Apple Store (retail)
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- This article is about the retail chain. For Apple's online store, see Apple Store.
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The Apple Retail Stores are stores operated by Apple Computer. The stores feature the entire Apple product line; "solution zones" for movies, photos, music and kids; accessories, and a "Genius Bar" at which Apple product owners can discuss technical issues or bring their computers in for service. Some stores feature a spin-off of the "Genius Bar" called the "[Creative] Studio." This revolves around a GB setting where costumers can get help with their media questions, tutorials, and workshops. Some of the older stores are being considered to carry a Studio in a future remodel, most notably, the North Michigan Avenue store.
The first Apple Retail Store was opened on 19 May 2001 at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Virginia. As of June 2005, Apple has opened 109 retail stores in the US and six international stores (in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, Japan; London and Birmingham, England and Toronto, Canada). So-called Flagship stores have been opened in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. Apple has been awarded numerous architectural awards for its store design [1] (http://www.idsa.org/idea/idea2002/G7001.htm), particularly its SoHo location.
In the stores' original design, visitors to the Genius Bar were greeted with a bottle of Evian water. This amenity was later dropped in February 2002 to cut costs. Another cost cut: In April 2002, Apple deemed itself to have hired too many full-time sales associates for its earliest-debuting stores and laid many off.
Openings of new stores have turned into a happening among avid Mac users. The events often attract thousands of customers. Getting in early has its benefits, as every store gives out a free T-shirt to the first several hundred people in the door. Added bonuses include discounts and the [presumed] discontinued "Lucky Bags."
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Apple Stores in Japan
- On November 30 2003, the first store in Japan opened on The Ginza in Tokyo. It is the Asian Flagship store and has had one of the largest queues in Apple retail history. It is also the first store to not be in the United States.
- On August 28 2004, the second store opened in the Shinsaibashi Shopping district in Osaka.
- On January 22 2005, the third store opened in Nagoya. The opening date corresponded with the release of iLife '05.
Apple Stores in the UK
- On 20 November 2004, the first store in the UK (in all of Europe, for that matter) opened at 10am on Regent Street in London.
- On 29 April 2005, the second store opened in Birmingham's Bull Ring shopping center. The 6 PM Grand Opening event [2] (http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/bullring/gallery/grandopening.html) coincided with the launch of Mac OS X v10.4 "Tiger," the latest operating system from Apple.
Two more stores are planned for the UK One in Meadowhall, Sheffield and one in Trafford Centre, Manchester. They are both expected to open in the second half of 2005.
Apple Stores in Canada
- On May 21 2005, the first store in Canada opened at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto.
External links
- Apple Store official webpage (http://www.apple.com/retail/)
- ifo Apple Store (http://www.ifoapplestore.com/) - news and information about new openings
- Appleinsider article (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1080) - A story about the future remodel plans, including the one underway in Westchester Mall.it:Apple Store