Just caught this on the Glasgow Herald website http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/73416.html
Apple to launch big Mac attack
Looking forward to this now I can get my fix when I get home to see the AP's and increases the chance that they will go mac and cut down on the IT support calls I get today.
John
Apple to launch big Mac attack
GERRY BRAIDEN November 01 2006
ITS products inspire the same devotion as a teenage boy band or hometown football club.
Next year, when the first Apple Store opens in Scotland, queues of the converted determined to display their loyalty are as sure as spam fills your inbox.
The IT giant, which revolutionised both home computing and how we listen to music with the iMac and iPod, has earmarked Glasgow city centre as the location for its first venture north of the border.
Scheduled to open next summer, the company is spending over £1.15m converting a listed property on Buchanan Street into the formatted store that has proven a hit with Apple aficionados in the US, Canada, Japan and England.
Described as more interactive galleries- come-museums than shops, Apple Stores have been designed to look and feel like its products, while the company also encourages a "touch, test and try" policy so visitors can "appreciate the elegance" of the merchandise.
The planning application for the site, currently occupied by home-furnishing retailer The Pier, shows Apple's intentions to redesign the store.
Included in the plans are a new stone floor, stainless steel walls and ceilings and a glass spiral staircase and elevator.
For those with questions or queries, there is the "genius bar", a kind of drop-in clinic staffed by Apple technicians who will help customers who have made appointments.
The cost of alterations to the current building is estimated at £1.168m. But, unlike many other Apple outlets, including the UK's flagship store on London's Regent Street, there are no plans for an in-house theatre to offer customers the chance to learn about new products and techniques.
When it opens the store will be Apple's 8th in the UK. The decision to locate its only store north of the border in the heart of Glasgow is being seen as a further endorsement of Buchanan Street as one of Britain's leading retail sites.
Last night, as news of the plans emerged, keyboards went into overdrive as the Mac User Groups became excited about the prospect of a Scots Apple Store.
Fraser Speirs, former academic and software designer, is one devotee planning to take his duvet to Buchanan Street on the eve of the opening.
Mr Speirs, whose Connected Flow firm specialises in Apple software, said: "Apple fans really are a devoted and loyal bunch. We love the design of the hardware and the superior software. There's no doubt the iPod has brought it to a much bigger audience but that's only a small part of the story.
"There had been talk for some time that this might happen and those on the west coast will be delighted Glasgow has secured it and not Edinburgh.
"I've been to many stores around the world, including Regent Street and San Francisco, and they put in a lot of effort. I for one will be queuing the night before and I promise I won't be alone."
Lesley Sawers, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said it was "quite a coup" for the city to land such a popular brand.
She added: "It also illustrates Glasgow's continually growing attraction as a city centre retail location for big name companies."
Glasgow City Council confirmed it received a planning application in mid-October.
ITS products inspire the same devotion as a teenage boy band or hometown football club.
Next year, when the first Apple Store opens in Scotland, queues of the converted determined to display their loyalty are as sure as spam fills your inbox.
The IT giant, which revolutionised both home computing and how we listen to music with the iMac and iPod, has earmarked Glasgow city centre as the location for its first venture north of the border.
Scheduled to open next summer, the company is spending over £1.15m converting a listed property on Buchanan Street into the formatted store that has proven a hit with Apple aficionados in the US, Canada, Japan and England.
Described as more interactive galleries- come-museums than shops, Apple Stores have been designed to look and feel like its products, while the company also encourages a "touch, test and try" policy so visitors can "appreciate the elegance" of the merchandise.
The planning application for the site, currently occupied by home-furnishing retailer The Pier, shows Apple's intentions to redesign the store.
Included in the plans are a new stone floor, stainless steel walls and ceilings and a glass spiral staircase and elevator.
For those with questions or queries, there is the "genius bar", a kind of drop-in clinic staffed by Apple technicians who will help customers who have made appointments.
The cost of alterations to the current building is estimated at £1.168m. But, unlike many other Apple outlets, including the UK's flagship store on London's Regent Street, there are no plans for an in-house theatre to offer customers the chance to learn about new products and techniques.
When it opens the store will be Apple's 8th in the UK. The decision to locate its only store north of the border in the heart of Glasgow is being seen as a further endorsement of Buchanan Street as one of Britain's leading retail sites.
Last night, as news of the plans emerged, keyboards went into overdrive as the Mac User Groups became excited about the prospect of a Scots Apple Store.
Fraser Speirs, former academic and software designer, is one devotee planning to take his duvet to Buchanan Street on the eve of the opening.
Mr Speirs, whose Connected Flow firm specialises in Apple software, said: "Apple fans really are a devoted and loyal bunch. We love the design of the hardware and the superior software. There's no doubt the iPod has brought it to a much bigger audience but that's only a small part of the story.
"There had been talk for some time that this might happen and those on the west coast will be delighted Glasgow has secured it and not Edinburgh.
"I've been to many stores around the world, including Regent Street and San Francisco, and they put in a lot of effort. I for one will be queuing the night before and I promise I won't be alone."
Lesley Sawers, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said it was "quite a coup" for the city to land such a popular brand.
She added: "It also illustrates Glasgow's continually growing attraction as a city centre retail location for big name companies."
Glasgow City Council confirmed it received a planning application in mid-October.
Looking forward to this now I can get my fix when I get home to see the AP's and increases the chance that they will go mac and cut down on the IT support calls I get today.
John
