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Apple's New Fifth Avenue Store Cube Fully Revealed [Update: Video]

I've never been to an Apple Store but... what do they do when the glass cube gets dirty? Do they call a cleaning crew to clean it up or something? That thing looks like it would be a pain to clean and polish up.
 
TheSuperSteve said:
I've never been to an Apple Store but... what do they do when the glass cube gets dirty? Do they call a cleaning crew to clean it up or something? That thing looks like it would be a pain to clean and polish up.
Click to expand...


Geniuses are issued Windex and Bounty. :D

They have a company that cleans it regularly.
 
AppleMark said:
Yes, I can see a difference. But I suppose some of us are just asking why (in a supposed recession), there was the need to do so? Anybody else following the G20 IMF fiasco....?
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So you think that a company with billions of dollars should decrease spending in the recession? I know that the remodel didn't create thousands of jobs...but I imagine more than a few people appreciated the work.
 
odedia said:
I completely agree with Ron Johnson, the old design was way better. The new one is just too boring. Sometimes, Steve got it all wrong.

In "Steve Jobs", the biography, there is this paragraph:

- Ron Johnson was not thrilled by the idea (Of changing the store). He thought the eighteen panes actually looked better than four panes would. "The proportions we have today work magically with the colonnade of the GM building", he said. "It glitters like a jewel box. I think if we get the glass too transparent, it will almost go away to a fault". He debated the point with Jobs, but to no avail. "When technology enables something new, he wants to take advantage of that", said Johnson. "Plus, for Steve, less is always more, simpler is always better. Therefore, if you can build a glass box with fewer elements, it's better, it's simpler and it's at the forefront of technology. That's where Steve likes to be, in both his products and his stores."
Click to expand...

I completely agree with Ron Johnson. The way the old structure reflected the light was amazing. Now it's just too clear. Though the new still looks beautiful, I prefer the old design.
 
And why is this new???? Big Deal.

They should have spend the money on research to fix the battery issue and the echo problems uses are having with the new iPhone 4S.

Our how about this....lowering the price of products by a couple of buck and keep the old entrance.....
 
rosalindavenue said:
Seems like it could be a last hurrah for Steve's over-the-top perfectionism and cube fetishism.

Note: I'm not saying that Apple won't still be perfectionist, but I'm guessing they won't drop 6 million willy-nilly to replace things just because they could possibly be more perfect.... or to fix things that didn't need fixing...
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I'm all for aesthetics myself. I have always appreciated Apple for being the Braun of our day.

However, is the pursuit of perfection worth spending that much money on something that wasn't broke? I don't think so.
 
msprygada said:
They should have spend the money on research to fix the battery issue and the echo problems uses are having with the new iPhone 4S.

Our how about this....lowering the price of products by a couple of buck and keep the old entrance.....
Click to expand...

I shouldn't even respond to this but...

FIrst of all, the CUBE project would have been in their budget and planned for probably 2-4 years, well before the battery and echo problems happened with the new dev...

you know on second thought, nevermind.
 
duky said:
You say you haven't been to this store but from the sounds of it you clearly haven't been to New York. This store is a main attraction in an area with tons of attractions (Central Park, Time Warner bldg, the rest of the impressive shops on 5th ave etc). When the average person walks by, they stop, admire, and most likely, enter. Improvements are always welcome. Those questioning why are simpletons who like to get comfortable with the status quo
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Yes, been twice, the 5th Avenue Apple store was not top of my sightseeing list....:rolleyes:, that would be a bit sad. I also live in London (have some stores here too...) and spend a little time in Paris, so no stranger to architecture. It never fails to amuse me when people with very little money themselves in comparison to large corporations feel obliged to defend them, labelling anybody with a differing opinion as "simpletons". You think nothing of and admire observing people or organisations spending 'only' $6 Million for less sustainable reasons than they could, only because they have $80 Billion to spend. Really? How are those Subprime mortgage payments coming along..?

I am not here to debate money mechanics or become political, but I am definitely not a 'simpleton' because I have an opinion of how money could be better spent.

Cg313 said:
Send apple a resume, maybe theyll hire you as the CFO because they clearly have no idea what they're doing.
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I never said they did not know what they are doing. Only questioning whether sales and footfall was so bad, or that they were bringing down the neighbourhood so much that they needed to close down the store and refurbish it.

Do you think more people will visit than usual because it has some new bricks and glass?

I also enjoy working for myself in my own business, so I would have to pass at the CFO job.., as I currently do not have to answer to anybody but me. :p

citi said:
So in a supposed recession, Apple employs companies to build said structure. I believe that's called job stimulation. I'm sure the contractors who worked on the project do not share your opinion.
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I agree, but it is a refurbishment of an existing model. The job stimulus is short lived. There will be no significant generation of sales or new employment, after the refurbishment surely?

Just an opinion that they could have used funds more imaginatively....
 
jhende7 said:
Being a minority shareholder does not mean you own the company.

When your investment at Apple lets you waltz into the board room and make steady demands that are continually complied with, then maybe.

If the minority shareholders had any say, Apple wouldn't have $80M in the bank.

Therefore, my argument stands..Apple does with Apple money what Apple wants. And so far, that's been a very good thing.
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Right, and we shouldn't complain about anything the government does because the government does with government money what the government wants. /sarcasm

Apple is a public company. It is owned by the shareholders. The shareholders DO have the right to care or voice concerns which was my original point.
 
Does anyone notice that there are NOT 15 panes of glass; rather, there are 27? Look at the top--there are 12 glass panes supporting the upper three panels.
 
marc11 said:
All you people saying $6m, SOOOOO much money, SUCH a waste of money, better things could have been done with it...really? Hmmm, how about all the jobs that work created? How about all the tax revenue, both state and federal, parts of which went to welfare, schools oh and yeah MEDICAL RESEARCH. Sure, not alot of it, a percentage of a percentage, but still something. And then how about all the jobs the income of those workers, the state and federal tax money went on to create, the money they spent in other industries, from the bagle the workers had for breakfast and associated salaries for those workers and MORE tax money all the way down the line.

Oh and I love the people who blame Tim Cook for this, like he approved it, this redesign was planned well before him.

Oh and $6m is NOTHING, people who think it is, really need to stop looking at things from your income POV and look at the project as a whole, what was done, what things cost today and the fact that it was done on 5th freaking Ave in NYC.

That $6m went a LONG way in THIS economy, much further than any single charity could have done to help pepole who need jobs, esepecially in the construction industry. I haven't even mentioned the tourist dollars and additional sales tax revenue it will generate for the city, state and federal govts all of which in part goes to support the research and charities, yes a small percentage, but still support. And when you add it all up, the jobs, the income tax, the community spending, the tourists, the sales tax down the road and more, that $6m spent will return more than that to the economy than just handing $6m cash to some charity.
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Fine, I'm sure welfare, schools oh and yeah MEDICAL RESEARCH would much rather have had 2 million a piece then the few thousand that they got from tax revenue. I would even venture to guess that they would get more out of it. The bagels where going to be there anyways and the tax money for a handful of workers isn't going to help much at all.

As far as looking at it from a income POV that isn't really the point. This woman I know is struggling to get by since a little over a year ago her little girl was diagnosed with leukemia and I know a lot of other families go through the same thing. Even $5,000 would be a huge help to make sure they have gas to get back and forth to treatments. That's 1,200 families that could have had one less thing to worry about for a little while.

Additional sales and tourist money? Really? Didn't the other one already do that? How many people are going to come because this new glass cube is so much 'cooler'? How many people are going to come back that saw the old one because a slightly tweaked design? People don't come from all over just to see a glass cube. While they are in NY they notice it and go to check it out and the old one would draw just as much attention as this one.
 
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mbrannon47 said:
Does anyone notice that there are NOT 15 panes of glass; rather, there are 27? Look at the top--there are 12 glass panes supporting the upper three panels.
Click to expand...

OMG you're right. Maybe during construction they realized that it would be supported better (or look better) if the top consisted of smaller panes?
 
mbrannon47 said:
Does anyone notice that there are NOT 15 panes of glass; rather, there are 27? Look at the top--there are 12 glass panes supporting the upper three panels.
Click to expand...
Well I'll be. It's like Apple should have stated that only the sides would be composed of 15 panes of glass.

Oh wait.

The new structure of the cube entrance will use only 15 panes of glass instead of 90. This makes for only two vertical seams on each side.
Click to expand...
 
I agree with Ron Johnson

odedia said:
I completely agree with Ron Johnson, the old design was way better. The new one is just too boring. Sometimes, Steve got it all wrong.

In "Steve Jobs", the biography, there is this paragraph:

- Ron Johnson was not thrilled by the idea (Of changing the store). He thought the eighteen panes actually looked better than four panes would. "The proportions we have today work magically with the colonnade of the GM building", he said. "It glitters like a jewel box. I think if we get the glass too transparent, it will almost go away to a fault". He debated the point with Jobs, but to no avail. "When technology enables something new, he wants to take advantage of that", said Johnson. "Plus, for Steve, less is always more, simpler is always better. Therefore, if you can build a glass box with fewer elements, it's better, it's simpler and it's at the forefront of technology. That's where Steve likes to be, in both his products and his stores."
Click to expand...

My feelings about the change were exactly as Ron Johnson stated. I feel a landmark was violated, even if it was by Steve Jobs himself. Yes, it does look better than the rendering that was shown during construction and it is a "cleaner" look, but it still lost some of the magic of the original. Using large panels of glass this way is amazing technology, but I think they should have been used on a new Apple store somewhere. What has come to be a landmark building should not have been tampered with.
 
odedia said:
I completely agree with Ron Johnson, the old design was way better. The new one is just too boring. Sometimes, Steve got it all wrong.

In "Steve Jobs", the biography, there is this paragraph:

- Ron Johnson was not thrilled by the idea (Of changing the store). He thought the eighteen panes actually looked better than four panes would. "The proportions we have today work magically with the colonnade of the GM building", he said. "It glitters like a jewel box. I think if we get the glass too transparent, it will almost go away to a fault". He debated the point with Jobs, but to no avail. "When technology enables something new, he wants to take advantage of that", said Johnson. "Plus, for Steve, less is always more, simpler is always better. Therefore, if you can build a glass box with fewer elements, it's better, it's simpler and it's at the forefront of technology. That's where Steve likes to be, in both his products and his stores."
Click to expand...

I agree as well. It's too simple and plain now. It follows the same line of thought as the iPhone 4 and 4S designs, which have been so stripped down they just look dull and unimaginative.
 
TMar said:
Fine, I'm sure welfare, schools oh and yeah would much rather have had 2 million a piece then the few thousand that they got from tax revenue. I would even venture to guess that they would get more out of it. The bagels where going to be there anyways and the tax money for a handful of workers isn't going to help much at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's clear you that you don't really understand economics at all. Sustaining the "cutting-edge" branding of Apple is absolutely critical to a company of this size and type. Changing the face of its flagship store is a very, very inexpensive way to give its retail presence a facelift and generate buzz. Every day Apple's stock jumps up and down by BILLIONS of dollars. Six million doesn't just create jobs in the short-run; it helps to keep Apple current and relevant in the LONG-RUN.

Now do your math on employment taxes on Apple's growing base of FIFTY THOUSAND full-time employees and show us all how your six million dollar "donation" will do ANYTHING NEAR what those taxes do.

After you're done with that, take a look at the >$350 million annually that THIS Apple store pulls in...then calculate the 8.875% sales tax on that...if this redesign helps to generate a increase in revenue, the state will get even more sales tax dollars on the over $30 million they're getting EACH YEAR. This money is used for transportation expenditures, public education, aid to local governments, et cetera.

It seems like you're stuck in the small picture and need to look at how a redesign like this can catalyse action and generate taxed revenues and wages that would make your $6 million "donation" concept moot.
 
Many posters to this thread are intent on demonstrating all of the worthwhile causes that could have benefited from an infusion of six million dollars. Of course, it is relatively easy to tick off situations where more funds could/would improve some inequity or needy cause.

Let's take it one step further. Let's say that any funds expended by Apple that are deemed, by some "impartial, all knowing" party, to be in excess of what's absolutely "needed" to be spent should instead be diverted to some "more worthy" cause.

Let's go one more step, and apply this rule to all business entities, rather than just Apple.

In fact, there are plenty of wealthy individuals who undoubtedly spend funds on more than just what's absolutely needed. Throw them in the pot too.

Actually, even those who do not qualify as to be considered wealthy must spend some funds on other than "absolutely needed". OK, sign them up too.

Let's simplify. Let's just take all of the assets of the world and divide that total up by the number of people in the world. Everybody gets the same thing.

Wow. Utopia.
 
mbrannon47 said:
Yeah it's clear you that you don't really understand economics at all. Sustaining the "cutting-edge" branding of Apple is absolutely critical to a company of this size and type. Changing the face of its flagship store is a very, very inexpensive way to give its retail presence a facelift and generate buzz. Every day Apple's stock jumps up and down by BILLIONS of dollars. Six million doesn't just create jobs in the short-run; it helps to keep Apple current and relevant in the LONG-RUN.

Now do your math on employment taxes on Apple's growing base of FIFTY THOUSAND full-time employees and show us all how your six million dollar "donation" will do ANYTHING NEAR what those taxes do.

After you're done with that, take a look at the >$350 million annually that THIS Apple store pulls in...then calculate the 8.875% sales tax on that...if this redesign helps to generate a increase in revenue, the state will get even more sales tax dollars on the over $30 million they're getting EACH YEAR. This money is used for transportation expenditures, public education, aid to local governments, et cetera.

It seems like you're stuck in the small picture and need to look at how a redesign like this can catalyse action and generate taxed revenues and wages that would make your $6 million "donation" concept moot.
Click to expand...

Releasing products keeps Apple relevant. Replacing glass with different glass doesn't.

What does every Apple employee around the country have to do with a donation? They are going to be employees paying taxes regardless if this waste was ever built. Point moot.

We'll wait a year and see if they draw in more revenue at the store. 95% of people will not notice the change, it's still a glass cube.

You like a lot of others are overestimating how much of an impact a slight change like this will make. Making it out to be a huge revenue attraction make your concept moot.
 
I saw a statistic that ranked this Apple store as one of the 5 most photgraphic things in New York City. And there is a lot to photograph in the city. It has become quite the tourist attraction based on that design and the products.
 
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