Apple Store Opening in New York City (pics)

Apple Store Fifth Avenue, "The Cube" (view large image)

Last night Apple opened its newest retail store in midtown Manhattan, the Apple Store Fifth Avenue, also known as "The Cube". This is Apple's 147th store worldwide since Apple opened its retail doors only five years ago in May 2001. It will be always open -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year -- and at 300 employees, it will have the largest staff of any Apple store. Since this is only the eighth flagship stores (fifth in the U.S.), I went to check it out for Notebook Review.

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I arrived about 15 minutes before the store opening at 6 PM. Lines stretched around both corners of the GM Building behind The Cube. Most of the GM Plaza had been fenced off and the crowd spilled off the sidewalk into the street, a part of which was also fenced off by the police to protect the crowd from traffic. Police presense was unbelievably small for New York City, given the number of people.

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Perhaps 10 minutes before the opening, some office workers from the Bergdorf Goodman Building across the street came out on the balcony with a dry-erase board saying "We[heart] U2 + [apple]" to the crowd's cheers.

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I kept hearing cheers and clapping from time to time, whenever anyone came out of The Cube, and I assumed that they came from the crowd. However, as I eventually discovered, these cheers originated from Apple's employees standing near the entrance! Yes, their job was to cheer and to clap. Crazy!

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Finally, the countdown began. 60, 59, 58... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, cheers! The line began to move. The people pictured (under a plastic tent to protect from rain, in case it began again) began taking shots for a QuickTime movie of the line (http://www.apple.com/retail/fifthavenue/) on Apple's website.

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I was under the impression that I was in line very close to the entrance, but once it began moving, I realized that I'm not in line after all. I eventually found one of the entrances into the perimeter, but the security guard kept angrily repeating "If you have not been in line over here, do not even attempt to get in here. I've got people who've been waiting since 3-4 o'clock." Well, I cut anyway. And, at 6:20, I was in!

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The entrance into The Cube leads to a cylindrical elevator down wrapped by a spiral staircase.

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At the entrance, Apple employees were giving out free boxed limited edition commemorative t-shirts to the first 2500 visitors. According to ifoAppleStore (http://ifostore.cachefly.net/fifth_avenue/index.html), the t-shirts ran out at 8:15 PM.

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So what's in the store? 100 Macs and nearly 200 iPods.

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Beautiful backlit product ads adorn the walls.

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iMacs for adults and iMacs for kids. The youngest child I saw was actually in a stroller. Senior citizens were equally represented. Apple is for everyone, no matter what the age.

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Apples here, apples there, apples apples everywhere.

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White MacBooks, black MacBooks, everywhere MacBooks MacBooks. Only a few MacBook Pros on display since they are old news now.

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This is the entire stock of laptop bags and sleeves. I found it quite disappointing. A lot of people are attracted to Macs because of style, and if you can't find a stylish carrier in the Apple store, well... The stock includes selections from Tumi, Incase, Acme Made, STM, and Brenthaven.

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This is Apple's stock of laptop accessories, hidden under the scanners. The four keyboard protectors are of some interest, but not much else. The selection is smaller than in general computer stores, and none of the four mice are out of their packages on display. Perhaps there's a reason this section is hidden.

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Walls of software, organized by topic. Ah why couldn't they devote fewer shelves to each title and put laptop cases there instead... I suppose I shouldn't be using the word laptop though, due to the heat issues -- after all, since Apple doesn't use that word in its manuals, it must be for a reason.

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This is the iPod Bar, the Genius Bar, and the Studio. The first two are staffed by The Geniuses, and the Studio is staffed by The Creatives. The Creatives are too original to wear black like the rest of the staff, so they wear grey. Apple calls the Genius Bar and its two spinoffs the "heart of every Apple store". This is the place to go for face-to-face advice with Mac products and for technical support and repairs. Many services performed at the bar are free.

Genius Bar is where Apple holds its free workshops on many topics including Switch at Six for prospective switchers from Windows to OS X and Getting Started for Switchers for those that have already made the decision to take the leap. The SoHo Store in New York offers a larger selection of workshops including the Mac OS X Workshop and the Mac OS X Tips and Tricks Workshop. Other workshop topics include using popular Mac applications, from iPod and iTunes to professional Apple software such as Aperture and Final Cut Pro. Click here (http://www.apple.com/retail/fifthavenue/week/20060521.html) to view this week's workshop schedule at Apple Store Fifth Avenue.

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Back to more excitement. To celebrate the grand opening, Apple is holding a 24 hour giveaway -- one Macbook per hour, on the hour.

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The first winner will soon be announced. Here come the clappers!

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The crowd gathers...

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The first prize appears. It says "7:00 PM. We know what the next entry in your blog is going to be." They should've just left it as is...

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And the winner is... Some guy, that's for sure. Ok...

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These iMacs are actually the registers. Ok, time to check out.

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Looks like these two guys checked out two laptops and two screens! The people looking at them are still waiting in line to get in -- about four blocks away, and it's already 7:45. Apple doesn't want the store to turn into a sardine can, so they are letting people in as other ones come out to now-scary cheers of the clappers.

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As I go into the subway station, I notice that the newly launched Windows Mobile ad campaign is in full swing at this station. Coincidence? I think not.

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So will the Apple Store Fifth Avenue become "a favorite destination for New Yorkers and people around the world" as Steve Jobs hopes? (http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2006/may/18retail.html) It's too soon to tell, but if this guy with two of his own Mac laptops and a folding chair is any indication, this is another crazy idea that just might work.

 

this is great news for homeless people in New York, now they have a 24-hour Starbucks AND Apple store to hangout in.

I'm gonna go at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday in about 3-weeks time to see how much business this store is doing then. If there's a ton of Apple fanatics buying stuff at that time still, I'll be 100% convinced Mac people *are* crazy

 

Like always with Apple:

Great design, great design and great design. Just look at that store! A cube with a huge Apple logo! Man, I love marketing. Microsoft and others should learn more about this.

Charlie-Peru

 

Sweet looking store. Too bad I don't live closer to NY.
Tim

 

Nice review, Malia.

 

This just pontificates how bizarre the whole Apple phenomenon/cult is. This reminds me of the old Gateway stores and what a bad idea they were;atleast everybody realized its was more of a product push as opposed to the attempt to convince the consumer that they are missing out on some hip new cultural "movement". This kinda dovetails with the new ads featuring a balding man with a pocket protector conversating with a generation y-er with fancy jeans, vernacular, and haircut.

Us PC users just don't get it! We're too dumb to even understand their wit!

Yikes.

I'm just going to go fidget with my "apps" and rub my ashamed dell, tell it that everything is going to be ok, and go online and check out better ways to style my hair.

Adios

 

Don't forget to defrag your hard drive while trying to reinstall a few applications that got corrupted due to delayed write errors! Might want to give the shoddy plastic hinges on your Dell a looksee, too, or wait 30 minutes on hold while Sanjay asks you a 5th time to spell your name.

Great post though!

 

My point exactly! The culture police will be kicking down my door shortly!

I've blasphemed. Somebody other than Steve jobs please help me see the light.

 

What an offensive post!

You made me so angry that I am going to Starbucks with my metrosexual friends, pretend like I am doing something important on my mac, and listen to my emo music.

 

I wonder what happened if someone throws a stone/object at the glass cube? Will everything fall apart and the giant apple logo will crush someone killing him/her?

Despite of this hype and madness, Apple still manage to capture 2% of the computer marketshare.


Sad.

 

I've had the fortune of seeing the engineering specs of the building. If you try to toss a rock or anything at it, the walls have infrared trajectory lasers that can pinpoint exactly where the rock came from and its digital 24/7 cameras will selfaccess and record the criminal. I'm not lying by the way.

 

Is it true they won't let bald people in?

 

Only if you have a large black apple right in the middle of your bald spot. Otherwise you're the geek in the ads.

 

how the heck did he take overview pictures?

:edit:
i forgot to add a "lol"

=)

 

There is a sucker born every minute.

Any normal company would have had to eat its own s**t after coming out with such an overpriced overheating noisy notebook as the MBP. But not the Cult of Steve, the Church of Apple.

Some great designers/engineers but, overall, a disgusting corporation.

 

I actually kinda like Apple computers, I must admit. I like the style. I like the use of metal. I like the simplicity. Etc. Etc. But that is where it ends, and Apple machines/products/etc. become a product that is just on the shelf with the rest of the others. That's when I begin to cotemplate things like processors, GPUs, keyboards, hard drives, screen resolutions.. the whole bit. The bottom line is that Apple's product is not any better/worse different than that of other big PC brands. A little less here, a little more there. Does it really matter if your machine gets 10 more secs on super-pi or 8-12 more fps in your favorite game? The whole OS argument is down the tubes now too. Maybe someday if I had a bigger budget for my next laptop purchase, I would even consider buying one.

What bugs me though is how Apple users see Apple products (short of ipods.. they are pretty cool) as, far and away, the only legit product out there. Mana from heaven as some would say. And.. the fact the company puts out retarded ads to reinforce this notion is completely ridculous. Everytime I get on BART in the bay-area, and am forced to look at ipod advertisements (literally the ONLY ads in the entire station.. is this legal?), the whole Apple "phenom" really begins to bother me. It is seriously like the notion of "cool" and "style" is a trademark of Apple-Inc.

Maybe i should consult the "creative" or "genius" kiosk of the new multimillion dollar glass cube in Manhattan for an answer.

Why am I even writing about this?

 

I'm not sure what you mean about the OS argument being down the tubes? I think it's pertinent still since you can't run Mac OS X on a PC.

I think your opinion here reflects something Apple will be concerned about, they've always been "the other" brand and had a small segment of the PC market and Mac owners have sort of prided themselves in being the minority (it's always good to be "different" right?). Well, if Apple gains a lot more marketshare and continues to blitz the public with ads, is it possible people will just get annoyed or the brand will lose it's lust if it becomes as ubiquitous as say a Microsoft OS based product? Will the Apple platform become more prone to virus' if the share of market continues to grow? Is there anything wrong with just owning a smaller share of the market with very dedicated buyers? All interesting questions that the coming months and years will reveal.

 

Ninja,

I noticed that about the pants. Didn't want to call it out in the story since it's not Apple's fault. Still too funny though.

The Windows Mobile ads are taking up the whole Lexington Avenue train station now. And I saw them on half the websites I went to today as well. Annoying. More annoying than the Apple ads though, IMO, because I find that ugly shade of green quite unnerving. When the Spring St station was covered by the iPod ads, it was rather nice passing it, with all those colors.. I thought they were cool. However, anything can get old.

I do think that Apple is the most stylish computer company. This store, for example, is very well thought through. It doesn't take up a lot of space aboveground, and free space in Manhattan is always a good thing. The fountains around it are a nice touch. They don't need windows, so it's actually better that it's underground. Really beautiful ads provide a portion of the lighting and the screens built into walls are also really nice. I love that and I wish more stores used that type of displays. And, natural light comes down the center, so it doesn't feel like you are hanging out in a basement. The wood and metal are really not my thing, but that's a matter of personal preference, and since it's consistent, I can't argue with that choice.

My point is, most other companies, even stylish ones like Sony, don't go through the trouble of really thinking things through to the very end in terms of style. Which is why Apple has little to no competition in that area. So, I agree with Charlie-Peru.

The problem is that many people decide that if they use Apple stuff, which is stylish, that automatically means that they have style -- whereas style is something personal that may or may not be reflected in Apple's products. And, even if in a specific instance, Apple's products do reflect it, style remains internal and it can be neither completely expressed nor crippled by choice of technology.

Apple perpetuates that problem through ads ("I'm a Mac - I'm a PC") and by creating frenzies such as the one last night. However, it's a business, which means that one of its most important goals as a company is to make money. Sure, looking good and making user-friendly products is a part of the corporate philosophy, but it's not as important to stockholders as is money, so it is merely a means to an end. I think the key is seeing through the marketing to that point and then deciding, provided you have a choice, whether the hardware fits your needs and, if Apple could contribute to your personal style or otherwise make your happy, where technology's appearance takes place among your priorities.

Malia

 

If macs truely were an anti-trend. Maybe I'd be driven to buy one. But I don't see any kind of real trends when it comes to notebooks and electronics. Other than thirteen year old girls running around with Razrs. The Cellphone trents have always cracked me up. (Omg look, my buttons glow pink! Omg! That is so cool! <<; )

I guess that's kind of cool. It's nice to know if you live in NYC and your computer just blows up, you can run down to the Apple Store and replce it pronto with a MacBook. Also doubles as stove and popcorn popper I here. (J/k). I wonder how much limited edition apple t-shirts go for on ebay?

In all honesty its the hippness, trendiness, and coolness of macs that will probably cause me to never by them. I seem to have a magnetic distraction toward that sort of thing. (Yes, guilty owner of an Ipod.)

 

I'm quite partial to cell phone trends myself. I live in the Bronx, which means that I get to witness a lot of cell phone action on my way home. Like playing "music" through cell phone speakers, which sounds like crackling and noise, and actually dancing to it - on the train - and having your friends look at you like you are the coolest person. Or having cell phone competitions on whose phone has cooler songs, also played through the speakers and also sounding like noise. Gotta love the Bronx.

I just checked, and it's at $50 with 9 days left to go. I could've grabbed 5 of those. Damn. I was gonna give mine away to my grandfather. Now I have all this time to think about it. Why didn't I think of it??

Malia

 

One Word: That is one very hot building with one very catchy name. Next time I go to New York Ill be there for sure .

 

Yeah, and a big waste of shareholder and customer money. Reminds me of Donald Trump.

 

crazy people

 

Geez....some of the tribal wisdom in this thread is really stunning. I have to admit, as a 50/50 Win_Mac user, I don't like the koolaid-like hype that surrounds some of the Apple zealotry; but those Apple stores are very nice environments to play with the goodies, get expert help and, in general, experience something quite different from your garden variety BestBuy or CompUSA. The Director of my company (who just received a new 12" Lenovo X60 Thinkpad) wondered out loud why my 12" PowerBook (2 months old) cost less than his lappie, yet came configured with a 7200rpm 100gb HD, 1.25 gb of ram, bluetooth, fw, and a boatload of quality apps not found in his new rig....perspective is a good thing...

 

NYC Homeless finally have the full fledged office they were hoping for!!!

 

yawn, bunch of suckers.

those two guys who bought a pair of notebooks and screens look like two of the Queer Eye for the Straight Guys guys.

just more fodder for the male Mac user stereotype.

edit: The blonde dude on the left is the fashion guru and the guy on the right is the social guru from what I remember.

 

You're right! Here they are: Fab Five

I SO got a picture of famous people!

Malia

P.S. Still think the pants are lame. And that denim hat? Anyway. If I watched the show, now would be the time to stop.