Apple's new Chongqing store shown off in photos ahead of Saturday opening
Local media have been given access to Apple's new retail outlet in Chongqing, Southwest China, a day before its official opening and photos of the new store depict an expansive underground space not unlike the company's flagship location on Fifth Avenue.
A staircase contained within a large above-ground glass cylinder snakes its way down into one side of the shop as a glass elevator passes through the middle, as shown in a series of images from Chinese blog MacX. Unlike some other Apple Stores, such as the flagship IFC location in Hong Kong, there is no sitting area underneath the staircase.
The ceiling appears to be finished in long aluminum panels. Lighting is placed in the gaps between the panels, providing unbroken troughs of light throughout the length of the store.
The store features multiple large accessory walls, and appears to be just a single level underground. Large cylindrical columns sheathed in what appears to be stainless steel provide support for the roof.
The Chongqing outlet is one of 5 new stores that will open between New Year's Day and China's Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 19. Apple plans to increase the number of Apple Stores in China to 40 by mid-2016.
A staircase contained within a large above-ground glass cylinder snakes its way down into one side of the shop as a glass elevator passes through the middle, as shown in a series of images from Chinese blog MacX. Unlike some other Apple Stores, such as the flagship IFC location in Hong Kong, there is no sitting area underneath the staircase.
The ceiling appears to be finished in long aluminum panels. Lighting is placed in the gaps between the panels, providing unbroken troughs of light throughout the length of the store.
The store features multiple large accessory walls, and appears to be just a single level underground. Large cylindrical columns sheathed in what appears to be stainless steel provide support for the roof.
The Chongqing outlet is one of 5 new stores that will open between New Year's Day and China's Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 19. Apple plans to increase the number of Apple Stores in China to 40 by mid-2016.
Comments
Either way, I don't ever recall seeing red shirts at my local Apple Store(United States).
Why give them red shirts when they're going to blue in a few weeks? Or is China sticking to its flag's color?
Either way, I don't ever recall seeing red shirts at my local Apple Store(United States).
Red has special meaning in Chinese culture, so I see no reason they'd want to change that to blue.
Red has special meaning in Chinese culture, so I see no reason they'd want to change that to blue.
It's almost Chinese New Year time. Red it the season's color. I think they will wear red when the store opens.
Glad to see Apple's not skimping. Impressions are important.
Here's Samsung's latest store.
Click it: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_in_Chinese_culture
And arm yourselves with knowledge.
According to that, blue would seem appropriate to me, especially for a new store.
Does Apple use the same wood in all stores?
Are the Chinese tables made from Chinese wood, or does Apple import the wood, so that the Apple tables are identical all over the world?
I have no idea why I asked that question, but I guess that I'm just curious.
And I'm also not feeling the red shirts, especially not in China.
How long will it take before everyone obsessed with fads decides it looks dated, stale, and "stuck in the past"? (I'm pointing at everyone that complained about iOS 6's visual and UI design, who embraced iOS 7 as "fresh and clean")
I highly doubt those tables are made of wood. They're more likely to be the standard particle board stuff that is coated with some kind of wood-like laminate (which allows every table to look identical everywhere). Real solid wood tables makes zero sense in an environment that will quickly see wear and tear from constant abuse (and is way more costly).
I might be mistaken, or perhaps my memory is just poor, but I think that I recall reading some years ago about how those Apple tables were custom made and pretty pricey.
As for being more costly, it's not like Apple doesn't have the cash to afford the best for their stores.
Being the super quick Googler that I am, I just checked quickly and I found some info that suggests that they cost at least $10,000 a piece.
This is Apple that we're talking about here, they're not going to have some Ikea tables in their stores.
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And the wood is maple, if the info that I found is correct.
This is what I found on another forum in an older thread:
Wouldn't real wood hold up better than laminated particle board, especially considering their longterm and heavy use?
edit: Looks like they may be Fetzer Maple Desks in the $2k range.
It looks like "the future". A Jony Ive future. It's actually quite neat. I like it. There's so little architecture being done these days, so it's up to filthy rich corporations to do it for show, because nobody else sees "value" in architecture these days (just dull gray boxes with 90° angles, made of cement and/or covered with some cheap siding).
How long will it take before everyone obsessed with fads decides it looks dated, stale, and "stuck in the past"? (I'm pointing at everyone that complained about iOS 6's visual and UI design, who embraced iOS 7 as "fresh and clean")
Agreed. I think it's a beautiful store. Apple makes their stores part of the attraction to their products. Companies nowadays don't bother because (Samsung) the store is just a place to buy stuff so why spend money on it. Apple makes their stores with the intent that they will be around awhile.
There will always be people that need to see something new every 15 minutes to deal with their OCD. For everyone else, these stores will be timeless. It really sets the mood in the right way.
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/2011/06/27/rare-sighting-display-table-refinishing/
Meanwhile, back in the real world,
[quote]
The display tables are made of sugarmaple from Canada (same wood as bowling alleys, baseball bats and NBA courts), and are enormously complicated, both in construction, assembly and in their accommodation of the power and other cables required for the display computers.[/quote]
Source: http://www.ifoapplestore.com/the-stores-now-and-then/
Does Apple use the same wood in all stores?
Are the Chinese tables made from Chinese wood, or does Apple import the wood, so that the Apple tables are identical all over the world?
I have no idea why I asked that question, but I guess that I'm just curious.
The Chinese would doubtless be pleased for the furniture to have been produced from Paulownia kawakami (Saphire Dragon), a (previously) economic timber in China but which is now regarded as critically endangered. Timber has a beautiful, light coloured texture and is prized in ornamental work. I have a couple growing that I'll use for this purpose when time permits. As noted previously however, no such romantic circumstance in modern stores.