Monday, June 16, 2003 |
12:11 - Stirring the pot
http://www.looprumors.com/
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LoopRumors has a photo of one of the latest new Apple Stores, in Chestnut Hills, MA. And it looks quite a bit different from the Apple Stores we're all used to. Apparently this is the New Look for the stores, which they'll all be adopting over time (one is to assume).
Wood tables now instead of the smooth white curved display surfaces. The Genius Bar has been moved to the middle of the side wall. The checkout register has been moved to the back wall-- replacing the theater. This is the part that really startles me. They're getting rid of the theater? That was the coolest part! How are they going to do demos of new products? How are they going to hold how-to sessions? It was also a great draw for passers-by; who can walk by an Apple Store with a ten-foot-high star-power actor waving an iPod from the back wall?
I suppose one might draw a positive conclusion from this: that Apple needs to reclaim some floor space for product, floor space that was being "wasted" on the theater. If, say, they'd never had theaters before but were installing them, the cynical might conclude that Apple didn't have enough interesting product with which to justify all their floor space, and they were trying to pad it with space-hungry attractions. But that's the opposite of what's actually happening; maybe it means sales are so good that they have to dispense with the theater section in order to get all the stock out on display.
But somehow that idea doesn't sit right with me. I think it may simply be a good old-fashioned Bad Idea. And who knows-- maybe the photo lies. Maybe the theater is in there somewhere, just artfully hidden away.
Then again, no. Besides... where the hell's the software?
UPDATE: Tim reminds me that there are two major canned floorplans for the Apple Stores-- a 30-foot-wide one and a 45-foot one. It's the 45'er that has the theater. (This is aside from the big custom ones, like SoHo and Reston and such.) But the decor in this photo still does look quite a bit different; I don't remember seeing wood tables like those anywhere before.
Then again, I haven't been paying much attention lately.
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