Apple Stores in Australia and Boston

[MacRumors]

Boston.com reports on an upcoming Apple "flagship" store design due to be built in Boston at 815 Boylston Street later this year:

Mark Maloney, who stepped down as Boston Redevelopment Authority director last month, says: “This building is going to have a wow factor. People will come to see this bright, shiny jewel box within a traditional neighborhood.”

Meanwhile, ifoAppleStore and AppleInsider have posted images from a proposal by Apple to build an Apple Store in Melbourne, Australia at 625 Chapel Street, South Yarra:

The Apple store appears to be a 3-story design similar to Shinsaibashi (Osaka, Japan), but with a fourth floor enclosed in glass. The design uses the classic stainless steel design with back-lit Apple logo.

[Jon'sLightBulbs]

I like the idea of a glass encased top floor. A solarium would be neat. Even better would be an atrium.

[samh004]

Both stores look great, and it's good to have Apple moving over to Australia at last, they could do with choosing a few other cities too though, like Sydney and Brisbane.

As for the Boston store impression, wow..!!

[Xeem]

Those proposals do look very impressive; I wish that the Apple Stores here in Minnesota looked like that!

[siurpeeman]

the boston store looks great. you can just peer into the whole store.

[Spanna]

What is the difference between an Apple store and the Apple centres we already have in Australia such as the one at Bondi Junction.

[EricNau]

These buildings definitely beat Microsoft's "Wow" factor.

[nicksoper]

Has to be said that the big bad Apple corp has big styles. I think the Apple Stores are one of the best concepts Apple came up with.

The whole, come in and use our macs, without any pressure to buy works so well for me. You don't get annoying assistants who don't know anything pestering you on the net, which works so well in real life too.

[damien341]

Originally Posted by Spanna

What is the difference between an Apple store and the Apple centres we already have in Australia such as the one at Bondi Junction.

i think the "apple centre" you named is only a reseller store, isn't it?

[Abstract]

Originally Posted by Spanna

What is the difference between an Apple store and the Apple centres we already have in Australia such as the one at Bondi Junction.

Other than architecture....not much, actually. They're definitely better stocked than Mac1 and Nextbyte, and you can play with every computer and product Apple sells. Other than that, and the sheer size of the store itself, it's not THAT different, really. Some Nextbyte stores are quite good, although they won't have every single product to demo, not that I bother anyway.

I've only been to the Ginza store, which is supposed to be mega, and while it was definitely impressive, I'm not going to go out of my way to travel to an Apple Store every time I need a Mac product. Some resellers are quite good, have what I want to demo (usually a 15" MBP, 30" ACD, Mac Pro, 24" iMac, and that's it! ), and are geographically closer.

[SoldOutMatinee]

I'm not complaining or anything but I wish the Apple Store here in Vegas was a building of its own. (okay, so maybe I really am complaining) The design would be kick ass. Instead, the store is inside the Fashion Show Mall which is in the middle of The Strip. Oh well, I'll settle for what's here already, especially since most Apple fans don't even have one by them.

[Di9it8]

Originally Posted by SoldOutMatinee

I'm not complaining or anything but I wish the Apple Store here in Vegas was a building of its own. (okay, so maybe I really am complaining) The design would be kick ass. Instead, the store is inside the Fashion Show Mall which is in the middle of The Strip. Oh well, I'll settle for what's here already, especially since most Apple fans don't even have one by them.

If they had a stand alone store in Vegas they would have to change the concept every couple of years!!
If you live in Vegas you know where Fashion Show is

[Matt T]

That Melbourne store looks fantastic - I hope it goes ahead.

[samh004]

Originally Posted by Spanna

What is the difference between an Apple store and the Apple centres we already have in Australia such as the one at Bondi Junction.

I don't think it's owned by Apple... it's a third-party.

[iMeowbot]

Mark Maloney, who stepped down as Boston Redevelopment Authority director last month, says: “This building is going to have a wow factor. People will come to see this bright, shiny jewel box within a traditional neighborhood.”

This is the old Copy Cop across the street from the Pru, right? What's "traditional" about that?

[youngestchild]

there'll be one in sydney too...

http://ifostore.cachefly.net/sydney_plans/index.html

[Detlev]

Originally Posted by iMeowbot

This is the old Copy Cop across the street from the Pru, right? What's "traditional" about that?

The traditional refers to the neighborhood in the Back Bay. Putting a glass envelope in a four story brownstone neighborhood has stirred some controversy. You can find some history to the controversy by looking up the Hancock Tower and its development.

[iMeowbot]

Originally Posted by Detlev

The traditional refers to the neighborhood in the Back Bay. Putting a glass envelope in a four story brownstone neighborhood has stirred some controversy. You can find some history to the controversy by looking up the Hancock Tower and its development.

The "neighborhood" where the Apple store is going was, historically, an industrial area, not residential. Where the Prudential Center now sits used to be an enormous rail yard. In 1912, the Copy Cop building housed Jackson Motor Cars and Century Tires. As built, it didn't even have the recessed entrance and awnings used by Copy Cop, it was plate glass facing pedestrians, and what looks like a service pit on the sidewalk.

[tny]

Originally Posted by iMeowbot

The "neighborhood" where the Apple store is going was, historically, an industrial area, not residential. Where the Prudential Center now sits used to be an enormous rail yard. In 1912, the Copy Cop building housed Jackson Motor Cars and Century Tires. As built, it didn't even have the recessed entrance and awnings used by Copy Cop, it was plate glass facing pedestrians.

With "historical," they're referring mostly to the neighborhood around Newbury Street, not so much Boylston Street itself (where the store is actually located) - except insofar as they're thinking of Trinity Church, the original wing of the BPL, and that other church whose name I can never remember at the corner of Dartmouth and Boylston (behind the Copley outbound entrance).

The Back Bay neighborhood associations want Boylston Street to look more like Newbury and Marlborough and Beacon Street, or at least Commonwealth Ave, than Huntington Ave. At any rate, I'd say that with the construction of the pencil sharpener on Exeter and Boylston and the new wing of the BPL, that whole concept went out the window (not even thinking of the new Hancock Tower, which is reflective for a reason - to "blend in" with Trinity Church: no, I'm not kidding - or the Pru).

Originally Posted by johnmcboston

Careful here. [snip] Then I go by the apple store. Now Macs are real cool and I'm apple all the way - but why go in the store? Nothing will ever be on sale - that's their policy. Even older games or software never go on sale. (never mind therre's no bargain bin - even micro center has a 'get rid of this stuff' bargain bin.)

Funny, I picked up an iPod charger in a bargain bin at the store in Burlington a few weeks ago, and I know I've seen "bargain bins" at Rockingham and North Shore.

[iMeowbot]

Originally Posted by tny

With "historical," they're referring mostly to the neighborhood around Newbury Street, not so much Boylston Street itself (where the store is actually located) - except insofar as they're thinking of Trinity Church, the original wing of the BPL, and that other church whose name I can never remember at the corner of Dartmouth and Boylston (behind the Copley outbound entrance).

Old South Church? But all that's on the other side of Exeter, not sitting on the edge of the Pike cut.

The Back Bay neighborhood associations want Boylston Street to look more like Newbury and Marlborough and Beacon Street, or at least Commonwealth Ave, than Huntington Ave.

This is where it all gets really silly, because they're about 110 years too late. Someone should have spoken up before the horse track was sold to the railroad [ed: nah, that was their Allston tangle, this parcel may have been trashed right up front -- and yep, the tracks were there before the fill went in!]

At any rate, I'd say that with the construction of the pencil sharpener on Exeter and Boylston and the new wing of the BPL, that whole concept went out the window (not even thinking of the new Hancock Tower, which is reflective for a reason - to "blend in" with Trinity Church: no, I'm not kidding -

It would have worked, if it was, oh, about a third as tall.

or the Pru).

That monstrosity does at least hide a big chunk of the Pike canyon, so it can be forgiven.

[johnmcboston]

Originally Posted by tny

The Back Bay neighborhood associations want Boylston Street to look more like Newbury and Marlborough and Beacon Street, or at least Commonwealth Ave, than Huntington Ave. At any rate, I'd say that with the construction of the pencil sharpener on Exeter and Boylston and the new wing of the BPL, that whole concept went out the window (not even thinking of the new Hancock Tower, which is reflective for a reason - to "blend in" with Trinity Church: no, I'm not kidding - or the Pru).

To cube or not to cube? This location is a tough call for what is become the standard glass Apple store. If you head down boylston st they took one store and replace the brick facade with all glass, and it looks terruble and out of place. At least there this store is the area is a bit more open and inviting to new design.

But Apple can do what it wants. Hard to swallow the 'cube or nothing' concept when looking at the photo of their Regent store (http://images.apple.com/retail/image...oto-regent.jpg). Now that wow's me more than some of the other stores. A nice blending of old and new. Photo below same as the link - both from Apple's web site. They have bright and visible, but a facade that's more in keeping with an older style...

[wmmk]

Aww crap! Now all the aussies will have access to more new xeon xserves for the mj bot! I'll never never be able to sneak in "repair permissions" posts before it swoops down at beats me by a nanosecond!

[fotografica]

Originally Posted by tny

The Back Bay neighborhood associations want Boylston Street to look more like Newbury and Marlborough and Beacon Street.

Where on Newbury,Marlborough or Beacon St is there a 4+ story glass facade, open atrium storefront? It's fine by me as this isn't in the South End/Back Bay area. Between Copley Place,Shops at the Pru and the Hynes Convention Center the Apple Store will fit in just fine..

[g-7]

Yeah, cool. But I want one in Poland.

[jonharris200]

I like the visual of the Boston one - very bright and hopeful.

Not so sure about the Melbourne one - too heavy and industrial.