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Inside the redesigned Apple Store on Regent Street
Soon, Apple's store on Regent Street, London, will re-open to the public. The gadget mecca has been given a radical makeover, retiring the old glass staircase and much of the first floor. In their place you'll find a double height "grand hall" which stretches seven meters above you. Twelve trees have been added to the ground floor, as well as some circular sofas (made from Rolls-Royce leather), and two staircases made from a pale Castagna stone. Climbing these will take you to a smaller space upstairs, where Apple's new "Creative Pros" can teach you about specialised software.
Regent Street Apple Store sees record crowd
Protect Your Bubble, a UK insurance firm, today conducted a survey of the line of people waiting to buy an iPhone 4S outside London's Regent Street Apple Store. The survey, which was conducted for no other reason than so Protect Your Bubble could get a little free brand recognition on the back of the iPhone 4S, did however reveal some interesting stats. Most notably, the line for the iPhone 4S launch is the longest in the history of iOS device launches for the Regent Street store (see infographic above or view the whole thing here). Not bad at all for a device that was more of an evolution than a revolution. Coming later today: More iPhone 4S surveys from Luvs Diapers, Edwardo's Pizza in Chicago, and Research in Motion.
Nokia shuttering London flagship store
We're not sure exactly what this means for the rest of the world's nine Nokia flagship stores, but it's been announced that Nokia will be pulling out of its prominent Regent Street location in London as it apparently prepares for a retail revamp going into early 2010. Weak foot traffic is cited as the main reason for the closure, and if Nokia can't generate sales in the heart of one of its strongholds -- Western Europe -- we can't imagine that this bodes well for the other flagships either, all of which were designed and built around a high-tech, pricey theme (the Regent Street store alone was rumored to run Nokia a cool £4 million, about $6.5 million, to open) that likely drags on the company's bottom line quarter after quarter. Then again, we'd assumed that these stores were built to foster mindshare, not necessarily to contribute euro day in and day out -- but this is probably why we're not executives at a major phone manufacturer. Other Nokia stores in the UK will remain open, but for Espoo, the days of the over-the-top retail marvel of design and architecture may be over. [Image via All About Symbian]
iPhone 3G S global launch sees smaller lines, quieter reception (update)
What a difference 18 months makes, eh? The relative short line for today's iPhone 3G S launch at Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London could be attributed to any number of factors: the economy, the steep cost of upgrade for iPhone 3G owners, or the fact that Apple allowed for advanced iPhone 3G S orders with home delivery. Or maybe people just aren't willing to wait in line for a bump in speed, improved graphics, and video recording. We wouldn't call it apathy but the iPhone halo doesn't seem as shiny beneath a spotlight now shared with Android and the new Pre. Regardless, the iPhone 3G S is now on sale in the UK and a few more European countries with North America up next after a few degrees of the Earth's rotation. Update: According to O2, sales for the 3G S have already surpassed numbers for the iPhone 3G during last year's launch. So it's possible that the pre-orders were in full effect here. However, you have to remember that Europe and O2 in the UK in particular had very serious problems meeting demand at the time of the iPhone 3G launch last year. So this statement likely says more about inventory management than it does the demand of the 3G S vs the 3G. [images courtesy of Richard Lai and mrgeoffb]
Nokia N97 coming to the UK on June 19
We already know that Nokia is sending N97s far and wide this month, but now we have an exact date for its UK debut. Turns out that the company's Regent Street flagship store in London will get first dibs, hawking unlocked, unbranded N97s to all comers on June 18 for £499 (about $821) -- a princely sum that easily blows past the US MSRP of $699. Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile, and 3 all follow a week later on June 26, ensuring that the ultra-early adopters will be paying through the nose for a few days before the subsidized sets show up. What the 19th date means for availability in other countries is unclear, but as you can imagine, we'll be pounding on the doors of the US flagships until we get some answers.
Meet Spore's creator at Regent St. Apple Store
Gamers, are you excited for next weekend's release of Spore? We sure are (even though the iPod game got pulled from the iTunes Store, darnit). I've created my first species in Creature Creator and he (it?) is ready to go.If you're also anticipating the game, and happen to be at London's Regent Street Apple Store on Sept. 3rd at 3:00 PM, you can meet Spore creator Will Wright. He'll be talking about the game and showing it off. Here's your chance to talk with Will!If you just can't wait, or if you want a little background to help you formulate a killer question, check out this interview Will did with cnet.
Top 100 retail landmarks: Apple makes the list
RetailWeek recently compiled a list of the top 100 retail locations around the world. What did they find? Well, Apple holds two positions in their list: one for the 5th Avenue store (New York) and one for the Regent Street store (London). According to the list, the 5th Avenue store has all three key deciding factors: "excitement, education and ease." They go on to say that the glass cube is in line with the "DNA of the brand." Does this change your mind about shopping at Apple's retail stores? Be sure to take our poll and drop a comment. %Poll-16401%[via MacNN]
Apple event tomorrow at 10:00AM BST / 5:00AM EDT, set your alarms (really!)
Europeans have been waiting in constant anticipation since June 29th to hear when and in what form their version of the iPhone will take. The rumors pretty much revolve around which carriers in which regions will get the phone, with a hint of speculation about a 3G update in HSDPA and UMTS rife Europe. Will Apple give us what we all want, or are we looking at the same ol' locked EDGE phone, this time with three or more different equivalents of AT&T? Or will Apple throw a fast one on us all and announce one more thing? Tomorrow morning -- or evening, or afternoon -- we'll be there to find out.Go here and bookmark this page, it's where the action takes place in London tomorrow morning.11:00PM - Hawaii (September 17th)2:00AM - Pacific3:00AM - Mountain4:00AM - Central5:00AM - Eastern10:00AM - London11:00AM - Paris6:00PM - TokyoGot any more timezones / comments / predictions? Now's the time to let loose in the comments. Of course, you can still opt out of all this Apple news by checking this link.Update: Woops! We changed the URL slightly for the date -- we're working on an automatic forward, or you can re-bookmark above.
Steve shows up in London Apple Store
Steve must have felt like taking a ride on the Gulf Stream last weekend, as he was spotted at London's Regent Street Apple Store on Sunday (according to ifoAppleStore). Of course, Steve's appearance immediately got people talking about the iPhone's debut in the UK. Consider that the Regent Street Concierge bar is scheduled to be closed next Monday, July 16th, and the rumors really start flying.In the meantime, we're keeping our fingers crossed for our friends across the pond. And if you see Steve, tell him we said, "Hi."
Keane to play London Apple Store on Tuesday
This Tuesday, London's newly refurbished Regent Street Apple Store will host Keane playing a stripped-down acoustic set for Apple Store customers. This is the first concert in a series of "Live From London" events hosted in the Apple Store. The show, which begins at 9PM, will be broadcast around the world to every Apple Store according to SoundGenerator.com Tickets are limited. Only 350 people will attend. The Times newspaper has 50 pair of those tickets to give away to competition winners and an event video should hit iTunes around January.
London Apple Store opens big
Adding more than 9500 square feet to its original layout, London's Regent Square Apple Store reopened today as the largest Apple Store on Earth. By extending back into what had been storage areas, the store was able to expand itself and win the new world title. The New York City 5th Avenue Apple Store vowed revenge. Fifth-y, as the store is known to friends, has a history of controversy, as it apparently engaged in dressing up as a Muslim holy place while under construction. The London Apple Store ignored the threats from the New York Store and declared a one-day discount sale on its products. Highlights include £71 off any iMac, £11 off nanos, and £21 off iPod videos.
Regent Street Apple Store renovation almost done
The glass elevator in Apple's Fifth Ave store in New York is such a hit that Apple decided to add one to the Regent Street store in London as part of their grand renovation. Although the elevator required more work than originally thought and has delayed the big reveal, which was originally planned for the store's 2nd anniv on Nov 20, Apple is planning to show off their hard work the weekend of Dec 2nd, 2006. Store changes include the above-mentioned glass lift, a new iPod bar and the addition of a second Studio bar. The weekend-long party will feature special events and a live DJ. What - no Party Shuffle? ifoAppleStore reports that the 2-week delay was due to the need to reroute all the utility pipes under the 1898-era building because the hole for the elevator shaft had to be dug deeper. I'm approaching the end of a month-long kitchen renovation in my own apartment so I have much sympathy for construction schedule and budget-busting surprises.
Cool Regent Street Apple Store animation
As someone who has only visited the CambridgeSide Apple Store in Cambridge, Mass. (one of the earlier stores, and a modest one), I haven't seen the spectacular flagship stores in New York City and London. That's why I found this animation so entertaining. It's a nice representation of the Regent Street store that's annotated with the various features of that location. Click on one of those features, like the theater for example, and see a photo.Ah, you lucky Londoners. Enjoy your gorgeous store. Incidentally, the upcoming Arndale Centre - Manchester store is still looking for employees. Good luck!
Grudge match: Rapidweaver vs. iWeb
The term "grudge match" may be a little harsh, but the folks from Realmac Software will be at the Regent Street Apple Store in London on February 8th to give a side-by-side comparison of their application and Apple's. The Realmac folks will also offer a preview of the upcoming version 3.5 of Rapidweaver and have some free stuff to give away, like stickers, demo CDs and discount codes. The event is scheduled for 7:00PM - 8:00PM, so if you're in London and have nothing to do on that Wednesday night, go check it out.
