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Apple Stores create beautiful iPhone 5c-themed window display
If you've been to an Apple Store lately, chances are good that you've seen the incredible window display that was created for the iPhone 5c introduction in September. It's a series of one-inch plastic balls in the five bright iPhone 5c colors, strung on nylon strings to create three-dimensional rectangles. ifo Apple Store has come up with some fascinating trivia regarding the displays in a post that also features a bunch of photos in case you haven't seen the displays in person. The post notes that each shape is nine rows deep by nine rows wide by 18 rows high, and there are five rectangles in each, so for each store display you're looking at 7,290 balls. The nylon strings are placed with precision in top and bottom lucite plates that keep the balls perfectly aligned to create a complex visual effect as you walk by. According to a source at an Apple Store who spoke with TUAW, the displays came as a kit and had to be hand-assembled by sales reps in the stores -- the night before the launch of the iPhone 5c. There's no word on how many sales reps quit after this or are now undergoing therapy. ifo Apple Store estimates that all of the displays in approximately 350 Apple Stores (not all have the space and windows for the display) consist of 2,551,500 balls. However, the main photo on this post appears to show another similar display in a second window, in which case there could be well over 5 million plastic balls in all of the displays. There's no word on when the displays will be removed, or what will be done with them. Be sure to visit your local Apple Store to check out the eye-dazzling display while it's still "hanging around."
Who moves into abandoned Apple Stores?
Apple stores have a distinct design and layout that most people can recognize on sight. When the company leaves one location for another one, the abandoned store is devoid of Apple products and Apple signage, but it still has the same Apple look and feel. So what happens to these retail locations in their post-Apple era? ifoAppleStore takes a look at the now empty Palo Alto and Third Street Promenade stores, which Apple left behind in late 2012. The Palo Alto store is still vacant with only an Apple banner on the window directing customers to the new store down the street. The retail location is owned by an investment group that is trying to rent the space at a rate of US$489,000 per year. For that price, new tenants will get 6,800 square feet of retail space and potential access to the 18,859 vehicles that pass in front of the store. Investors that own the Third Street Promenade store have been a bit more successful at transferring the site to a new renter. The location sits behind a barricade that serves to partially hide a Champs Sports logo. Details on the incoming tenant are not known, but a rental brochure says the investors were asking for $1.13 million a year for the walkway-lined location. You can read more about these locations, their rentals and floor plans at ifoAppleStore.
'Surprise' Apple Store to open in Nanuet, New York
When a new Apple Store is planned and construction begins, there's usually a notice on ifoAppleStore -- the web's go-to site for Apple Store information -- and lots of speculation about when the new retail outlet will open. Well, even ifoAppleStore was surprised by an announcement of a new Apple Store to be located in The Shops at Nanuet about 20 miles north of Manhattan. The announcement was made public this morning on the Facebook page for the mall, with a note saying that, "The newest store to join the amazing lineup at The Shops at Nanuet needs no introduction," and featuring an Apple logo. The mall has been undergoing extensive redevelopment, and has a grand re-opening set for between October 10-13. It's expected that the new Apple Store will open on the first day of that event.
Apple working towards new store at One World Trade Center in NYC
ifoAppleStore reports that Apple is negotiating with mall developer Westfield Group on a new New York City store that will be part of a luxury retail mall being built at One World Trade Center. The center is on the site of the 2001 terrorist attacks and is part of the overall redevelopment going on at that location. As noted by ifoAppleStore, "A one-square-block memorial park has already opened at the site, and work is well underway on one of four high-rise office towers that will surround the park. The shopping mall will occupy space under three of the towers, and on the lower floors of two towers." Those three towers were designed by the architectural firm of Foster + Partners, the same company that is working on the new Apple Cupertino "spaceship" headquarters building and the San Francisco 2 retail store. The mall and new One WTC Apple Store should open in 2015.
Apple reportedly planning new Apple Store for Japan
It's been seven years since the last Apple Store in Japan opened, odd considering the technical bent of the country's inhabitants and the fact that the first international Apple Store was located in Japan. Now ifoAppleStore is reporting that another store may be on the way to Tokyo by early 2014. The new store is reportedly planned for the Omotoesando shopping district, just a short walk from the existing Shibuya store pictured at the top of this post. ifoAppleStore notes that there are several possible reasons for the slow expansion of Apple retail in Japan. Revenue growth in the country through channels other than the Apple Stores has been slower than in other parts of the world, and Mac sales in particular have been essentially flat in Japan for 15 years while soaring in the rest of the world. ifoAppleStore also points out the country has the second largest number of residents per Apple Store at 18.14 million residents per store. The US, by comparison, has 1.24 million residents per Apple Store. The addition of the new Omotoesando Apple Store may be just the thing to help jump-start Apple's sales in Japan.
Historic London Apple Store undergoing renovation
One of Apple's most high-profile stores is undergoing a renovation to tweak the design to perfection. According to ifoAppleStore.com, the Covent Garden Apple Store in London is having minor work done at night so that the busy store can remain open for business during the day. Most of the renovation work appears to be aimed at smoothing the "flow of visitors into and within the store," including moving a display table that's nearest to the iconic glass staircase so that there's more room for greeting customers. The store's Genius Bar has been converted to the popular new 360-degree version, providing a more personable one-on-one situation between the store Geniuses and their customers. Wall-mounted graphics panels have been replaced with a newer design that allows for faster switching of the artwork, which should come in handy when new products or promotions are announced. Accent lighting under the glass staircase that was apparently turned off most of the time because of heat issues is now being removed, and the surrounding stonework will be replaced. Has your favorite Apple Store received any renovations lately? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
Construction continues on Stanford 2 Apple Store, revealing new design
ifoAppleStore published a number of photos today showing construction of the new Stanford 2 Apple Store in northern California. The store uses a new "glass box and floating roof design" that allows passersby to get a great view of the interior of the store. This same design is allegedly being used for two other Apple Stores, one in downtown Portland, Ore., and the other in the city center of Aix-en-Provence, France. The Stanford 2 store is progressing well for an opening later this year, and demolition has begun at the sites for the other two stores. As ifoAppleStore notes, this design is completely faced with glass that actually supports the floating roof structure. Behind the glass box is a "stone-faced box" that encloses the back-of-house operations and other retail space. The images were provided by an ifoAppleStore "tipster" who took photos from inside the construction fencing. A complete gallery of photos is available on the ifoAppleStore site.
Apple revises One to One program for new customers
ifoAppleStore is reporting that Apple has changed the terms of the Apple Store One to One service, limiting how much Apple Store employees will do in terms of data migration for new Mac purchases. One to One service is offered to purchasers of new Macs for US$99 per year, providing not only data migration from a PC or Mac, but also Personal, Group and Open Training. With the new terms of service, customers can only request data migration within the first 60 days of the service, instead of any time during the one-year service term. In addition, the Apple Store staff will now only help install any compatible Apple hardware that was purchased with the new Mac, and will only "assist" with installation of software purchased during a Personal Training or Open Training session. In the past, the staff would install software purchased anywhere. To speed things up, WiFi data migration is no longer an option, leaving only Ethernet, Thunderbolt, Firewire and USB connections as a way to transfer data. Last, but not least, Apple wants to make sure you're up to date with your software -- data migration will only be performed on Macs running the latest version of OS X. As noted by ifoAppleStore, Apple usually changes the retail service terms when "it's discovered that the service is more labor intensive, more troublesome or more costly to operate than anticipated."
Court orders Apple to complete retail space
Apple is having a hard time Down Under these days. Recently a company executive had to appear before a Parliamentary inquest about why prices for its products are higher in Australia than in other countries, and now Apple has been ordered to pay for continued construction on a canceled Apple Store project. The store in question is the MacArthur Chambers location in Brisbane, Australia. The project was renovating a 1934-era historic building, with massive work being done (see image above) to bring the structure to the standards for an Apple Store. However, the prime contractor on the project went bankrupt, and for some reason Apple pulled the plug last November. No work has been done since. According to a source speaking to ifoAppleStore.com, a Queensland state court has ruled that Apple must pay for its portion of construction to be finished inside the space to what is referred to as an "end-of-lease handover" state. That would make the space available to the building owner so that they can lease it to another tenant.
San Francisco Apple Store to be expanded
Apple is planning to expand its retail store in San Francisco's Stonestown Galleria, says a report in ifoAppleStore. The Stonestown store is one of Apple's smallest retail stores with a storefront that measures 25 feet wide and a footprint that offers a measly 1,500 square feet of retail space for customers, merchandise and services. According to ifoAppleStore, Apple will be moving to a nearby location in the mall that'll triple the space of its current store. The new spot will have a curved glass front, which will fit in nicely with Apple's design aesthetics.
Evidence points to new Netherlands Apple Store
It looks like Haarlem, The Netherlands will soon have the luxury of a new Apple Store along Grote Houtstraat, a prime retail location in a popular pedestrian walkway in the city. ifoAppleStore reports that construction has begun on the ground floor of what appears to be the beginnings of an Apple Store. The space is said to comprise of approximately 8,000 square feet. Of that, 6,800 square feet will be public retail space, while the rest will be back-of-house. The Netherlands currently has an Apple Store in Amsterdam (as pictured). Another is under construction in The Hague, although it's believed Haarlem's store could be completed first. Check out ifoAppleStore's webpage for further details, photos of the construction site and a store plan.
Australian contractor reveals Apple Store complexities
In many ways, the design of Apple Stores reflects greatly on the attention to detail and design savvy of late Apple CEO Steve Jobs. He was a stickler for detail, often obsessing over the placement of individual pixels on a screen or the exact shade of a particular case color. ifoAppleStore has a story today complete with photos from an Australian contracting firm showing the amount of work required to get an existing building prepared for an Apple Store. The MacArthur Chambers store was to open in Brisbane, Australia, in a historic building built in 1849. SJ Higgins Group was the construction company charged with "stripping the existing tenancy fit out back to the original heritage fabric in preparation for the new worldwide retailer to fit out." Over US$2.5 million was spent on renovation work before Apple withdrew from the project. Work included removing escalators and elevators, gutting four levels with about 21,000 square feet of space, closing up old openings and creating new ones. One image from the SJ Higgins Group website shows a concrete wall -- over 31 inches thick -- having a huge opening installed with the aid of heavy machinery. Plans for the Brisbane store were first seen in April 2011, but work progress was slow and actually stopped when a contractor faced financial issues. Apple dropped the project in November of 2012.
Apple Store remodel to introduce two-row Genius Bar
The Apple Store of the future could feature not one, but two Genius bars for technical service support, says a report in ifoAppleStore. The Garden State Plaza store in Paramus, NJ is moving to a significantly bigger location and redesigned the store to include the company's first double-row Genius bar. The bar will sit parallel to the rear wall, and customers will be able to walk around the islands. According to ifoAppleStore, this floating Genius bar arrangement was tested last July in the Los Gatos, Calif., store.
Third Beijing Apple Store planned
Apple already operates two stores in Beijing, and a report from ifoAppleStore suggests the company will add a third location early next year. According to local sources, Apple may open a street-level store on Wangfujing Street, a popular pedestrian-only thoroughfare that's lined with over 200 retail stores. This new location is not too far away from the Xidan Joy City store, which was visited by Tim Cook earlier this year. It's also close to the Sanlitun store, the country's first Apple store. The Wangfujing Street store could open sometime in early 2013.
Portland Design Commission gives OK to Apple Store design
This news of a forthcoming Apple Store in Portland, Oregon comes from The Oregonian newspaper rather than Kelly's House of Crackpot Theories (TUAW blogger and podcaster Kelly Guimont is a resident of The City of Roses). The design, approved by the Portland Design Commission, is apparently for an Apple Store at Pioneer Place that will be one city block wide. According to ifoAppleStore, "The store's size, design, materials and location are nearly epic, and will make it among the chain's most distinctive, as well as a city landmark." While Apple wasn't named as the owner of the proposed facility, the architecture (from Apple's architectural team Bohlin Cywinski Jackson), materials, and size all suggest an Apple Store. The design sounds beautiful. ifoAppleStore notes that it will be "a glass box topped by a thin, near-floating roof. Behind the glass box will be a 30-foot tall stone wall." The store could open as soon as the spring of 2013.
Daily Update for July 2, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple trying new Genius Bar layout
IFO Apple Store has spotted a new trend in a few Apple Stores around the country: Apple is trying a new layout for the in-store Genius bar, turning it perpendicular to the store wall instead of running parallel along it. The new layout is designed to make things more accessible, and provide more room for users to come in and get their various Apple items inspected and fixed. I think it might make things more chaotic, with both sides of the bench available to Geniuses and customers. But especially for long, narrow stores with little room to spread out lengthwise, the bar metaphor isn't always best. Hopefully this new layout, if adapted chainwide, will help get more Apple users more help faster.
Third Street Promenade 2 Apple Store taking shape in California
Apple is building several new stores in the US, and one upcoming retail location that is starting to come together is the Third Street Promenade store in Santa Monica, California. According to ifoAppleStore, this is the second retail location on that street. It is located about 1,000 feet down the street from the current Third Street Promenade store, which Apple built in 2003. Apple tore down an old, three-story Borders book store and is building its own 8,000 square-foot retail outlet, says a report in LA Curbed. The media uncovered these initial details last year when the Santa Monica Planning Commission gave approval for the construction to begin. Like many new Apple Stores, this second Third Street Promenade store will have stone walls, a curved glass roof and an all-glass storefront. Photos of the construction, available on ifoAppleStore's website, show the steel framework of the building and a pit at the back of the store which will become stockrooms, a Genius work area and office space. The store will open by the end of the year.
Apple Store rendering shows another glass box in California
Anyone who has visited the Stanford Shopping Center cant miss the black sheeting that covers Apple's upcoming retail store, says a Palo Alto Online report. The new store will occupy two vacant storefronts and eventually will replace a mini-store that's located nearby. Residents can see the breadth of the construction, but the design and layout of the store are a closely guarded secret. The biggest source of information is the recently-discovered final building plans, which were submitted to the City of Palo Alto earlier this year. These plans contain a detailed rendering that shows a stunning building with exterior glass walls and a center stone wall that separates the building into two distinct spaces. Construction will continue until the store's expected November opening. [Via ifoAppleStore]
Retailers relocate to accomodate Apple Store in Hong Kong
Apple is adding a second Apple store in Hong Kong and retailers are vacating their spaces to make room for the Cupertino company. According to an ifoAppleStore report, three retailers, HSBC, Agnes B. and Izzue, are leaving their spaces in the Festival Walk shopping center to make room for a large Apple Store. The new store will be across the bay from the current IFC Mall store and located on an island that ifoAppleStore describes as being "office-oriented." It will be in a high-traffic area near the Kowloon Tong subway station and the City University of Hong Kong. The store may open sometime in 2013.
