Today Marks the 15th Anniversary of Apple's First Two Retail Stores

[MacRumors]

Today marks 15 years since the first two Apple retail stores opened on May 19, 2001 in Tysons Corner, Virginia and Glendale, California. The locations welcomed over 7,700 people and combined to sell $599,000 worth of merchandise during their first two-day weekend. Apple opened 25 more stores by year's end.

The retail initiative was spearheaded by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who recognized the need for a better customer experience than provided by third-party retailers such as Circuit City. Jobs was helped by a retail team led by former Target vice president of merchandising Ron Johnson and Gap CEO Millard Drexler.

Steve Jobs introduces the Apple Store in Tysons Corner, Virginia​

While some critics believed that Apple retail stores would be a resounding failure, especially given the dot-com collapse, the concept proved to be highly profitable and successful. Apple Stores now attract over 1 million customers worldwide per day and often generate the highest sales-per-square-foot of any U.S. retailer.

The first Apple Store outside of the U.S. opened on November 30, 2003 in Tokyo, Japan, and the company now operates over 475 stores in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates.

Apple's latest retail store opened in Marseille, France on May 14​

Under the leadership of Angela Ahrendts, Apple has been aggressively expanding its retail footprint in China, its second largest market by revenue, while opening and renovating several stores in Brussels, Cupertino, Dubai, London, Memphis, and other cities with Jony Ive-inspired next-generation designs since 2015.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/733319272961712128

Read our Apple Stores roundup to learn more and keep track of new, renovated, upcoming, and rumored stores around the world.

Article Link: Today Marks the 15th Anniversary of Apple's First Two Retail Stores

 

[DevNull0]

It's times like this you realize how much Apple did in 2001-2011 and how little Apple has done over the past 5 years.

 

[pmas76]

They've come a long way...

 

[Eduardo1971]

Happy birthday Apple Store.
Fondly remember the original Apple Store location at the Glendale Galleria.

 

[jacobh101]

crazy to think how far they've come.

 

[TaviDuprix]

Both great and sad to see Steve. Wish he had taken his health more seriously earlier. He might still be around.

 

[displayblock]

They had 6 MP3 players on display? Wonder how long that lasted. The first iPod was released 5 months later.

 

[maflynn]

It's times like this you realize how much Apple did in 2001-2011 and how little Apple has done over the past 5 years.

You mean like the new MacPro, the apple watch, 4k and 5k iMacs, retina phones, Retina MacBook Pros, and the incredibly thin Retina Macbook

Edit: Removed the iPad and crossed out the iPhone, as I was incorrect on the timing

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

It's times like this you realize how much Apple did in 2001-2011 and how little Apple has done over the past 5 years.

To be fair, that first window is twice as big as the second one.

But yeah. Apple has dramatically decelerated. Just look at 2007-2010 and compare it to 2011-2016.

In the first window they released the iPhone, Apple TV, and iPad.
In the second window they released the Apple Watch.

 

[FightTheFuture]

Apple Stores now attract over 1 million customers worldwide per day and often generate the highest sales-per-square-foot of any U.S. retailer.

I'll always remember around 2001/02 when I stumbled upon a PC message board rife with flippant anti-Apple remarks, where posters had photoshopped several photos of Apple retail stores with DeLL or HP logos.

Of course at the time no one knew how big Apple would become, but it is satisfying how much crow critics had eaten to this point.

 

[The Economist]

Hah, I had forgotten about that video. Miss you Steve.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Nothing to sober you up how old you are than news like this. Still have my shirt. The line was looped around the mall like a Soviet meat market. Insane.

 

[8281]

You mean like the new MacPro, the apple watch, 4k and 5k iMacs, retina phones, Retina MacBook Pros, and the incredibly thin Retina Macbook

So we should applaud them for updating their product lines?

 

[American Hero]

Looking at that video clip, I'm reminded of how well Steve Jobs was for the image of the company, and also striving to make it better. I remember one of his last public appearances in front of Cupertino's city board explaining to them how he wanted to build a huge circular building with nothing but glass windows and doors on the outside.

Even if it's not technology related, such as an Apple Store or a new building on a separate campus, Steve always knew how to excite the masses. Steve wasn't perfect, nobody is, but Tim isn't even a good CEO, especially compared to what Steve was. Where's Tim's idea of an exceptional campus, or a great new product nobody's seen before? Where is the innovation in the Apple Store?

 

[DevNull0]

You mean like the new MacPro, the apple watch, 4k and 5k iMacs, retina phones, Retina MacBook Pros, and the incredibly thin Retina Macbook

iPad was 2010. Firmly in the range I said they did innovate.

new MacPro is a joke. First they've only released one version in the 5 year time of Timmy and where the original mac pro was a versatile powerhouse for any high end user, the new one is a crippled little underpowered box for a small niche market. It's no wonder it flopped so badly they won't even bother with a spec bump.

4k and 5k iMacs = nice screens not made by Apple bolted to underpowered computer hardware that doesn't come close to being able to power the screens. My favourite was the MacWorld article gushing about the new 5k iMac by saying it's almost as powerful as the old model. Like Apple did good by not downgrading performance too much.

Retina phone was 2010. Also in the pre-Timmy era. Since then Android has far surpassed iPhone both in resolution and screen tech.

rMBP doesn't have the computing power to drive the screens. Also you get soldered ram, non-replaceable battery, and no standard drive bay.

and the rMB is a complete monument to absolute stupidity that is Timmy. It's thin. But it has less computing performance than an entry level mac from 2010. It has a keyboard that should be outlawed as a torture instrument. It should not exist and only serves to make Apple and Timmy a laughing stock among non-koolaid drinkers.

Also, it's funny you didn't even bother mentioning the watches. Those new bands are pretty innovative. And rose gold alone should keep Apple going..

 

[rluvbeach]

With news like this in today's USAToday about apple, I wonder how long Tim hood will be able to hang on.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...es-loss-four-times-worse-than-enron/84350200/

 

[LordQ]

Looking at that video clip, I'm reminded of how well Steve Jobs was for the image of the company, and also striving to make it better. I remember one of his last public appearances in front of Cupertino's city board explaining to them how he wanted to build a huge circular building with nothing but glass windows and doors on the outside.

Even if it's not technology related, such as an Apple Store or a new building on a separate campus, Steve always knew how to excite the masses. Steve wasn't perfect, nobody is, but Tim isn't even a good CEO, especially compared to what Steve was. Where's Tim's idea of an exceptional campus, or a great new product nobody's seen before? Where is the innovation in the Apple Store?

Tell us what would you do as a "good CEO", please: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/tims-fired-youre-up-now-what.1965877/

 

[keysofanxiety]

It's times like this you realize how much Apple did in 2001-2011 and how little Apple has done over the past 5 years.

Enough of this. It seems that every article is just a springboard for Apple hate.

Believe it or not, Apple engineers and many others (heck, maybe even Tim Cook from time to time) browse MR. MR themselves can confirm this, with traffic coming directly from Cupertino, and showing as being from newer or unreleased OS X/iOS builds.

And yet at every single tenuous opportunity, all they'll see is rubbish like this where it's not called for. Ironically enough, the actual valid criticisms for how Apple can genuinely improve will be completely lost. They'll shrug their shoulders and think "well, you guys will never be happy no matter what we do."

 

[kyleh22]

Apple has grown a lot in the past 15 years. This article really helps put it in perspective.

 

[maflynn]

iPad was 2010. Firmly in the range I said they did innovate.

Fair enough, I was incorrect in the iPad and phone, and I'll cross those out in my post, but my point remains, Apple has been busy rolling out new products from 2011 until current day.

We can go back and forth and argue the merits of each product, which I don't think serves anyone, i.e., I disagree with the nMP being a joke, though I think its over priced and doesn't fit my needs.

The bottom line as I see it, is that apple has been active

 

[American Hero]

Tell us what would you do as a "good CEO", please: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/tims-fired-youre-up-now-what.1965877/

Not my responsibility to figure it out. I didn't accept the job. I don't make millions to do that line of work.

We could start with fixing the operating systems; re-designing them to look less ridiculous, firing Phil Schiller, firing Eddy Cue, bumping the base storage to 32 GB, giving investors a reason to see innovation is still possible within the company, and taking risks on technology by releasing something that might not be quite ready for prime time yet.

 

[lyngo]

I love the red direct line phone to Cupertino in the video! That's hilarious. Is that the original iPhone?

 

[keysofanxiety]

I love the red direct line phone to Cupertino in the video! That's hilarious. Is that the original iPhone?

Apple's answer to people looking for a (PRODUCT)RED iPhone ...

 

[BornAgainMac]

Does that red phone still exist? Can someone go to the Apple Store and ask when the new Skylake Macs will be shipping? I am sure the Genius employees at the store will not know so they will have to call Cupertino who will know the answer.

 

[2457282]

I was lucky enough to be in the Tysons area when the first store opened up. I have loved the stores since day 1 - literally. And I mostly still do. They tend to be a bit more crowded these days and the kids providing the service seem younger and less informed (to be fair it probably is that I am much older and more of a geek than they are).

One last thing -- Angela has yet to impress me. Maybe there is a lot going on behind her curtain, but I have seen nothing and the FUBAR with the watch launch has not been forgotten.