Apple Previews New Piazza Liberty Store, Opening Thursday in Milan

[L-Viz]

It is really sad, what Apple stores have become.

I remember a time, in 2002, when I visited one of the very first Apple Stores in the world. It was called "Station A" and was located in SoHo, New York.

Two floors, filled with people, Macs everywhere, a small "theatre", where an Apple employee held a keynote about a certain OS X Application, let it be iPhoto, or something from iWork, there was magic in the air. You could feel the enthusiasm of all the people, they all wanted to switch, leave their ugly Wintel Desktops behind, and dig into a new world.

Now, Apple Stores clearly look good, also the entrance of this new piazza store is exciting, no doubt. But Apple Store have become hollow. There is nothing in there.

The second picture speaks for itself. Hipster Millennials in front if one desk looking like full retar.. as they are excited about a dumb piece of plastic or metal... all the other desks empty... some trees faking ecologic thinking, some modern "Art", looks like a museum that has nothing to show... an incredible place of boredom. Why? Because they have nothing to show, no computer, they shouldn't feel ashamed of, no real innovation in desktop software, this company has clearly lost its focus. It is like Halliburton stops digging for Oil and opens a fancy Lollipop Store in the middle of Milan...



Tim Cook is destroying Apple and all his Vice Presidents are helping him to accomplish that.

 

[iapplelove]

Apple does have the most gorgeous stores.

 

[ateslik]

nice store.

now they will have time to design a macbook pro that is the same thickness as my 2009 macbook pro because nobody gives a mother flip about thin and so that it has 30 hours of battery life, plenty of cooling for that 8 core i9, hell let’s make it 12 core, two built-in USB3 type A, one on each side, HDMI, and still keep the 4 USB-C thunderbolt 3, hell let’s make it 6, the chiclet keyboard, bezel-less OLED screen like the iphone X, and A GLOWING APPLE MOTHER FLIPPING LOGO. k thx bye.

 

[Johnny London]

Travelling to Milan in 2 weeks! The piazza and the store are definitely on my list to visit.

 

[Denmac1]

Updated stores without updated products. Amazing.....

 

[Johnny London]

...in fact, if my memory serves, it's actually called Piazza del Liberty ("del" being a preposition like the french du).

As for the news itself, I can't say I'm a fan. They have basically neutered a recently restored, beautiful square by cutting out the central portion.

If I remember correctly, in times gone by it used to host an ice skating rink during winter - I guess not anymore.

Thanks for the info, this makes apples statement of „revitalization“ questionable. The piazza looks nice in the link you provided.

 

[weckart]

Very pretty and all that, and I'm sure probably everyone would totally disagree, but I'd much rather Apple stores, were just plain warehouse places, and Apple products were cheaper to buy.

Some sort of are minus the affordability. The Apple Store in the centre of Birmingham gutted the mezzanine floor of a former Waterstones bookshop to create a high walled open space. This removed sound baffling such that the cacophony when you enter has all the charm of a Costco without the bargains.

I also wonder about the wisdom of a fountain on the roof of a store. It will probably sound like it is raining all day, every day.

 

[halluxsinister]

Apple today premiered this week's opening of Apple Piazza Liberty in the center of Milan, Italy. Set to open its doors on Thursday, the retail location features a dramatic glass fountain that serves as the entrance to the store and a backdrop to the large outdoor amphitheater.

The piazza, clad in Beola Grigia, a stone used throughout Milan, will be open to the public 24 hours a day and will host special events year-round amongst 14 Gleditsia Sunburst trees planted in the area.

Apple Piazza Liberty will host a variety of Today at Apple sessions, taking in photography, filmmaking, music creation, coding, design and more. This September, Apple Piazza Liberty will also host a special month-long Milan Series, where 21 local artists will share their visions for the creative future of Milan, as previewed on a special Apple.com web page.

There will be live music in the location's amphitheater on the opening night by musician LIM, a "crazy self-portraits" session with Olimpia Zagnoli on July 27, a photographic laboratory with Piotr Niepsuj on July 28, and a "draw the summer" class on July 29.

The store will employ 230 staff, many of whom have come to Milan from Apple stores around the world, according to Apple. Apple Piazza Liberty opens Thursday, July 26, at 5pm, and registrations for Today at Apple can be made now on Apple's website.

Article Link: Apple Previews New Piazza Liberty Store, Opening Thursday in Milan

Damn and blast my inability to read... when I glance at things that I scroll by too fast, I have a split-second to read them, I misread, and end up getting all excited. I thought this one read, “Apple opens pizza library,” and figured it would be a restaurant where you could go to “check out” different kinds of pizza. Or that maybe it was a pizza liberty, meaning FREE PIZZA, which... what could be better than Apple buying all the customers that have pumped billions and billions of dollars into it a goddamned pizza party, which would be nice of them, even if it fell under the heading of “the least they could do”. Personally, I’d much rather they thank us by doing updating the Mac Mini finally, maybe make it more like the Mac Mini of yesteryear in being able to be opened and upgraded in even some MODEST fashion, rather than let it languish forever or... I expect if they ever do update it that the new version will be welded or glued shut in such a way as to make not only upgrades or repair impossible, but that it will self-destruct if you even THINK about opening it.

You go to the Genius Bar with it, and they look at it and look at you, and say, “sorry, you clearly thought about opening it, and that voided your warranty, retroactively to the moment you bought it. But there’s good news, we’ll sell you another one and even will generously allow you to give us your old one for recycling.”

What I’d love to see is if they went back and resurrected the old, aluminum-body MacPro, updated to replace the “Li’l Trash Can” Mac, (a horrifically stupid design choice, made by someone who apparently didn’t realize someone already used almost that exact same design for TRASH CANS,) or if they’d bring back an updated version of the Mac Cube because THAT was some beautiful design. Imagine the kind of power you could realize from something like that...

We all know what experts Apple has become at fabricating large pieces of glass. They could make the Mac Cube, 25th anniversary edition, or whatever, (has it been 25 years?) make it glass instead of plastic, even if it means using a LITTLE more packing material to protect it better than they did with the Mac Cube, (as I recall, people dropping a grand or two on a Mac Cube and coming back all pissed off when they received one with a cracked acrylic housing was a big part of the problem.

They could dump the Mac Mini AND TrashMacPro in favor of a revised and updated Mac Cube. Maybe a hair bigger than the original, made of stout, crack, scratch, and shatter-resistant plastic or glass, (why not use Nalgene?) OH! they could offer them in a variety of colors like the i: Phones, Pods, Pads, Watches, etc., which would look really badass... or even let users buy new cases (in different colors) after the fact when they want to switch them up.

As a nod to the Mac that resurrected Apple and pulled them out of the garbage as a company, (making it such a perfect replacement for the stupid, ugly Trashcan Mac, or MacTrashCan or whatever... they could, in addition to a clear one, (like the original Mac Cube) and offering them in a Space-Grey and Rose-Gold tinted options, they could offer them in the original rainbow of colors that the original... was it eMacs? Or iMacs... I guess it was iMacs, but you know, the Aqua Blue, and Ruby Red, and Lime Green or whatever? THOSE. Those were pretty colors, and offering them in that variety would be awesome.

EVEN BETTER... they could offer one that was capable of changing its color on command. THERE’S AN IDEA...

Make the entire exterior surface a wrap-around, multi-color e-ink display, capable of being addressed by the computer as a device, (even if mostly invisibly to the user,) capable of taking patterns, gradients, or even of having colors scintillate all over and around the surface of the device. Now THAT’D be cool.

Apple could do any or all of these things; they have the know-how and the resources, it would be almost trivially easy for them. Every day that passes where they do NONE of these things is because they’re too busy trying to figure out how to cell more CELL PHONES and HOME PODS, (speakers people don’t need,) and iWatches... as I’ve been saying for a while now, Apple has strayed far from the path of the Avatar.

 

[lunarworks]

We're not going to get a nice Apple Store in Toronto until we ask Drake, are we?

It is really sad, what Apple stores have become.

I remember a time, in 2002, when I visited one of the very first Apple Stores in the world. It was called "Station A" and was located in SoHo, New York.

Two floors, filled with people, Macs everywhere, a small "theatre", where an Apple employee held a keynote about a certain OS X Application, let it be iPhoto, or something from iWork, there was magic in the air. You could feel the enthusiasm of all the people, they all wanted to switch, leave their ugly Wintel Desktops behind, and dig into a new world.

Now, Apple Stores clearly look good, also the entrance of this new piazza store is exciting, no doubt. But Apple Store have become hollow. There is nothing in there.

The second picture speaks for itself. Hipster Millennials in front if one desk looking like full retar.. as they are excited about a dumb piece of plastic or metal... all the other desks empty... some trees faking ecologic thinking, some modern "Art", looks like a museum that has nothing to show... an incredible place of boredom. Why? Because they have nothing to show, no computer, they shouldn't feel ashamed of, no real innovation in desktop software, this company has clearly lost its focus. It is like Halliburton stops digging for Oil and opens a fancy Lollipop Store in the middle of Milan...



Tim Cook is destroying Apple and all his Vice Presidents are helping him to accomplish that.

Or, you got old and jaded.

I was in an Apple Store last week, it was packed with people fully engaged with the products, and they were giving a lesson on digital photography.

 

[netdudeuk]

If one day Apple ever decides to develop an automated catchphrase generator, I'm sure Jony's contribution to the project would be unparalleled.

I've no idea why he talks such drivel. When I hear him on the design videos talking at half the speed that everyone else does, I just have to switch off. It's so annoying.

 

[NMBob]

Very pretty. Now can we get a new Mac mini?

 

[DeepIn2U]

It is really sad, what Apple stores have become.

I remember a time, in 2002, when I visited one of the very first Apple Stores in the world. It was called "Station A" and was located in SoHo, New York.

Two floors, filled with people, Macs everywhere, a small "theatre", where an Apple employee held a keynote about a certain OS X Application, let it be iPhoto, or something from iWork, there was magic in the air. You could feel the enthusiasm of all the people, they all wanted to switch, leave their ugly Wintel Desktops behind, and dig into a new world.

Now, Apple Stores clearly look good, also the entrance of this new piazza store is exciting, no doubt. But Apple Store have become hollow. There is nothing in there.

The second picture speaks for itself. Hipster Millennials in front if one desk looking like full retar.. as they are excited about a dumb piece of plastic or metal... all the other desks empty... some trees faking ecologic thinking, some modern "Art", looks like a museum that has nothing to show... an incredible place of boredom. Why? Because they have nothing to show, no computer, they shouldn't feel ashamed of, no real innovation in desktop software, this company has clearly lost its focus. It is like Halliburton stops digging for Oil and opens a fancy Lollipop Store in the middle of Milan...



Tim Cook is destroying Apple and all his Vice Presidents are helping him to accomplish that.

I think the only “magic” you perceived in 2002 was the initial experience of a completely new store.

We got a single photo of the product room and you’re comparing it like a full walk through of the entire store.

The “theatre” experience you speak of is now all over the stores because there is FAR too many Apple store visitors vs actual customers.

Apple no longer needs to :
Carry physical boxes for software,
Carry product lines like PDAs (Palm or Handspring or Cassiopeia from NEC - yes the original walk through by jobs showed that),
No need to carry MP3 players or cameras from themselves or the competition,
Desktops are a LOT smaller than in 2012; iMac takes up very little space,

More chairs and seating allows for families and their kids to come to the store as well - beneficial to mall stores.

Why not just take the value of this new building and accept the change. Think of iTunes business:
Movies,
Concerts and local performances (I want to own a Jazz bar that does this along with pool tables and places to sit eat and drink).
Customers or existing Apple customers taking a seminar to use software or hardware as it was intended to be used - actually used vs a prop at a Starbucks store near the entrance.

There is more about this store than meets the eye.
[doublepost=1532443240][/doublepost]

We're not going to get a nice Apple Store in Toronto until we ask Drake, are we?


Or, you got old and jaded.

I was in an Apple Store last week, it was packed with people fully engaged with the products, and they were giving a lesson on digital photography.

I hope Drake has NOTHING TO DO with this Apple store replacement or move!! I’m not a fan of his personality, his music meh very few tracks impress me personally. You’re right he may be at the opening or re-opening of the central largest Apple store in Toronto due to him being the most famous music artist in Canada right now.

I grew up at the dawn of rap - yeah when it was called only rap. KRS-One said “rap is something you do, hip-hop is something you live”. I’ve always witnessed Toronto’s 4 great rappers in succession: Maestro Fresh Wes (started the stage), Choclair (1st to sign to a US record label and over $1million), Kardinal Official (Northern Touch and TDot; see where Drakes ‘we the north’ was influenced), and finally Drake (hits after hits, collaborations abound). No doubt he’s talented and knows the market like Apple knows theirs. Just something about his voice or something doesn’t set me right.

 

[ignatius345]

Apple today premiered this week's opening of Apple Piazza Liberty

Misread this as "Apple Pizza Liberty", sad it's not.

 

[melgross]

Heh. When I first glanced at this headline I read it as:

Apple previews new pizza delivery store...

 

[Cosmosent]

RE: "... the retail location features a dramatic glass fountain"

If the guys who run AAPL we're smart, they'd make a micro version of that and offer it to the public @ a reasonable price, say $150 !

I'd bet many AAPL fanboys & fangirls would buy one for their homes.

 

[HiRez]

At first glance I read this as “Apple Previews New Pizza Delivery...” Oh well.
[doublepost=1532449239][/doublepost]

Heh. When I first glanced at this headline I read it as:

Apple previews new pizza delivery store...

Hah! Same for me!!

 

[routine_analyst]

Holy crap this is gorgeous!!! Seriously one of the best designs!

 

[Glavin]

.

 

[Keirasplace]

...in fact, if my memory serves, it's actually called Piazza del Liberty ("del" being a preposition like the french du).

As for the news itself, I can't say I'm a fan. They have basically neutered a recently restored, beautiful square by cutting out the central portion.

If I remember correctly, in times gone by it used to host an ice skating rink during winter - I guess not anymore.

Come on, this is how the god damn square looked like at the end of 2015...
https://www.360cities.net/image/piazza-del-liberty
and after improvements, better but still nothing fantastic and certainly not a high hub of activity.
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-italy-lombardy-milan-piazza-del-liberty-92362066.html
We barely have skating 4 months a year in Montreal on refrigerated specialized rinks, so I'm guessing they got even less there...

It will have a lot more foot traffic than before and it will be used more year round.
[doublepost=1532488777][/doublepost]

I was never happy with the design of the restored square.

While the materials were good, the layout was lopsided and awkward.

The square was ugly and lifeless (better than before they repaved it when it was just very ugly).
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-italy-lombardy-milan-piazza-del-liberty-92362066.html

It will have a lot more foot traffic than before and it will be used more year round.

 

[ErikGrim]

It is really sad, what Apple stores have become.

I remember a time, in 2002, when I visited one of the very first Apple Stores in the world. It was called "Station A" and was located in SoHo, New York.

Two floors, filled with people, Macs everywhere, a small "theatre", where an Apple employee held a keynote about a certain OS X Application, let it be iPhoto, or something from iWork, there was magic in the air. You could feel the enthusiasm of all the people, they all wanted to switch, leave their ugly Wintel Desktops behind, and dig into a new world.

Now, Apple Stores clearly look good, also the entrance of this new piazza store is exciting, no doubt. But Apple Store have become hollow. There is nothing in there.

The second picture speaks for itself. Hipster Millennials in front if one desk looking like full retar.. as they are excited about a dumb piece of plastic or metal... all the other desks empty... some trees faking ecologic thinking, some modern "Art", looks like a museum that has nothing to show... an incredible place of boredom. Why? Because they have nothing to show, no computer, they shouldn't feel ashamed of, no real innovation in desktop software, this company has clearly lost its focus. It is like Halliburton stops digging for Oil and opens a fancy Lollipop Store in the middle of Milan...



Tim Cook is destroying Apple and all his Vice Presidents are helping him to accomplish that.

Congratulation. This is the most pitch perfect parody of an angry MR poster I've ever had the pleasure to read. Well trolled sir!

 

[recoil80]

Some pics I took yesterday during my lunch break
https://ibb.co/mpiVuT
https://ibb.co/j8eg18
https://ibb.co/chRiET
https://ibb.co/hGmiET
https://ibb.co/jTUg18
https://ibb.co/m3TkTo
https://ibb.co/kYNC8o
https://ibb.co/f2M5To
https://ibb.co/fCceoo

The place looks stunning, is better than the rendering once you get there. And when you get close to the cube you can feel the water drops and its very refreshing.
As you can see from one picture the big steps have windows so you can have a look inside the store from the outside although you can't have a clear view, and I guess they bring some light during the day.

 

[JustCap]

Pics of people enjoying the fountain

http://milano.repubblica.it/cronaca...ntana_cascata_cristallo_milano-202570774/1/#1

 

[recoil80]

https://video.corriere.it/dentro-l-...f46-8f6d-11e8-84b6-8543850c3d94?refresh_ce-cp

that's a 360 degrees video of the square and inside the store, shot on a Samsung 😀

 

[villicodelirant]

Oh please.

Again: not authorized.

You even said „10c“, not „50c“.

Okay, and the difference is?
It's .0125 vs .0025 of the MSRP for entry level bands: either way, a very very high margin product.

Your post insinuated that Apple watch bands are cheap crap

Of course I didn't.
I wrote the following: those babies probably cost 10c a pop to make and sell themselves.

That has only one meaning: that they cost very little compared to their retail price, and sell well.

It is implied, as any reasonable person would understand, that this makes them a very good product for Apple.

It is not evidently implied in any way that I think "Apple watch bands are cheap crap" - I can't even imagine how a watch band could vary in quality, it's a strip of nylon.

I can only assume you are more or less consciously projecting your prejudices based on some other crap you've read on this forum.
Try not to do that.

Hence you were wrong, in letter as well as in spirit.

I'm not even sure what that's supposed to mean, but I already told you in no uncertain terms that it's impossible for me to be wrong, being that I'm nearly omniscient, equipped with infallible logic and have splendid abs.
Trust me on this, please let it go.
[doublepost=1532552172][/doublepost]

LOL? They look exactly like every university student in Milan.

Especially the girl in the middle, I guess.

Except the older guy, he's a bit weird

Are you kidding me? I look like that, and I'm Italian.
The girl with him, on the other hand, looks decidedly North African...
[doublepost=1532552817][/doublepost]

Come on, this is how the god damn square looked like at the end of 2015...
https://www.360cities.net/image/piazza-del-liberty

Yes, and the only problem there is the asphalt and the cars which take away the square from the public.
It was restored soon after - with public money!
And then they let Apple gut it and sequester it once again.

That's Beppe Sala for you.

It will have a lot more foot traffic than before and it will be used more year round.

And that's a good thing how?
There's a prize for the most foot traffic?

What I know is that they cluttered the square beyond reason.

The square is now in essence a giant mall.

 

[recoil80]

Just like before an iPhone launch people have begun queuing outside the store from last night, I read there are about 200 people now in queue with more than 3 hours to go before the opening.
I didn't expect such a big number for the store, I guess I'll just get there and if there is still a queue I'll visit the store tomorrow, I don't feel like staying in line in the hot just to see a new store

By the way Angela Ahrendts is in Milan but I don't really care. I'd love a selfie with Hair force one, but I'm not a fan of the other VPs