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Apple places product displays outside future Berlin Apple Store
German site Apfelpage reports that Apple has installed new display cabinets outside of its new, yet-to-be-opened Berlin store. The displays currently promote the iPhone 5, with mock, over-sized iPhones not uncommon to other Apple retail stores. It's understood that the move will attract customers to the store as there is not much else besides two small Apple logos mounted on the store front to attract potential customers. However, Apple Stores, particularly road side ones, are well known for having minimalist, sometimes understated fronts. Both the Regent Street and Covent Garden Apples stores in London come to mind. As reported last week on TUAW, the new store, located in an historic building on the Kurfürstendamm, will open on May 3, 2013. It is the 11th Apple Store to open in Germany. [Via MacNN]
Wall coverings appear at forthcoming Amsterdam Apple Store
Apple is prepping a new retail store in Amsterdam, and MacRumors has collected pictures of the orange and white window coverings that have shown up at the location. They're pretty unique and striking, with the bright orange modern look really standing out in the colder, more traditional buildings of the city. The orange in the coverings represents the Netherlands' national color, and the three Apple logos above are standing in for the three crosses in Amsterdam's coat of arms, the official symbol of the city. Messages on the covering say in Dutch that the store will be "opening soon." Originally, the store was rumored for an opening later on this week, but the latest looks inside the store say that ceremony has probably been delayed. Not too big an issue -- with those coverings on, this is probably the best looking "store under construction" around.
Apple just arrived at Grand Central Terminal, we hop aboard (video)
For many New Yorkers, Grand Central Station Terminal is where you go to escape the island -- not to leisurely browse aisles of iPhone accessories, or pop in for a Genius Bar appointment. But apparently Apple has a slightly different vision for the city's transportation hub, opening its fifth NYC store along the main hall's 23,000 square foot east balcony. We dropped by for the grand opening this morning, which came complete with the standard Apple Store t-shirt giveaway and what seemed like hundreds of red shirt-clad retail employees. As NYC's gateway to Connecticut, Grand Central is typically incredibly crowded during rush hour, but the enormous sunlight-filled main hall was packed to the brim today with spectators -- eager customers queued up in a hallway out of view, beginning early this morning. The store itself is huge, occupying the entire east balcony and several side rooms, with a large genius bar, training area and accessory alcove at either side. Eager to pop in for a visit? Thumb through the gallery below to step inside, and jump past the break to experience the cacophonous chaos at Grand Central.%Gallery-141464%
Visualized: the HP Slate's new job
Wondering where your HP Slate has been all these weeks since you ordered it? Well, at least one of those precious Windows 7 tablets has taken a little detour from its supposedly enterprise-centric destiny to make a cameo appearance... as a dashboard infotainment system. HP, in its inimitable wisdom, has decided to grace the opening of its Vancouver store last month with a customized GMC Yukon Denali truck, which is where we find the company's Slate casually showing off its Acrobat Reader and other big boy OS advantages. We wouldn't really say embedding the Slate into your dash is the worst idea in the world, though the rest of the characterful customizations to this Denali just might be. [Thanks, lmwong]
Two new Apple retail stores opening this weekend
Apple is on track to open a raft of stores around the world, having largely rolled out the stores it needs in the USA. Still, some cities need extra capacity, so the retail gods in Cupertino have seen fit to bestow upon us two more stores this weekend and another later this month. Macsimum News reports on a new store in Lexington, KY opening this Saturday at 10am -- the city's second Apple Store. ifoAppleStore reports the opening of another store in Columbus, OH. The following week Philadelphians will get their third Apple Store. Enjoy the expanded shopping options, locals! Anyone remember when the only Apple "store" was in Cupertino?
Apple Store Colorado Springs: photos from opening day
Apple junkies who live in Colorado Springs, CO used to have to drive about 75 miles north to Denver to visit either the Park Meadows or Aspen Grove Apple Stores. Now they finally have an Apple Store of their own at the Promenade Shops at Briargate, which opened on Saturday, September 20th.Reader Denny noted "Firefighter Memorial Ride happened to be the same day and organized from the parking lot. At first, I thought Apple had a new market in Firefighters and Harley riders." Denny moved to Colorado Springs just three weeks ago from Orlando, FL, where he had his pick of three Apple Stores. Denny's Flickr slide show can be viewed here.TUAW reader Marc mentioned that "Colorado Springs being a smaller market, the turnout wasn't as great as for some other openings -- there were about 40 people in line when I arrived about 8:30 am and another 40 or so filled out the line by the 9:00 am opening time." They may have T-shirts available for a while at that store... Marc's Flickr slide show is here.Thanks to Denny, Marc, and Randy for their coverage of the event.
Knoxville gets an Apple Store
Probably like most people standing in line at West Town Mall this morning, I never thought I'd see the day Knoxville got an Apple Store. Shoot, I figured Apple's retail strategy wouldn't fare so well anyway, and would never expand beyond about a dozen high-profile stores worldwide. But Apple is serious about this retail experience. The crew were energetic, polished, and professional. The store was a nice fit, even if it was hard to take a decent picture. Still, there was a surprisingly large line, one which hadn't shrunk much by the time we left (just before noon). Looks like busy opening days at Apple Stores are still in fashion.There are two other places to buy Macs in Knoxville (home of the wigsphere): old, tired CompUSA with its MacGhetto and the local Mac fanatic shop, MCS. CompUSA is what it is, but MCS has a charm unto its own. Those guys rock. Still, the mall placement and beautiful styling that is every Apple retail initiative is somewhat of a quiet vindication for many of the Mac fans I saw in line, especially those who stuck with Apple in the Copland days (I saw a woman wearing the shirt with a big red 8 folks). Many of us thought the company would just disappear under a sea of beige. And as we left with our free t-shirts, an older woman asked what we bought that was so wonderful. "Just a few things," said my wife. The woman looked puzzled, and asked why everyone was in line if this was just another store. "But it's an Apple store," she insisted. The older woman turned to her friends, clueless. We left, betting she might drift in later that day, and wind up with a cute little nano for her mall walks...
How to score a 2nd-shipment DS Lite in Japan: wait & run
Nintendo's dual-screened portable is in high demand over in Japan right now, and this video goes to show what lengths must be taken to obtain the redesigned DS in its Lite form overseas.Granted, it might be as easy (as presented here) as hanging out less than an hour before a Saturday morning store opening, but there's a lot more running involved after the doors open than might be first imagined.360 launch veterans are well aware of how many frigid hours might be required to get a taste of the next generation this fall (sans pre-orders), but how would you deal if the only unit left in stock were pink--if pink's not the way you swing? We eagerly await the day(s) when we can pre-order the next gen and be done with this retail-rushing nonsense.[Thanks, InfectedZero]See also: Official Yamato Damacy page w/a few more video formats you can use DS lite import pricing meets supply and demand Nintendo DS Lite second look [with lots of comparisons to the old DS]
