Ladies and gentlemen, finally: after almost three years, Ma's most iconic store is again with the doors of its famous glass cube open to the general public.
Just as a brief recap of the last 974 days, the Apple Fifth Avenuein New York closed for renovations on January 20, 2017, temporarily moving to a space just behind the main store where formerly the famous toy store once operated. FAO Schwarz. From then on, a great deal happened: the glass cube was removed, images of a renovation model appeared, and we discussed unspoken rumors that the cube would become a Beats1 studio.
Well, this is all in the past which means that now the store is between us. Ma's new senior vice president of retail, Deirdre O'Brien, had already exposed some details about the new Apple Fifth Avenue in the company's last keynote; Today, however, we can admire the inner beauty of the new space through several photos officially released by the giant of Cupertino.
As we can see from the images, Apple (and architecture studio Foster + Partners, Ma's traditional partner) has made a radical overhaul of the store's interior. The dungeon aspect, with artificial lights and gray tones, came out; In its place came an airy yet totally underground space with dozens of small skylights (some of which, in the square above the shop, are integrated into pretty circular benches).
A very nice detail is in these light rings integrated into the inner parts of the skylights. Endowed with a kind of technology True tone On their own, they can adjust the color temperature of the light emitted according to sunlight (or lack thereof), creating an environment always bathed in warm and cozy tones.
In addition, the store has nearly doubled in size and its ceiling height has been significantly increased, further expanding the sense of lightness effect enhanced by the presence of internal vegetation, which has become commonplace in recent Apple Stores.
The space has the traditional screen for the sessions Today at Appletwo Boardrooms for internal meetings and a room called Experience Room, which looks like a real living room and serves to demonstrate the integration of Apple products and services, and is currently focused on a practical demonstration of how HomePods work.
Experience Room | Photograph: The vergeThe glass cube itself remains the same, but the central staircase, how much different: the famous glass building comes out and a new (and very beautiful) stainless steel structure arrives in its place, with 43 floating steps that integrate into the glass. Single piece glass railing and the central alapo with a lift.
Photos: The vergeIt is noteworthy that the renovation has added two additional store entrances, on the sides, to avoid the traditional lines at the cube gates; both have stone carved staircases, as we have seen in other recent Apple Stores.
Photos: 9to5MacAs traditionally Apple's most visited store in the world, Ma has set up a real war operation to ensure that all customers are served, whether in the sales or technical support area. According to the company, the new Apple Fifth Avenue has 900 (!) Employees, who speak more than 30 languages; the balces of Genius grovenow extend throughout the store, so there is always room for consultation.
The inauguration
Apple Fifth Avenue officially reopened today at 8 am local time. O timing hundreds of customers eventually formed lines to buy their new iPhones and Apple watches on the first day of sales (and knowing the new space, of course).
Tim cook was the morning master of ceremonies: the CEO of Ma greeted people in line, took selfies, participated in the countdown and opened the doors of the new store, integrating with Apple Store employees to welcome customers and distribute high fives to newcomers. Who was there, of course, was Deirdre O'Brien, chief retailer of the company.
Cook himself went to Twitter to celebrate the reopening and to share some pictures (attention to the first with the boy taking selfies with an Android smartphone):
Apple Fifth Avenue, as before, will be open 24 hours a day 365 days a year and you might consider a visit again big Apple. Good trip! 😄
