square feet of retail space, most of it underground, and will be able to satisfy those musical and computing urges, day or night. Word is that the store will also be giving away one MacBook an hour to lucky visitors over the next couple of days (starting with tomorrow's 6pm opening), so we expect some pretty sizable crowds to show up. Yo, Steve: Add a dance floor and teach your Geniuses to
really tend bar, and we may just drop by one night and pick up one of those pods of yours.
[Thanks, Jake]
Photo courtesy
Dave Thorup.
posted May 18th 2006 11:52AM
wow... opening up as a 24/7 store first is pretty gutsy. If the Genius Bar is also available 24/7, then that would be cool.
Can someone PLEASE tell me WTF you are going to put in a 5 story, underground, building? Seriously Apple's wares all told would take up maybe half a floor. Various accessories another half. And maybe, MAYBE, a floor for software. Maybe. That leaves 3 more floors of what? 1 accessory per 5 feet of space?
"That clever Steve Jobs, always thinking different from the rest of the industry."
Different != always mean better. In this case its called a waste of freaking space.
Hey Mikey,
I was mugged at gunpoint on 59th and Lexington at 1am by gang members, so I'd be a little bit careful with the generalisations.
Cool store though, wish I still lived in New York. Come on Apple open a store in Ireland!
I'm wondering how many pigeons will be either crapping on top of it, or flying into the side of it... especially with Grand Army Plaza across the street.
well with all the extra room, one can actully move now. i went into the soho store on a winter's friday night and it was packed for hours.
I wish i could go to an Apple store opening. I love that they give away iPods and laptops, and you can buy those grab bags that might have some really expensive stuff in them. The closest Apple store to me is in Chicago. And I didn't get to go to that opening.
Honestly the only upside to haveing a store like this is you ever needed to do last minute birthday or christmas shopping and the only place open at 3am is this store. Of course if the person hates Apple then your crap out of luck.
FYI: They changed it to 24/365
http://www.apple.com