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Apple's Infinite Loop Store Permanently Closing Next Month
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Gonna miss this little shop. To me, after its redesign to match current Apple Store vision, it wasn't the same. But I'll miss visiting it when I'm in for work never the less.
I always felt after Apple Park opened the Infinite Loop store would be retired someday. It was always too small after the refurb, and no Genius Bar or Today at Apple. Despite the amount of stores in the Cupertino area, you could always depend on Infinite Loop to have something in-stock.
Sad to see it go. I always recommended going there instead of Apple Park. It's much closer to the parking lot and it is usually less crammed, so you'd be in and out real quick. Also, if you have a thing for "old App", I think they had nicer exclusives.
A former coworker used to drive up the coast on his vacations, and one year back when it only sold Apple-branded merch he visited this store and bought me a mug. White with a small blue Apple logo. I just took it out of the cabinet and that's what I'll have my coffee from tomorrow. I may have never been there, but this place is part of my history too.
It seems it’s you who did not read the article (nor the headline). It seems to make it very clear that the offices of 1 Infinite Loop will still operate, and only the company store is closing.
Care to share where it says otherwise? If you can’t, you may need to do some of your own backtracking.
I mean, maybe you’re trying to say that THIS store isn’t “just a store” because of its location, but it’s quite literally just the store closing. The store isn’t where all the wonderful innovations were created.
That being said, I’m sad to hear it’s closing, and I’m glad I’ll be able to visit it before it closes.
I'll miss stopping in to this store, it was always a fun side trip when visiting family in San Jose. I think I've worn out all of the shirts I bought there over the years - I especially miss the "Moof!" shirt - but I still have a glass coffee mug in regular service.
Don't worry. You didn't miss anything. I went about 20 years ago. I had high hopes that this would be a great experience as their flagship store. Nope - just a regular Apple Store. The only difference was that there was a couple of areas probably both 10 feet wide where they sold Apple t-shirts and apparel, and things like Apple branded paper notebooks and pens. Not very exciting. Nothing on the walls, or in the design looked different from a typical Apple Store.
daaamnn.
I also think what I really meant to say was that I wish I visited the campus in general when I worked for Apple Retail.
From the comments, it sounds like it lost a lot of its original charm when it was renovated, but was pretty unique in 2010 when I finally got a chance to visit while I was in town for an Objective-C course. The instructor was cool and took us for a road trip to the store and to the restaurant just off campus (that one person here referenced as IL7, which I guess is the nickname that Apple employees gave it) so it was easily the most fun I’ve had on a course. The next day the person I was sitting beside in the class was an Apple employee and suggested we go to a place he knew for lunch, and then it turned out we went to the campus cafeteria, which was way fancier than the cafeterias I was used to. It was December and they had just recently signed the deal for the Beatles catalogue, and there was a giant picture/ad in the atrium that I really would have loved to take a picture of, but that was not an option, but at least I got a Mothership shirt as a souvenir that I will have to try to find to commemorate that store.
Anyway, it is a shame it is going (and sort of already gone, I guess), as it was definitely not your average Apple Store at that time, and my instructor and classmate made that course infinitely better than any other course I ever have taken! The next day I was flying back to Canada and had flight problems that rerouted from Denver through Chicago in a horrible snowstorm, so it was like being snapped back to cold reality from a dream!
Opening additional shops rather than closing them sounds like a wise strategy for what you are suggesting. You will have to go into detail though what you believe is so amazing about these shopping experiences. I have been to the shop in question countless times and there is no magic going on whatsoever.
More stores in close proximity means more people performing the same roles at multiple locations, in addition to all the per store overheads that cannot be avoided. Shrink this cost down and you have a bigger operating budget to hire more Apple Geniuses for roles that truly heighten the overarching Apple Store experience.