Apple Unveils Stunning Kuala Lumpur Store

[JippaLippa]

now why are we comparing lol and comparing two completely different stores/countries at that…

this store is in a mall. just because it isn’t a huge standalone store like Via Del Corso doesn’t mean it’s not still beautiful…

Fair enough.
I just don't find this design that striking.

 

[ddtmm]

whoa

how the hell glass walls support such roof?

The picture was taken with Vision Pro.

 

[Lioness~]

Stunning store indeed!

Good that they evolve their store design before they build one in my city.
Nothing announced yet though ☹️
But at least some more will come to Sweden.

 

[roncron]

The "Via Del Corso" one in Rome is much better looking.

So is the Grand Canyon. C'mon, Apple, you really dropped the ball with this one!!! 😉

(In all seriousness, I think this Apple store looks amazing.)

 

[GrayFlannel]

Apple has previewed its first store in Malaysia, Apple The Exchange TRX, located in Kuala Lumpur's Tun Razak Exchange business district.

The architectural design of Apple The Exchange TRX features a three-dimensional layered roof with horizontal glass panels and sun-shading blades. A central glazed oculus brings natural daylight into the interior and contains a dynamic artificial-lighting system that adjusts based on the time of day. The building connects the mall's central atrium to a rooftop park that wraps around the store's upper level.

Inside, a sculptural quartz and glass staircase connects the three levels. The main floor is a floating deck that sits above the primary display area. The Forum, where Today at Apple sessions take place, is located on this floating deck, providing a central location for workshops and events. The upper level, which connects directly to the rooftop park, brings natural light and greenery into the store through a continuous glass facade. The interior features high-quality materials such as natural stone walls, polished stainless-steel columns, light terrazzo floors, and a timber ceiling.

Apple The Exchange TRX runs on 100% renewable energy and is carbon neutral, in line with Apple's broader environmental goals. The store contains a Genius Bar, a dedicated Apple Pickup counter, and more than 160 retail employees to help customers.

To celebrate the store's opening, Apple will run a special series of Today at Apple sessions called "Jom Discover," running from June 22 through July 6. These sessions will feature some of Malaysia's most celebrated creators, offering insights into their creative processes and showcasing Apple's products and services. Highlights include a performance by De Fam, workshops on iPhone photography with Jason smashpop, video editing on Mac with Adam Lobo, productivity on iPad with Iman Azman, and health and wellness sessions with Nana Mohd focusing on the Apple Watch.

Apple The Exchange TRX opens on Saturday, June 22, at 10 a.m. MYT.

Article Link: Apple Unveils Stunning Kuala Lumpur Store

Almost word for word: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024...e-trx-opens-saturday-june-22-in-kuala-lumpur/

 

[justperry]

whoa

how the hell glass walls support such roof?

Thick glass, glass is stronger than you think.

Lots of cars use glass as structural support.

 

[justperry]

the EU need to make a law that Apple can't build nicer stores outside the EU.

Quite a few European stores that are better than this, don’t get me wrong, it’s better than most brand stores and fairly nice.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Cant beat  with their store designs. They never skimp on how classy their stores look.

Meanwhile the design of their products languishes.

 

[MacScape]

Tbh the stairs are really ugly.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Apple always has excellent vibes in their non-mall locations. My favorites have to be the AP Visitor Center (good coffee too!) and LA's Tower Theatre for excellent attention to detail.

 

[DailySlow]

It's the first Beta of iGlass Air.

 

[bousozoku]

Singaporeans are going to be jealous but you have to have something amazing in KL.

 

[trusso]

Can we get quotes around “stunning” like we did for words in the EU article title?

 

[Victor Mortimer]

Meh. Still looks like an ugly Apple store inside if you're not looking up at the roof.

Sorry, Apple stores are seriously unpleasant places to be inside.

 

[victorvictoria]

It looks great to me. Our Chicago flagship store on Michigan Avenue is a must see for Apple fanatics, students of architecture & design, and people who want to experience how those elements can integrate with the setting (our Riverwalk) into a user experience. It's a must-see.

 

[lkrupp]

No wonder Apple products are so expensive.

And worth every penny. For high quality, excellent support, superior performance and features, of course it costs more. Thanks for bringing this subject up.

 

[PowerMac5500]

Deleted

 

[ghanwani]

The stores no longer have the vibe they once had. Customer experience is completely lacking. They can hire the most talented building architects but a building's aesthetics can't paper over a broken culture.

 

[Surf Monkey]

The stores no longer have the vibe they once had. Customer experience is completely lacking. They can hire the most talented building architects but a building's aesthetics can't paper over a broken culture.

They hire the most talented architects… but not the most talented industrial designers. They focus on the exterior of the stores but not the experience of people shopping there. They spend time developing stickers and memojis and new animations for Siri but bugs that have plagued the OS for over a decade continue to be unaddressed and even more are added.

Broken culture is right. The once great Apple is stumbling.

 

[Apple$]

I love to visit the Pacific Mall location in Vancouver, Apple has one of the best architecture designs IMO especially the non-mall locations.

 

[Numbah One]

Wow, it took exactly two comments for the trademark Macrumors forums off-topic negativity to manifest itself. Kudos.

The trolls need to try harder - I was expecting it to be the first comment

 

[dominiongamma]

I wish Apple did more unique design stores. Now they are cold feeling and just have brown tables in a big white room. I miss the Genius Bar honestly still

 

[victorvictoria]

TLDR: Agree 100%, but if I'm going to buy an Apple product in person, it'll be at a Best Buy before an Apple Store.

They (Apple Stores) are very unique, instant "landmarks", and are very much attractions worth visiting when in so many major cities around the world. I make it a point to visit every Apple store in the cities I've traveled to. But not to shop. I've given up shopping at Apple stores. It's just not a great shopping experience. A better description than "store" is "functional corporate art installation".

The last Apple Store that I can recall visiting and really enjoying was the Chicago, Illinois store on Mag Mile. It opened in 2003, I think. From product displays, to many 3rd-party accessories (so many accessories), and distinct yet approachable spaces for browsing, discussing (Genius Bar), and the theater/classroom... The OG Apple Stores felt like they were designed for Apple users. Today's feel like they're designed for Apple.

My most recent Apple Store experiences in Germany, Nashville, and even a small mall in Maine were all the same. You are essentially stalked by security if you're not with an employee. None of the newest products being promoted in the store are actually available to try, at least without an appointment. You can't really discuss Apple stuff/products with the employees. I've received more feigned ignorance from Apple Store employees than actual advice.

I don't want to incite a profiling/loss-mitigation discussion. Decisions can be hard to make in the moment, but I believe people also deserve the benefit of the doubt. I'm not rich, but I can comfortably splurge on gadgets and tech here and there. I'd like to think I'm slightly cooler than a 40-year-old virgin in appearance... clean, casual, and covered in Apple products... So, why do I feel like I'm getting the Thomas Crown treatment when walking through the door of an Apple Store?

After visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame, I decided to stop at the Apple store for a new watch band. I hadn't been to this one yet, so I took a selfie outside, entered and looked around. The watch bands were on the right side of the store, so I started browsing from the left to end up at the watch bands. I was in the store 2 minutes and contemplating a MagSafe charger when I see someone in my periphery, browsing me. That was fast... I browse around the store, typing on the new iPad Airs, examining the colors of the iPhones, and my shadow follows. By the time I arrive at the watch bands, I feel like I'm doing something wrong. An employee is there, I take off my watch and hand it to him and we start discussing watch bands. At this point I make eye contact with my shadow, he backs off to stalk the next visitor.

Recently, in Portland, Maine and traveling with my trusty Mini 6, I was killing time in a small-town time capsule of a mall–in that all the spaces had businesses in them. (Navigating a new area with a 5G Mini 6 tucked in your back pocket is fun. Bigger screen, bigger maps, CapCut on the go 🧑‍🍳💋!) That's how I walked into that Apple Store. AirPods Pro in, iPad in back pocket, phone in hand for photos, and a watch on my arm...a dorky damn walking billboard. I walked all through that mall looking at shoes, TVs, and books. Browsing jewelry in Macy's. I wasn't followed, nor did I even see security in any of these stores. Sure, they're in the ceiling, but that's obviously normal. What's NOT normal is the security guard pacing at the entrance, scowling and waiting for their next victim to stalk. He watched as I observed the Genius giving a lecture to no one. He watched as I took out my AirPods and tried on a pair of AirPods Max for comparison. And I watched him glare at me, as I lay the new iPad Pro next to my iPad to compare thickness. An employee came up to me and he backed off. I asked about the Vision Pro standing in front of me..."You really need an appointment."... OK, do you have any red watch bands? "Just what's over there..." OK... These iPad Pros are pretty thin, huh? "Yeah, the screen is big"... OK... good talk. As we part ways and I pick up my iPad, I can feel the eyes of security on me, and I really, really wanted to run like hell and make that guy chase my ass.

Chicago's current Apple Store is an underground, riverside amphitheater. One of the first things you see is a ton of space dedicated for a Genius giving a lecture to almost no one. Then you arrive at the few tables of products toward the back. A few shelves of accessories... Of all the Apple stores I've been to, I spent the least amount of time in this one. Even as an art installation, I didn't like it; it held a very negative and unwelcoming vibe. But I like the Chicago example because we have a comparison... The first store was built by a hungry company, in touch with the users driving its growth. Today, that company is a gluttonous tech icon with a Honey Badger complex, and it's as if they're saying, "Just look at the amount of real estate and retail space we can afford to make a statement with."

And that is why Apple Stores are not a good shopping experience. They are monoliths to the brand, testaments to achievement, museums of modern technology, but they are not stores. They are not even good user-experience centers. And this is coming from a perspective of what some might consider privileged in ways. I've traveled and seen enough, I've heard enough stories, and I can't imagine the experience some people must have when visiting an Apple Store... to shop.

I live in Chicago, and to me, Apple's flagship is an exemplar of how form and function combine to add an experiential element to an otherwise quotidian shopping trip. If you haven't sat on the steps outside the store, and traded stories with other Apple fanatics or engaged in a debate about Apple's latest offerings with an Apple Store specialist, then you're missing the perspective you claim in your last paragraph. That's the experience. And it's worth a visit even if not currently considering a purchase. Heck, you might even learn something you don't already know. Or is that possible?

 

[farmboy]

There are some of the same people who populate every thread that are so completely negative, especially off topic, that it's just tiresome for everyone else. Nobody is saying it's all sunshine and lollipops re all things Apple, but give us a break.

Maybe it would be more effective to write a letter to Tim Cook or show up at the shareholder's meetings and put your complaints on the record.

 

[StellarVixen]

This is beautiful. So Apple.