The new store officially opens to the public tomorrow, Thursday 19th, at 5pm, but this morning the media got a sneak peek inside, and we were impressed by what we saw (although there was no iPhone to be seen).
More than $15 million has been spent on the shrine to Apple, and it shows. The Sydney store is the 2nd largest Apple store in the world, (London is the largest), and the sheer number of products on show is staggering.
Here's a quick taste:
- 90 - number of Macs on the ground floor
- 60 - number of iPods on floor two
- 700 square metres - size of the glass atrium which fronts the building
- 15 - size in metres of the largest sheets of laminated glass used to create the atrium
- 125 - number of employees
Walking or driving past the store, your gaze is drawn inside the store - the glass atrium makes the entire store visible to the street. "It's like one giant window to Apple," said the head of Apple's retail division Ron Johnson.
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| All these cameras, and Steve's not even here (nor is the iPhone) |
There are 215 of these stores around the world. Apple uses them as a way not only to sell gear, but to create excitement and a "gathering place" for Apple fans. Walking in through the airy you get greeted by a concierge, and bump into one of the many t-shirted Apple employees and you'll get another overly enthusiastic hello. It's a cheery place, or possibly annoying, if you're not a fan of the cult.
As mentioned there are three levels. Here's a quick summary.
Ground Floor
- MacBooks, MacBook Airs, iMacs, etc.
Level One
- iPods, Time Capsules, Speakers, cables, Airport Expresses etc.
Level Two
- Genius Bar, Workshops, Training
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| Ground floor in the Apple store, Sydney |
More pics to come.