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As the public readies to ooh and aah over products at its spacious Fifth Avenue Apple Store, praise is being given to Apple vice president Ron Johnson for his retailing and merchandising innovations. The NY Times looks at his background, which includes Mervyns then 16 years at Target (when Steve Jobs told him Apple "is one of the biggest brands in the world," Johnson told him then the stores should be big) Forrester says that Apple Store revenue was $2489 per square foot, whereas it's $971 at a Best Buy; Apple says Target averages $300 per square foot. But Target isn't paying for sweet retail space.
The only 24-hour Apple Store in the world opens at 6PM tonight, and they are giving away one Macbook every hour for 24 hours (here are the rules) - are you headed there? And a cool factoid: 5,000 people applied for the 300 jobs at the Fifth Avenue store (hello, discount!). Our post on the Fifth Avenue Apple Store preview (so pretty!) and here are all the Google News stories on the store. And New Yorkers, you're so lucky - you don't have to book airline tickets to make a pilgrimage to the store the way these people are.
Photograph of the Apple Store cube from Neil Epstein's Flickr set, and the cube at night from kumaw's Flickr set
UPDATE: A post on TUAW tells us that Steve Jobs is in the house. All hail! shap43's images on flickr.
UPDATE:
It's open! If your going, please be safe - and be sure to take pictures! Tag them on flickr with gothamist for us, so we can all join in on the fun. Above shot from yesthatkarim on flickr. [Side bar: We think Flickr is down because of all the people uploading their Apple Store pictures! It's our only theory, but, by golly, it's got legs!]
Oh snap-- AP's got the money shot of Steve Jobs in front of the cube-- never before have fans of mock-turtlenecks, modern architecture and computers had so much to celebrate at once! [Photos below by Jon Simon/AP]
UPDATE: Apple.com has an INSANE time lapse quicktime of the crowd. Definitely worth checking out. We're kinda shocked that there isn't a webstream of the event, since 60% of Apple's computer products in the store come with built in iSights.
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There were about 40-50 people who all slept out there as of about 15 minutes ago. Getting wet for the new cube....I'll wait until 6 please.
Apple fans seem to be the new Trekkies.
I didn't see the rules for the macbook giveaway in the link. Am I missing something?
yeah where are the rules?
Here are the rules
wait, I thought mac people were rich and
PC people were poor?
just buy it, unless you're not rich.
oh yeah, I'd much rather spend a grand on something I could possibly get for free just by showing up to a store opening
I guess Mac people are no different than those people who swarm the Costco food demos. Except for the berets.
What.
Ever.
So, if the store is open 24/7, 365.25 days of the year...does the store have a LOCK on the door?
and if so, why?
In his remarks at the press preview yesterday, Johnson said Apple does *$4000* per sq foot across all 176 stores, not Forrester's $2489. He wouldn't break down the average ticket.
But work it out: $4K per sq ft times 10K sq ft, and Apple's expecting $40M revenue out of this store alone. And that's a minimum, because the $4K figure is an average and this had better not be an average store. The real number may be twice that.
meh....
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y33/edk197/appleripoff.jpg
I can't believe people are sleeping out for this. It's a frickin' Apple Store; there's one in SoHo. Usually overcrowded and overpriced.
IM Pei eat ur hart out,
this apple store has them all beat,
including frank lewis right.
yeah, you sound like a real architecture expert.
it's frank lloyd wright.
How are they going to keep all that glass clean?
I bet Richard Meister is wondering why he can't architect buildings like this. Getty Museum? Pshhaw!
what?
Bowhouse you misspelled that architects name. It's I. M. Pay.
why thank you, mees van
this apple store still has them all beat,
including anything by richard meyer.
I think I know how they'll keep all that glass clean: Mac can hire the unemployed IBM PC makers. You know, the ones who once-upon-a-time made those "superior PCs" that "everyone" used, because "Mac had no marketshare" and "there's more software made for PCs"? Yeah, those guys.
Boy, do the Mac-haters sound pissed here. Don't worry, be happy. Just go down to your local, beautiful PC Richard tonight and take in the lush ambience. Or better yet, go to J&R Ripoff World and their horribly laid-out stores on Park Row. Hey, maybe if you're lucky, they'll get Frank Gehry to design them a new building.
The first person on line is in a wheelchair, I hope that elevator works when they open those doors at 6pm.
I am camping out in the store for the first 24hrs in hopes of winning a Mac Book! (Yes I am crazy) Check out my blog as I will be documenting the entire experience and my inevitable descent into further insanity:
http://www.fourfiftyninepm.blogspot.com/
I was just up there and took some shots. I might even have one or two of Modern Girl. :] Just kidding.
Check 'em out Here.
Since nobody has mentioned Tekserve, I will. They've been in NYC for years and have been running their store like an "Apple Store" for years. Their service is much better, and they often have a better variety of items than the "official" stores.
Why?
Easy! The Apple Stores are mainly a showcase for Apple products and that's it. Any third-party product selection is minimal at best. Independent sellers like Tekserve have a better selection of third-party items AND have the same Apple hardware as well.
As for people waiting in line? I'm starting to think that a lot of the people supposedly "waiting in line" at this store and other recent events--Trader Joe's, Fairway, XBox 360 release, etc...--are paid shills who are hired to simply wait in line so people start yammering about the event/item like crazy. It's not unhread of at all. And it's the only logical explanation for anyone waiting in line for a bunch of bananas or Apple hardware you can buy elsewhere.
A bit of a valid point there. Let's not forget the local stores that usually suffer from the big bad empires. Tekserve http://www.tekserve.com/ and Digital Society http://www.digsoc.com/
why oh why is steve jobs still wearing a black mock turtleneck and jeans? The dude is a billionaire, and he's reduced to a marketing gimmick. sad.
Everyone I know who's ever bought a Mac has regretted it. The Mac is just a marketing ploy to attract snooty hipsters. Once they learn they can't run 80 percent of the applications on their macs they are like wTF? Also, how innovative is a mac when it's only got ONE GODDAMN button on it's mouse? RIDICULOUS!!!!
Did you guys watch the apple commercial with the guy from dodgeball as a HUman mac and a fat guy as a PC? I actually think the Fat guy was more charismatic and funnier than the smarmy dodgeball guy. Made me appreciate my PC more than a Mac, actually. Is that Bad marketing by Apple or what?
Looking at the store's opening kinda makes me have perverse thoughts like a car careening off the road right into it causing all the glass shards to fall into the waiting hordes below killing everyone. that's fucked up but that shit does not look safe at all.
The overweight guy was more likable, charismatic AND funny. He's a great actor.
No comment on the other homo.
I think it says something sad about the state of architecture today when people think a plain glass cube is pretty amazing.
Omigod! I totally missed camping out for the opening of the Apple store. Why Oh why? oh, that's right, I'm sane.
b-o-r-i-n-g.
Where's the stuff. I thought shoppers could walk around inside the cube, but now I see it's just a giant cube covering a hole. In anycase it's still impressive. if I weren't so cheap I might actually be a mac guy.
Been in line for 2 hrs for the chance to win a macbook. I must be nuts. At least the wifi works!
I must see this! I have to see it in person..will I be able to sit near the cube and surf wireless? I wonder if they are giving away the new black ibooks..I always said they should have a buy one get one half off..or at least a gypsy freelance discount..
will pigeons be sitting on the cube?
Spike Lee and Finesse Mitchell are in the cube.
When did steve jobs become manorexic???
Typical. Just typical. Can't win an argument based on the facts, so it comes down to elementary school-level namecalling.
"ED"? yep, homo.
nuff said.
Yeah, I don't get that Mac Commercial. The fat guy is alot funnier than the lame Mac dude. I thought it was a pro PC commercial.
i thought some entertinment was supposed to show up. what happened to that?
it was just a lame trekkie convention.
My, my. Brightliner's razor-sharp wit strikes again. PC Richard jokes? Looking up actor bios on IMDB for the sake of a lame comeback? Wow, you've finally outdone your pathetic Tomb Raider: Legend joke.
+
Hmnn...lots of PC folks questioning why anyone would waste time lining up for an Apple store grand opening. So, if it's a waste of time waiting in line for an Apple store grand opening, what would you call taking the time to post negative comments regarding waiting in line for an Apple store grand opening?
I don't think it's PC folks commenting about Apple stuff. I think it's normal eveyday people who use computers commenting how ridiculous Apple Fascists sre.
Jim Krmmmmrrrrr says,
Apple stock, buy, buy, buy.
bulls get rich, bears get rich, hogs get slaughtered.
Why must you Apple folks get offended so much that you actually need to get on boards and defend your choice of computer?
You don't see me telling people to buy a Glock because I have one. Sig Sauers are just as good.
More like "people who use Windows PCs commenting." Because funnily enough, last time I knew, Macs were still computers and I don't see Mac users calling this ridiculous. And usually when you see the word "Fascist" bandied about casually, it's by somebody intolerant, one of the primary characteristics of Fascism.
mrmgraphics,
You're right. It's just silly envy. Just look at post #45 above. Nothing to add to the discussion, simply a personal attack. Most of the negative posters just spout the usual FUD. "80% of applications won't run on Macs"? Aside from the fact that most of those are just plain garbage or undistinguished competition for the remaining 20% (assuming such a statistic was true), "Bill Tates" obviously isn't well-informed about the ability of current Macs to run Windows, either directly via Apple's free Boot Camp software or via virtualization using Parallels, the latter being more convenient but incurring a minor performance penalty.
Brightliner loves Mancock Juice.
CA:
Steve probably became "Manorexic" due to his battle with PANCREATIC CANCER.......
Lost my mom to pancreatic cancer...it's a devastating disease......
If you're still at that playground stage of attacking Macs & Mac users, you just don't get it and you never will. Now, put down your pails & shovels. It's nap time. Let us adults play now.
so now NYC has its own version of I.M. Pei's glass pyramid (although it's a glass cube)? does this make the Apple store beneath it, NYC's Louvre? Maybe the Apple store will be the focus of Dan Brown's next novel "The Jobs Code"?
Where can i find Celebrity photos from last night??
"Apple" + "celebrity" on Flickr gave me this, but alas, it's only Chris Parnell, Spike Lee & Stephen Colbert.
whoa. Steve Jobs only took one class in community college, he totally stole all Wozniak's ideas and he is the adopted and his birth parents were syrian terrorists! that shit is crazy. And the dude had pancreatic cancer. No wonder the dude wears acid washed jeans
there was some hot chicks at the apple store...one girl in particular who was on line with me..she was so hot! She was wearing a green jacket and green pants...f'in sexy face and body. Anyone know who she was?
I Love This Man And The Apple !!!