The first Apple Store in Bangkok should be opening up maybe late this year (if not early next). It will be located at the Icon Siam (or IconSiam not sure) which itself is supposed to open in 2018 (though the way things happen here might slip).
Whats'a'matta, you prejudiced against North Carolina? The Southlake store has been closed since 4/22/18.
What part of “all” makes you think that would include these stores?!?
I was at Natick Collection yesterday and was disappointed to find the store was closed. Then I noticed on Maps it even says “closed for renovation”. Ah, well. Next time.
Apple is doing a wonderful job with retail. The rest of the industry is struggling.
But even the best can do better. Stores should still have a sign visible on the outside of the store. The new interior unlit metal Apples are nice but subtle to a ridiculous point. And as nice as the new stores are, they look a little generic. Every location seems the same. How about a little local style for each store. I thought of the old gray stone tiles, with maybe a state or country map with an Apple symbol at the store location. Now with the big screens, how about something produced locally. It could be college or school projects. Imagine kids dragging parents in to the stores. "Mommy, I did this." Or state tourist industry videos. They did a good job of reducing the sound, but more should be done. The ceilings are nylon with sound baffles behind them. Trees absorb sound. Good first step. Keep it up. And a little less sterile. I suggest a more framing around the wood displays. And I really love the thin semi-transparent walls that are at Kyoto and Macau. Something like it could easily be added to the existing design.
I know a lot of people love pretty pictures and they are wonderful. i suggest also putting a spreadsheet table in the article showing info by country or state for people like me that do not care about other places but home. just a suggestion.
I am copying this comment I just wrote from the Angela Ahrendts post as it seems more relevant here:
Let me start by saying I I love Apple Stores but this is a comment on the lack of ability easily to 'just buy something' and prompted by the Amazon Go experience in speed and efficiency that IMHO Apple should look at for a small corner of every new Apple Store:
So ... here I was waiting for our local store to open, I was first there as I'd arrived too early, keen to buy an iPad as a present and I had another appointment soon thereafter. I knew exactly what I wanted and last time I was there I was in and out in a flash.
It didn't start well but that's not Apple's fault lol, as the doors opened I was trampled by a crowd behind me. Inside on either side grinning staff stood chatting with each other as two staff members stood with iPads in the middle of the store and people dutifully formed two lines, shepherded by a few helpers not standing at the sides chatting. I could hear those at the head of both lines explaining issues and problems they had and the iPad holder patiently listened, several minutes passed before each time they were assigned a table to sit at.
Realizing that so far everyone ahead of me had a problem and I just wanted to buy and walk out, I left the line and approached the staff standing at the sides to ask if I could buy an iPad? I added 'I know exactly what I want.' I was spoken to like a schoolboy caught by a teacher doing wrong. 'You have to get in line!' I was sternly told. I was shocked and tried to explain I didn't need to see anyone, I just wanted to buy an iPad. I was now even more sternly told, 'There is a system, you must stand in line!'
I swear I almost walked out. I went back to the now much longer line and waited for what seemed like forever listening to people explain their issues in detail only to be told to sit at a table and wait for a designated Apple person to see them when it was their turn. Not one person in front of me in either line ever simply stated they wanted to buy something.
Finally, I got to the front of the line I was in and said, "I just want to buy an iPad and I know exactly which one." I waited as the person tapped away on her iPad and eventually told me which table to sit at. I couldn't help myself, I asked if I could not simply be given the iPad I wanted and pay for it? Again in a stern voice, I was told 'they had a system and I had to meet with an expert to guide me.' I had to bite my tongue and took a deep breath and sat down and waited. An hour after I entered the store I walked out the iPad I wanted.
I would humbly suggest Apple add an Amazon Go type section where people can walk in pick up a product and leave if they know exactly what they want.
p.s. I looked but cannot find an Apple Store Feedback section at Apple's feedback page and even there it is an extremely limited text count.
Let me guess, the stores consists of a room with tables, some product on said tables, and we're supposed to be impressed and call Angie a genius. Sorry.
I remember a fella who travelled around all the Apple stores and wrote about them on his websites.
I did that with my family for a while. We were written up by Wired Mag too and in the book "The Cult Of Mac". It was lots of fun. We made it to 14 of the first 16 east coast store openings from NH to Florida. Eventually my wife went to work for the Millenia Mall store. She was there for a couple of years. That was actually the end of our new-store opening tour because she couldn't get Saturday's off!!
My web page is still out there though it could use some new life.
http://torborg.com/applestore
I remember a fella who travelled around all the Apple stores and wrote about them on his websites.
I did that with my family for a while. We were written up by Wired Mag too and in the book "The Cult Of Mac". It was lots of fun. We made it to 14 of the first 16 east coast store openings from NH to Florida. Eventually my wife went to work for the Millenia Mall store. She was there for a couple of years. That was actually the end of our new-store opening tour because she couldn't get Saturday's off!!
My web page is still out there though it could use some new life.
http://torborg.com/applestore
Too funny. My wife and I went to North Shore, Crossgates and Westfarms grand openings. I'm pretty sure you got the backs of our heads in line for North Shore (I remember that shirt and can just see the last few letters of whatever it said) and we're definitely in your "education" photo. I haven't gotten to Crossgates or Westfarms yet.
Edit: Maaaaybe in 1 kinda blurry Crossgates photo, and you have us sitting, backs toward you, at Westfarms (with RadioShack).
I remember a fella who travelled around all the Apple stores and wrote about them on his websites.
I did that with my family for a while. We were written up by Wired Mag
Too funny. My wife and I went to North Shore, Crossgates and Westfarms grand openings.
That's really cool! That was a huge amount of fun. Hey... check this web page. The photo includes me in white (very geeky) holding a camcorder at an Apple Store opening about 15 years ago. The fun part is that it was published in Russia
"Apple's first flagship-level store for Latin America is reportedly under construction at Antara Fashion Hall in Ciudad de Mexico's (CDMX) upscale Polanco district. It should be a single-story structure, but have the trappings of any flagship, such as a boardroom for business clients."
You got it all wrong this is the second Apple Store in Mexico City the first one is located in Vis Santa Fe.
I remember a fella who travelled around all the Apple stores and wrote about them on his websites.
He died a few years back, which was a great loss. I enjoyed his enthusiasm and his occasional scoop. He reported on Browett going into an Apple store and demanding that the staff bring everything out of the storeroom and stack it floor to ceiling. He argued that this was how tech retail was supposed work; this is how it worked at PC World. The store manager said, ‘this isn't PC World.’
I think Browett was fired about a fortnight later.
That was Gary Allen, from ifo dot applestore dot com. Did it for 14 years. His brother tried to keep the site up, but...alas...
I am copying this comment I just wrote from the Angela Ahrendts post as it seems more relevant here:
Let me start by saying I I love Apple Stores but this is a comment on the lack of ability easily to 'just buy something' and prompted by the Amazon Go experience in speed and efficiency that IMHO Apple should look at for a small corner of every new Apple Store:
So ... here I was waiting for our local store to open, I was first there as I'd arrived too early, keen to buy an iPad as a present and I had another appointment soon thereafter. I knew exactly what I wanted and last time I was there I was in and out in a flash.
It didn't start well but that's not Apple's fault lol, as the doors opened I was trampled by a crowd behind me. Inside on either side grinning staff stood chatting with each other as two staff members stood with iPads in the middle of the store and people dutifully formed two lines, shepherded by a few helpers not standing at the sides chatting. I could hear those at the head of both lines explaining issues and problems they had and the iPad holder patiently listened, several minutes passed before each time they were assigned a table to sit at.
Realizing that so far everyone ahead of me had a problem and I just wanted to buy and walk out, I left the line and approached the staff standing at the sides to ask if I could buy an iPad? I added 'I know exactly what I want.' I was spoken to like a schoolboy caught by a teacher doing wrong. 'You have to get in line!' I was sternly told. I was shocked and tried to explain I didn't need to see anyone, I just wanted to buy an iPad. I was now even more sternly told, 'There is a system, you must stand in line!'
I swear I almost walked out. I went back to the now much longer line and waited for what seemed like forever listening to people explain their issues in detail only to be told to sit at a table and wait for a designated Apple person to see them when it was their turn. Not one person in front of me in either line ever simply stated they wanted to buy something.
Finally, I got to the front of the line I was in and said, "I just want to buy an iPad and I know exactly which one." I waited as the person tapped away on her iPad and eventually told me which table to sit at. I couldn't help myself, I asked if I could not simply be given the iPad I wanted and pay for it? Again in a stern voice, I was told 'they had a system and I had to meet with an expert to guide me.' I had to bite my tongue and took a deep breath and sat down and waited. An hour after I entered the store I walked out the iPad I wanted.
I would humbly suggest Apple add an Amazon Go type section where people can walk in pick up a product and leave if they know exactly what they want.
p.s. I looked but cannot find an Apple Store Feedback section at Apple's feedback page and even there it is an extremely limited text count.
Comments
By the way, I couldn’t comment from the safari on my iPhone. May e a bug?
I was at Natick Collection yesterday and was disappointed to find the store was closed. Then I noticed on Maps it even says “closed for renovation”. Ah, well. Next time.
And on my favorite subject, I am now up to 217 stores that I have visited.
But even the best can do better. Stores should still have a sign visible on the outside of the store. The new interior unlit metal Apples are nice but subtle to a ridiculous point. And as nice as the new stores are, they look a little generic. Every location seems the same.
How about a little local style for each store. I thought of the old gray stone tiles, with maybe a state or country map with an Apple symbol at the store location. Now with the big screens, how about something produced locally. It could be college or school projects. Imagine kids dragging parents in to the stores. "Mommy, I did this." Or state tourist industry videos.
They did a good job of reducing the sound, but more should be done. The ceilings are nylon with sound baffles behind them. Trees absorb sound. Good first step. Keep it up.
And a little less sterile. I suggest a more framing around the wood displays.
And I really love the thin semi-transparent walls that are at Kyoto and Macau. Something like it could easily be added to the existing design.
Any other suggestions.
i suggest also putting a spreadsheet table in the article showing info by country or state for people like me that do not care about other places but home.
just a suggestion.
thanks
Let me start by saying I I love Apple Stores but this is a comment on the lack of ability easily to 'just buy something' and prompted by the Amazon Go experience in speed and efficiency that IMHO Apple should look at for a small corner of every new Apple Store:
It didn't start well but that's not Apple's fault lol, as the doors opened I was trampled by a crowd behind me. Inside on either side grinning staff stood chatting with each other as two staff members stood with iPads in the middle of the store and people dutifully formed two lines, shepherded by a few helpers not standing at the sides chatting. I could hear those at the head of both lines explaining issues and problems they had and the iPad holder patiently listened, several minutes passed before each time they were assigned a table to sit at.
Realizing that so far everyone ahead of me had a problem and I just wanted to buy and walk out, I left the line and approached the staff standing at the sides to ask if I could buy an iPad? I added 'I know exactly what I want.' I was spoken to like a schoolboy caught by a teacher doing wrong. 'You have to get in line!' I was sternly told. I was shocked and tried to explain I didn't need to see anyone, I just wanted to buy an iPad. I was now even more sternly told, 'There is a system, you must stand in line!'
I swear I almost walked out. I went back to the now much longer line and waited for what seemed like forever listening to people explain their issues in detail only to be told to sit at a table and wait for a designated Apple person to see them when it was their turn. Not one person in front of me in either line ever simply stated they wanted to buy something.
Finally, I got to the front of the line I was in and said, "I just want to buy an iPad and I know exactly which one." I waited as the person tapped away on her iPad and eventually told me which table to sit at. I couldn't help myself, I asked if I could not simply be given the iPad I wanted and pay for it? Again in a stern voice, I was told 'they had a system and I had to meet with an expert to guide me.' I had to bite my tongue and took a deep breath and sat down and waited. An hour after I entered the store I walked out the iPad I wanted.
I would humbly suggest Apple add an Amazon Go type section where people can walk in pick up a product and leave if they know exactly what they want.
Edit: Maaaaybe in 1 kinda blurry Crossgates photo, and you have us sitting, backs toward you, at Westfarms (with RadioShack).
RIP Gary.