Tim Cook talks reveals plans for Prague Apple store in talk with Czech Prime Minister

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2019
One of Apple CEO Tim Cook's meetings at the World Economic Forum on Thursday was with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who managed to secure a promise of an Apple store in the country's capital, Prague.

Tim Cook and Andrej Babis


Babis suggested that the ideal place for a store would be the Ministry of Regional Development building in the city's Old Town Square. The meeting was documented by Babis on Facebook, and by local news site Letemsvetemapplem.eu.

The pair also discussed topics such as artificial intelligence and the economy. Cook noted that there are about 500 researchers in the republic working on AI.

Apple doesn't have any retail footprint in the country despite the prominence of Prague and the popularity of the country as a tourist destination. Although it was repeatedly bombed by the U.S. in 1945, Prague suffered comparatively little damage in World War II next to other European capitals, leaving much of its historic architecture intact.

The annual World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, offers corporate and political leaders a chance to talk with each other about future plans. Cook has already met people like Dubai's crown prince, the chancellor of Austria, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

A point of controversy was a group dinner including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who has defended torture and the murderous military dictatorships of Brazil and Chile. He has also vocally attacked homosexuality, which could be a problem for Cook.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    franklinjackconfranklinjackcon Posts: 612member
    There are a number of Apple-style stores in shopping malls in Prague and there are usually more employees than customers in them. As much as I hate the idea of commercialising the centre any more than it already is, a tourist-friendly spot is probably necessary. Parizska street might be a better choice and upset the locals less.
    frantisek
  • Reply 2 of 11
    payecopayeco Posts: 581member
    There are a number of Apple-style stores in shopping malls in Prague and there are usually more employees than customers in them. As much as I hate the idea of commercialising the centre any more than it already is, a tourist-friendly spot is probably necessary. Parizska street might be a better choice and upset the locals less.
    We were just in Prague in October. We walked by some store(?) where the windows were just full of broken iMacs and iPhones all piled on top
    of each other. I’m assuming it was a repair shop but it was very bizarre.

    I also saw a ton of people still using iPhone 4/4S. I even saw someone using a 3GS!!
    edited January 2019
  • Reply 3 of 11
    gabberattackgabberattack Posts: 154member
    “A point of controversy was a group dinner including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who has defended torture and the murderous military dictatorships of Brazil and Chile. He has also vocally attacked homosexuality, which could be a problem for Cook.“

    Communist talking points to bash the most popular Brazilian president - is Apple Insider becoming just another red platform?
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 4 of 11
    danoxdanox Posts: 2,858member
    Old Town Square would a very good location, better than most.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 756member
    Ahhh our 5 minutes of glory :-))) I wondered why would they met just because Apple store. AI was probably more important.
  • Reply 6 of 11
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 756member
    payeco said:
    There are a number of Apple-style stores in shopping malls in Prague and there are usually more employees than customers in them. As much as I hate the idea of commercialising the centre any more than it already is, a tourist-friendly spot is probably necessary. Parizska street might be a better choice and upset the locals less.
    We were just in Prague in October. We walked by some store(?) where the windows were just full of broken iMacs and iPhones all piled on top
    of each other. I’m assuming it was a repair shop but it was very bizarre.

    I also saw a ton of people still using iPhone 4/4S. I even saw someone using a 3GS!!
    Like my mother has iPhone 4. Me 4s as company phone. Still usable phone, for occasional pic, internet. Very compact.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    mrakoplasmrakoplas Posts: 18member
    I'm afraid it's more a PR of Mr. Babiš (vote for me/my party, I met with Mr. Cook and talked AI and Apple Store, I'm the best), not a real plan. I believe Mr. Cook meets with many politicians in Davos, but not all of them are so capable in exaggeration on social media platforms. Mr. Babiš leads a dispute with the City of Prague if to build new ministries buildings in a separate district somewhere in the fields. So he keeps telling stories about potential of those old buildings - hotels, apartments, now even an Apple Store! Apple has Czech online store, there are also many local retailers, it is no problem to buy any Apple product, including the officially unsupported ones (HomePod). I'd prefer to have ECG on my AppleWatch 4 or Siri in Czech language. Or AppleMusic on my Amazon Echo Show. Or a TV app on my Apple TV. Or a News app on iPad. Or - wait for it - Czech spellchecker in macOS (iOS has it since at least 2010). But, to be fair, ApplePay is promised to arrive in two months. So in my opinion, there are many more things important for customer satisfaction, than a store in capital city. It would be nice to have one, but it would be even better to have ECG on AW4. @Payeco: There's a really nice Apple museum in Prague, much better place to visit than some shady repair shop :) Most people you see in Prague are tourists, not locals. Majority of locals actually use Android phones. You should visit Brno or Olomouc - much more interesting astronomical clock than in Prague and more advanced Apple devices everywhere :)
    caladanian
  • Reply 8 of 11
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    “Talks” or “reveals”. Use only one.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Tim: “Yo, Andrej... Czech this out!”
  • Reply 10 of 11
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,913member
    Apple in it's limited capacity can help humanity but not a social reformer all over the world. At the end of day, it's existence(survival) is doing business(making and selling products). Instead of making negative comments against Apple, do such to those Chinese companies who have zero ethics and only care to sell their products anywhere and anyone wants to buy.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    “A point of controversy was a group dinner including Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who has defended torture and the murderous military dictatorships of Brazil and Chile. He has also vocally attacked homosexuality, which could be a problem for Cook.“

    Communist talking points to bash the most popular Brazilian president - is Apple Insider becoming just another red platform?
    If being opposed to torture, military junta and homophobia makes one a communist, then working men of all countries, unite!  
    badmonk
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