Apple has a reputation of building some ofthe coolest, most futuristic retail stores in the world.
This location in Dubai featurescarbon fiber Solar Wings that automatically open and close to cool down the space.
Thisstore in Milan features a stunning water fountain display that welcomes visitors as they enter.
And one of my favorite locations is this one in Shanghai which utilizes patented curvedglass panels to achieve its unique cylindrical shape.
But the most iconic Apple Store inthe world is in New York City on Fifth Avenue.
Sitting just a few steps from central park,it’s likely one of the highest traffic stores in the country.
And you can get an understandingof just how important this store is to Apple by considering its history.
Which is exactlywhat we’re going to cover.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and if you want to helpdecide which topics I cover, make sure you’re subscribed, and these voting polls will showup in your mobile activity feed.
Now let’s start off by exploring where theconcept of a glass cube-shaped Apple Store came from in the first place.
It turns outJobs always had the idea in the back of his head, but he wasn’t sure where the flagshipstore should be located.
That is, until Jobs met with Harry Macklowe, a New York City realestate developer.
Macklowe had recently purchased the most expensive office building in NorthAmerica at the time.
The General Motors building in Manhattan, which cost him 1.4 billion dollars.But there was one problem with the property that discouraged many other developers frominvesting.
And that was the plaza that sat directly in front of the building. There werea couple issues with this space.
First, it was considered by most architects to be toolarge for a simple plaza, but too small to place another skyscraper.
Second, it containeda basement that was never even used.
This was due to the plaza being sunken when itwas first built, but subsequently raised after the area failed to attract many pedestrians.
So Macklowe had a problem on his hands.
Howcould this awkward, aging plaza be transformed into a modern shopping area? Well, he hadone company in mind that could offer a solution, and that was Apple.
Because not only had theymade an aggressive and successful entrance into the retail market two years earlier,but Apple’s retail stores served as stylish, modern spaces which housed some of the coolesttech products in the world.
So convincing Apple to build their flagship store on theGM plaza became Macklowe’s top priority.
He started by contacting George Blankenship,Apple’s vice-president of real estate, to try and set up a meeting with Jobs.
He wassuccessful, and quickly flew out to Cupertino to discuss what would become one of the mosticonic retail stores in the world.
Macklowe brought with him his longtime design partnerDan Shannon and the architects from the firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, who designed theApple Store in Soho.
This meeting is where Jobs shared his ideafor store’s glass cube design, complete with a model of the GM building, Apple store,and plaza to clearly demonstrate his vision for the space.
Macklowe immediately lovedthe idea, especially since it made perfect use of the challenging space.
Not only coulda glass cube be perfectly proportioned for the plaza’s size, but Apple’s retail spacewould actually be located underground.
Finally making use of the location’s awkward basementarea which had been empty for almost a decade.
But Macklowe recognized an issue Steve Job’sdesign right away.
The glass cube was simply too big. Jobs wanted a 40 foot cube. Whichwould not only obscure the GM building, but invite protest from tenants and cause zoningissues with the city.
But Macklowe knew he couldn’t break this news to Jobs himself,since it would likely fall on deaf ears.
So instead, Macklowe helped Jobs discover thisissue himself.
He did this by constructing a scaffolding mockup of the cube to give Applean idea of its scale, and once their retail executives saw the mockup in person, theyagreed that it should be smaller.
Now it’s important to note just how involvedSteve Jobs was in every step of the store’s development.
He helped decided what type ofstone would be used for the plaza and ordered workers to replace the metal bolts holdingtogether the glass panels.
Jobs was so excited about the store that he built a mockup ofhis own in the parking lot of Apple’s headquarters.
He was so involved in the project that heeventually developed a friendship with Macklowe, who offered Jobs an office in the GM building.But Jobs refused, saying, “When I come to New York, I want to be in Soho.
I want tobe in Chelsea. I want to be surrounded by young people. So I can listen to what they’rethinking.
I want to have new ideas.
” On May 19, 2006 the 32 foot glass cube onfifth avenue was unveiled to the public.
It featured an illuminated white, floating Applelogo and a glass staircase spiraling around a cylindrical glass elevator.
Not only didthis liberal use of glass make the store look good and feel more spacious, but it serveda functional purpose as well, by allowing sunlight to shine down into the store.
Apple’sretail executive Ron Johnson explained the concept well, saying, “the glass cube wasdesigned to let in light and ambiance throughout the day.
When I’m under here canopied bythe cube I feel like I’m in a public space.” And that concept is important to remembersince it helped inform all of the store’s subsequent updates.
It’s also importantto point out that when Apple opened this fifth avenue location, they’d only been in retailfor five years and hadn’t yet opened a flagship store.
So neither Apple nor Macklowe had anaccurate frame of reference to predict how the store would perform.
They simply had tomeasure the earnings of surrounding stores while drawing up a business deal. Part ofthat deal was deciding what percentage of their sales Apple would pay to Macklowe, theproperty owner. And as it would turn out,
Apple made out like bandits since their fifthavenue store performance was unprecedented.
Although Apple and Macklowe had high hopes,all of their expectations were shattered when the numbers came in for the store’s firstyear. It ended up attracting 50,000 visitors a day,which totaled 18.2 million people.
Making the store Apple’s most popular in the worldat the time.
But what about revenue? Because making money is what retail’s about afterall.
Well, the fifth avenue Apple store alone ended up bringing in an average of one milliondollars each day.
And that’s after Apple paid rent and a percentage of the stores profitsto Macklowe.
But it’s also important to consider the store’s social impacts.
Notonly did this transformation of the GM building make the property look more appealing anddrive higher foot traffic, but it also attracted more high end luxury stores looking to replicatethe kind of success Apple had.
So the fifth avenue Apple store wasn’t onlya wild success for Apple, but also the property owner and the neighborhood that surroundedit.
But the truth is, this was only the beginning.
Since Apple would revamp their fifth avenuestore multiple times in the following years.
The first update came in 2011, when Applespent 6.6 million dollars to rebuild the glass cube using just 15 panes of glass insteadof 90.
But that was seemingly insignificant compared to the major renovations Apple beganmaking to the store six years later in 2017.
This time they actually opened a temporary location for the fifth avenue store just steps away from the original.
And that was in large part due to great timing.
The FAO Shwarz toy store located in the GM building behind the Apple Store actually vacated the property due to high rent just in time for Apple’s renovation project.
So Apple was able to simply buy the location and continue offering their products and services without much disruption to customers.
And this was important, since the 2017 fifth avenue project was much more involved and complex than in 2011.
No one knew at the time what Apple had in store for the location.
They didn’t even reveal how long the project would last.
But it turned out that the fifth avenue renovation would take over two years to finally complete.
And it was time well spent, because the improvements made to the store were absolutely stunning.
I actually went on a road trip with my younger brother to see this store for myself the day it opened, and it really was an unforgettable experience.
Not only was Tim Cook and Deirdre O’ Brian there to commemorate the occasion, but people from across the world stopped by to see the store in person.
But first let’s talk about what makes this re modeled store so special.
As I mentioned earlier in the video, Apple’s always wanted this store to feel open, spacious, and bright.
Which is especially important since the store is underground.
And they were able to achieve this in a few ways.
First, there are portholes in the ceiling that not only let in much more natural light than before, but feature integrated LED lights that automatically shift their color temperature to match the natural light.
That way cooler natural light won’t clash with warmer artificial light.
But what’seven cooler are what the portholes look like outside the store.
They carpet the plaza and give it a futuristic glow, while also doubling as chrome benches for people to sit and per hap seven peak inside.
And instead of stairs and an elevator made of glass, Apple instead opted for chrome.
Which I was told helps reflect the greenery, which there’s quite a bit of.
Not only are there trees in the middle of the store, but there are also these walls of greenery around the perimeter where visitors can sit and charge their devices.
But something I found very interesting was the addition this Home Pod room, which gave visitors a chance to experience stereo sound feature, which I admit was quite impressive.
Another cool touch were the photos that lined the hallway to the backroom and bathrooms.
They featured the old store, the construction process, and the new store.
It’s also worth noting that the remodeled fifth avenue store is twice as big and has higher ceilings which is important since the number of visitors to this location has only been growing.
So the fifth avenue Apple Store continues to be one of the company’s most impressive locations, and I highly encourage anyone in the area to visit and check it out for themselves.
Alright guys thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.
This location in Dubai featurescarbon fiber Solar Wings that automatically open and close to cool down the space.
Thisstore in Milan features a stunning water fountain display that welcomes visitors as they enter.
And one of my favorite locations is this one in Shanghai which utilizes patented curvedglass panels to achieve its unique cylindrical shape.
But the most iconic Apple Store inthe world is in New York City on Fifth Avenue.
Sitting just a few steps from central park,it’s likely one of the highest traffic stores in the country.
And you can get an understandingof just how important this store is to Apple by considering its history.
Which is exactlywhat we’re going to cover.
This is Greg with Apple Explained, and if you want to helpdecide which topics I cover, make sure you’re subscribed, and these voting polls will showup in your mobile activity feed.
Now let’s start off by exploring where theconcept of a glass cube-shaped Apple Store came from in the first place.
It turns outJobs always had the idea in the back of his head, but he wasn’t sure where the flagshipstore should be located.
That is, until Jobs met with Harry Macklowe, a New York City realestate developer.
Macklowe had recently purchased the most expensive office building in NorthAmerica at the time.
The General Motors building in Manhattan, which cost him 1.4 billion dollars.But there was one problem with the property that discouraged many other developers frominvesting.
And that was the plaza that sat directly in front of the building. There werea couple issues with this space.
First, it was considered by most architects to be toolarge for a simple plaza, but too small to place another skyscraper.
Second, it containeda basement that was never even used.
This was due to the plaza being sunken when itwas first built, but subsequently raised after the area failed to attract many pedestrians.
So Macklowe had a problem on his hands.
Howcould this awkward, aging plaza be transformed into a modern shopping area? Well, he hadone company in mind that could offer a solution, and that was Apple.
Because not only had theymade an aggressive and successful entrance into the retail market two years earlier,but Apple’s retail stores served as stylish, modern spaces which housed some of the coolesttech products in the world.
So convincing Apple to build their flagship store on theGM plaza became Macklowe’s top priority.
He started by contacting George Blankenship,Apple’s vice-president of real estate, to try and set up a meeting with Jobs.
He wassuccessful, and quickly flew out to Cupertino to discuss what would become one of the mosticonic retail stores in the world.
Macklowe brought with him his longtime design partnerDan Shannon and the architects from the firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, who designed theApple Store in Soho.
This meeting is where Jobs shared his ideafor store’s glass cube design, complete with a model of the GM building, Apple store,and plaza to clearly demonstrate his vision for the space.
Macklowe immediately lovedthe idea, especially since it made perfect use of the challenging space.
Not only coulda glass cube be perfectly proportioned for the plaza’s size, but Apple’s retail spacewould actually be located underground.
Finally making use of the location’s awkward basementarea which had been empty for almost a decade.
But Macklowe recognized an issue Steve Job’sdesign right away.
The glass cube was simply too big. Jobs wanted a 40 foot cube. Whichwould not only obscure the GM building, but invite protest from tenants and cause zoningissues with the city.
But Macklowe knew he couldn’t break this news to Jobs himself,since it would likely fall on deaf ears.
So instead, Macklowe helped Jobs discover thisissue himself.
He did this by constructing a scaffolding mockup of the cube to give Applean idea of its scale, and once their retail executives saw the mockup in person, theyagreed that it should be smaller.
Now it’s important to note just how involvedSteve Jobs was in every step of the store’s development.
He helped decided what type ofstone would be used for the plaza and ordered workers to replace the metal bolts holdingtogether the glass panels.
Jobs was so excited about the store that he built a mockup ofhis own in the parking lot of Apple’s headquarters.
He was so involved in the project that heeventually developed a friendship with Macklowe, who offered Jobs an office in the GM building.But Jobs refused, saying, “When I come to New York, I want to be in Soho.
I want tobe in Chelsea. I want to be surrounded by young people. So I can listen to what they’rethinking.
I want to have new ideas.
” On May 19, 2006 the 32 foot glass cube onfifth avenue was unveiled to the public.
It featured an illuminated white, floating Applelogo and a glass staircase spiraling around a cylindrical glass elevator.
Not only didthis liberal use of glass make the store look good and feel more spacious, but it serveda functional purpose as well, by allowing sunlight to shine down into the store.
Apple’sretail executive Ron Johnson explained the concept well, saying, “the glass cube wasdesigned to let in light and ambiance throughout the day.
When I’m under here canopied bythe cube I feel like I’m in a public space.” And that concept is important to remembersince it helped inform all of the store’s subsequent updates.
It’s also importantto point out that when Apple opened this fifth avenue location, they’d only been in retailfor five years and hadn’t yet opened a flagship store.
So neither Apple nor Macklowe had anaccurate frame of reference to predict how the store would perform.
They simply had tomeasure the earnings of surrounding stores while drawing up a business deal. Part ofthat deal was deciding what percentage of their sales Apple would pay to Macklowe, theproperty owner. And as it would turn out,
Apple made out like bandits since their fifthavenue store performance was unprecedented.
Although Apple and Macklowe had high hopes,all of their expectations were shattered when the numbers came in for the store’s firstyear. It ended up attracting 50,000 visitors a day,which totaled 18.2 million people.
Making the store Apple’s most popular in the worldat the time.
But what about revenue? Because making money is what retail’s about afterall.
Well, the fifth avenue Apple store alone ended up bringing in an average of one milliondollars each day.
And that’s after Apple paid rent and a percentage of the stores profitsto Macklowe.
But it’s also important to consider the store’s social impacts.
Notonly did this transformation of the GM building make the property look more appealing anddrive higher foot traffic, but it also attracted more high end luxury stores looking to replicatethe kind of success Apple had.
So the fifth avenue Apple store wasn’t onlya wild success for Apple, but also the property owner and the neighborhood that surroundedit.
But the truth is, this was only the beginning.
Since Apple would revamp their fifth avenuestore multiple times in the following years.
The first update came in 2011, when Applespent 6.6 million dollars to rebuild the glass cube using just 15 panes of glass insteadof 90.
But that was seemingly insignificant compared to the major renovations Apple beganmaking to the store six years later in 2017.
This time they actually opened a temporary location for the fifth avenue store just steps away from the original.
And that was in large part due to great timing.
The FAO Shwarz toy store located in the GM building behind the Apple Store actually vacated the property due to high rent just in time for Apple’s renovation project.
So Apple was able to simply buy the location and continue offering their products and services without much disruption to customers.
And this was important, since the 2017 fifth avenue project was much more involved and complex than in 2011.
No one knew at the time what Apple had in store for the location.
They didn’t even reveal how long the project would last.
But it turned out that the fifth avenue renovation would take over two years to finally complete.
And it was time well spent, because the improvements made to the store were absolutely stunning.
I actually went on a road trip with my younger brother to see this store for myself the day it opened, and it really was an unforgettable experience.
Not only was Tim Cook and Deirdre O’ Brian there to commemorate the occasion, but people from across the world stopped by to see the store in person.
But first let’s talk about what makes this re modeled store so special.
As I mentioned earlier in the video, Apple’s always wanted this store to feel open, spacious, and bright.
Which is especially important since the store is underground.
And they were able to achieve this in a few ways.
First, there are portholes in the ceiling that not only let in much more natural light than before, but feature integrated LED lights that automatically shift their color temperature to match the natural light.
That way cooler natural light won’t clash with warmer artificial light.
But what’seven cooler are what the portholes look like outside the store.
They carpet the plaza and give it a futuristic glow, while also doubling as chrome benches for people to sit and per hap seven peak inside.
And instead of stairs and an elevator made of glass, Apple instead opted for chrome.
Which I was told helps reflect the greenery, which there’s quite a bit of.
Not only are there trees in the middle of the store, but there are also these walls of greenery around the perimeter where visitors can sit and charge their devices.
But something I found very interesting was the addition this Home Pod room, which gave visitors a chance to experience stereo sound feature, which I admit was quite impressive.
Another cool touch were the photos that lined the hallway to the backroom and bathrooms.
They featured the old store, the construction process, and the new store.
It’s also worth noting that the remodeled fifth avenue store is twice as big and has higher ceilings which is important since the number of visitors to this location has only been growing.
So the fifth avenue Apple Store continues to be one of the company’s most impressive locations, and I highly encourage anyone in the area to visit and check it out for themselves.
Alright guys thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.
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