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New Barcelona Apple Store Has Unique "Coming Soon" Billboard

jlgolson said:
Without getting too much into it, the Catalan are an ethnic group in northern Spain -- some support Catalan independence from Spain and there is a distinct identity different from that of the Spanish. It's not unlike the Quebeçois versus the Canadians.

They have a different language and would consider a sign by Apple in Spanish to be insulting. Apple has long had signs in its Barcelona stores in Catalan.
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Yep. The same is true for South Tirol in Italy having German and Italian signs everywhere, Elsass/Lothringia in France (German/French), many areas in Switzerland having 4 national languages (German, French, Italian, Romanic), a region in southeast Germany (German/Sorbic), a region in northern Germany (Swedish/German), Belium (Dutch/French), and that is just the different signs in the not-national language I've seen in Europe. It is all about preserving the own herritage and culture. Humans need their history and culture. Without knowing the own, how would you be able to understand the others? :cool:
 
Mad-B-One said:
Yep. The same is true for South Tirol in Italy having German and Italian signs everywhere, Elsass/Lothringia in France (German/French), many areas in Switzerland having 4 national languages (German, French, Italian, Romanic), a region in southeast Germany (German/Sorbic), a region in northern Germany (Swedish/German), Belium (Dutch/French), and that is just the different signs in the not-national language I've seen in Europe. It is all about preserving the own herritage and culture. Humans need their history and culture. Without knowing the own, how would you be able to understand the others? :cool:
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And what about the cool little region in southern Germany (Bavaria)?
 
Queso said:
He vist aquest lloc durant molts mesos. El Passeig de Gràcia és el millor lloc per a un botiga a centre de Barcelona.

Estic molt emocionat :)

Castellano is OK in Barcelona too BTW. The staff in most of the top stores will speak it by default, as historically Catalan was the language of farmers. These days you can use either in most cases. Only hardcore Catalan nationalists get upset if you use the other llengua.
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It's not thaaaaaaat different is it? ;) At least, with my knowledge of castellano I can read your català.

Ok, I'm half-joking, but I'm surprised how readable it is; I imagine that the españoles don't have too much trouble.
 
Interesting the white areas are repeating patterns, in tile!!

Hope they put in the store when store open and taken down.
Or perhaps my bathroom :D
 
Macman45 said:
Yes, I knew about the Catalan Independence issues, thanks for the information...It looks a little like Portuguese?
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Well, it's really quite different from Portuguese (that is itself derived from Galician from Northwestern Spain).

I Would say it's more similar to French and Castilian.

Being Portuguese I can't understand Catalan but Castilian is quite understandable as long it is spoken not too fast.

Strangely Portuguese is impossible to be understood by Castilian speakers.

You should check it yourself, Barcelona is one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world :)
 
So they're opening their 2nd biggest European store in a country with one of the worst economies in Europe?

Will they be able to sell anything? Next store in Greece?
 
jdavtz said:
It's not thaaaaaaat different is it? ;) At least, with my knowledge of castellano I can read your català.

Ok, I'm half-joking, but I'm surprised how readable it is; I imagine that the españoles don't have too much trouble.
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It helps if you speak a bit of French or Italian too. The verbs are closer to those languages than Castillian.

Anyway, a new Apple Store on the corner of Plaça Catalunya is a pretty big deal. I bet the FNAC store across the square isn't too happy. They currently do a lot of trade in Apple gear, as currently the only Apple Store in the city is well outside the centre. By the looks of things the new store will be big too. About the size of Regent Street I reckon.
Dobiewonkanobie said:
So they're opening their 2nd biggest European store in a country with one of the worst economies in Europe?
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Spain is like Italy. The north of the country is doing relatively OK, the south is dragging the averages down. There's plenty of money in Barcelona.
 
Granny$mith said:
And what about the cool little region in southern Germany (Bavaria)?
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They have a dialect. Compare that to Rednecks or Yankees. Same difference - both the same written language. If you are northwest of Hamburg, the dialect is closer to Dutch than High German (Hannover) and even they write German and not Dutch. Oh, and "cool little Bavaria" is the largest state by square milage in Germany. But you know that already... since you live there.
 
How can you sell a premium brand in a country that's broke,
with 25% unemployment and a 40% unemployment for young people? :confused:
 
wow, would buy those tiles for my bathroom if they were for sale! :)
 
powers74 said:
Just another way Apple "Gets It". Intersection of arts & technology indeed.
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Ya, they get it.

When a large company like Google or Apple "pay homage" to a great artist, what they are really doing is appropriating the goodwill towards that artist for commercial benefit.

I don't know why more artists don't sue these companies for making derivative works.
 
pacalis said:
Ya, they get it.

When a large company like Google or Apple "pay homage" to a great artist, what they are really doing is appropriating the goodwill towards that artist for commercial benefit.

I don't know why more artists don't sue these companies for making derivative works.
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Maybe because the artists are not as sue happy as companies? With your suggestion following, there would be no "schools" of art. "Hey, you cannot do pointilism, I did it first and everything copying my style is plagirism!" With that, the Bauhaus (Weimar, Dessau, Berlin, New Bauhaus Chicago) could hinder any modern kitchen company for copying the style, also for modern furniture, for flat roofs, glass fasades on buildings, where to stop? Some of the innovation comes from art and is called a "trend" or "school" and I never heared of any law suits there - for a good reason. I'd rather see Apple fitting in in Barcelona than putting down a copy of their Glass Cube from New York. You gotta know, even the street lanterns in Barcelona are designed this way.
 
Mad-B-One said:
Maybe because the artists are not as sue happy as companies? With your suggestion following, there would be no "schools" of art. "Hey, you cannot do pointilism, I did it first and everything copying my style is plagirism!" With that, the Bauhaus (Weimar, Dessau, Berlin, New Bauhaus Chicago) could hinder any modern kitchen company for copying the style, also for modern furniture, for flat roofs, glass fasades on buildings, where to stop? Some of the innovation comes from art and is called a "trend" or "school" and I never heared of any law suits there - for a good reason. I'd rather see Apple fitting in in Barcelona than putting down a copy of their Glass Cube from New York. You gotta know, even the street lanterns in Barcelona are designed this way.
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Some good points, but the law often makes disctinctions between commercial and non-commercial use.

I do think that large companies imitating artists work is a bit gross and a subversive form of marketing.

And yes, a glass cube in the Middle of Barcelona is less appealing - but it's a better representation of the true nature of the company.
 
pacalis said:
Some good points, but the law often makes disctinctions between commercial and non-commercial use.

I do think that large companies imitating artists work is a bit gross and a subversive form of marketing.

And yes, a glass cube in the Middle of Barcelona is less appealing - but it's a better representation of the true nature of the company.
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I see what you mean - but both mixes. Art is mixed into religion, culture, business. Especially the Bauhaus: Professors like Kandinsky are better known for their art than for their teaching, but you see the influence there.
 
Mad-B-One said:
I see what you mean - but both mixes. Art is mixed into religion, culture, business. Especially the Bauhaus: Professors like Kandinsky are better known for their art than for their teaching, but you see the influence there.
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Yes, but there are better ways to honor artists, for example paying them.

So why doesn't Apple use a local, well-know Barcelona artist to design their logo?

Or why don't they honor Gaudi by making a donation to restore one of his works?

I really do see this stuff as just a cheap rip off. Like putting a cover band to play a popular song in a tv ad.
 
pacalis said:
Yes, but there are better ways to honor artists, for example paying them.

So why doesn't Apple use a local, well-know Barcelona artist to design their logo?

Or why don't they honor Gaudi by making a donation to restore one of his works?

I really do see this stuff as just a cheap rip off. Like putting a cover band to play a popular song in a tv ad.
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I guess they collect VAT and pay it to the city. That's a start. But, yea: The "Sagrada Familia" still needs a lot of donations to be built according to Gaudi's plans.
 
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