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Apple Used Giant Panes of Glass to Build New SoHo Staircase

unplugme71 said:
I wonder what kind of testing was done for safety.

It seems as if either side cracked, it would bring down the entire staircase.
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Since it is 5 pieces laminated, it's like a front windshield of a car: A crack has to go through all 5 layers to have any effect. Otherwise, even with cracks, it still would be safe. Besides: That thing weighs tons. Compared to the weight people add when going up and down, there is not much more stress on it.
 
unplugme71 said:
I wonder what kind of testing was done for safety.

It seems as if either side cracked, it would bring down the entire staircase.
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I'm sure some engineer tested the glass and concluded it was able to hold up against forces in any direction many times as strong as what it's likely to go up against.
 
fattywall said:
It's a pity about the silver fasteners on the steps though, I wonder if it could all be laser cut from one large piece of glass?... just a thought apple.
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I agree they do take away from the design. Would of been nice if they could of cut slots out of the stringers and put the ends of the treads in them.
 
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Sixtafoua said:
Do seams honestly bother anyone? This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.
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You are correct, they could save so much money selling products out of this building:

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I mean who really wants to visit a nice store?
 
Sixtafoua said:
This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.
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Quite the opposite. Whatever Apple has been doing as part of marketing their brand (high-end design at almost any cost), the payoff in annual profits dwarfs anyone else in the retail or the personal electronics industry.

Extremely effective.

Jewelry stores would love to get anywhere close to Apple's revenue per square foot of retail. And jewelry stores stick diamonds and gold bling in their windows! Apple does better with just glass.
 
unplugme71 said:
I wonder what kind of testing was done for safety.

It seems as if either side cracked, it would bring down the entire staircase.
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Architectural glass is stronger than marble. Yes, not kidding (It's also about 90-92% as heavy). And as others have mentioned, it's safety glass. In addition to the lamination, it's tempered and highly pressurized during forming.
 
ixodes said:
Apple must have a glass fetish.

Glass stores, glass phones, it's time to get a bit more creative.

Either that, or secretly they've bought the Windex company.....ha..ha...ha....

All this glass is getting old. :)
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They're keeping design uniform.
 
Covent Garden store

The ironwork in the Covent Garden store always makes me chuckle. I suspect the blacksmith had that night's game of soggy biscuit on his mind when creating it.
 

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Sixtafoua said:
Do seams honestly bother anyone? This doesn't seem like a very effective use of apple's money.
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Go to your bank and withdraw a ten thousand dollars in $1 bills. That is a lot of money. Well... imagine how $600 billions looks like, not 10 thousand, not 100 thousand, not 1 million, not 100 millions, not 100 billions, but 600 billions...

Something you had to do with it. A glass staircase is a joke.
 
ixodes said:
Apple must have a glass fetish.

Glass stores, glass phones, it's time to get a bit more creative.

Either that, or secretly they've bought the Windex company.....ha..ha...ha....

All this glass is getting old. :)
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Apple chooses another style, people will stil complain. :rolleyes:
 
Frenchjay said:
They're keeping design uniform.
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tech4all said:
Apple chooses another style, people will stil complain. :rolleyes:
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I am not criticizing either of you personally, these two responses are simply very typical examples that have played out over and over.

Unique to Apple, a portion of their followers will always make excuses for whatever the company does, it's as though they can do no wrong.

As a result, they are given a license to become complacent and deliver less than their best effort.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
I'm sure some engineer tested the glass and concluded it was able to hold up against forces in any direction many times as strong as what it's likely to go up against.
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It's Laminated Sheets of Gorilla Glass 2. The frame would fail before the glass.:apple:

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rei101 said:
Go to your bank and withdraw a ten thousand dollars in $1 bills. That is a lot of money. Well... imagine how $600 billions looks like, not 10 thousand, not 100 thousand, not 1 million, not 100 millions, not 100 billions, but 600 billions...

Something you had to do with it. A glass staircase is a joke.
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It's not your money now, is it? ;)
 
firewood said:
Jewelry stores would love to get anywhere close to Apple's revenue per square foot of retail. And jewelry stores stick diamonds and gold bling in their windows! Apple does better with just glass.
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It's not just retail sales either. The engineering knowhow Apple has with glass has industrial value too, which extends beyond their own products. If Merrill Lynch wants a new staircase in their head office, I'm sure Apple has consulting fees for non-competitors. Once the new curved glass HQ is built, copycat architecture won't be far behind.

Laird Knox said:
You are correct, they could save so much money selling products out of this building:
I mean who really wants to visit a nice store?
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Mind, getting some Chili Nachos while-u-wait at the Genius Bar sounds pretty good.
biggrin.gif
And the grease is so easy to clean off the glass.
 
I remember Steve Jobs saying that Apple had become experts in production of large variable shaped strong glass. Has anyone seen or read anything about them selling glass, or producing it for other customers?
 
looks neat! also ive never been to an Apple Store ... next one is 5 train hours away from me o_O*

and WOMEN dont wear Skirts at the apple store no more :D
 
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FrizzleFryBen said:
When I was shopping for a fridge, I had to have stainless steel, even though it was more expensive. And when I found one that had tons of LED lights that faded on when you opened the doors...I HAD TO HAVE IT. It was $400 more than I wanted to spend, but 2 years later, I still love opening that fridge...every time. Once perfection is defined, some people gotta have it. ;)
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What model. What brand. Pictures please.
 
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