Never going to happen I fear. It took them 10 years to finally commit to an idea and they went too big and completely botched it. I reckon we’re never getting a flagship store, lockdown or not.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Revamped Apple Sanlitun Store Opens in Beijing
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Never going to happen I fear. It took them 10 years to finally commit to an idea and they went too big and completely botched it. I reckon we’re never getting a flagship store, lockdown or not.
I'll offer three reasons:
(1) Most of the Apple stores in the US are older. The foreign stores in these articles are the newest stores, and benefit from Apple's ever-improving and and increasingly bold design aesthetic. Also, perhaps because of how commerical retain space is configured in this country, fewer of the US Apple-stores are stand-alone creations; and you need a store to be stand-alone to get creative with the achitecture. When Apple has constructed new flagship US stand-alone stores, it has tried to be bold with the design, such as the glass cube store in Manhattan. And remember that this store is from 2016:
View attachment 934653
View attachment 934657
(2) The stores you see in articles about new Apple stores are not the average foreign Apple store, but the best of the best.
(3) Apple probably pays particular attention to these flagship foreign stores, since these act as "brand ambassadors". In the US, people are more used to Apple, so the design of the stores, while important, has less influence.
[automerge]1594975555[/automerge]
There may be some truth to that, but I don't think that's necessarily the primary driver. Consider, for instance, the Apple store in Opera, Paris, which is in a high-income area, yet is stunning. Indeed, I would say that, while the Sanlitun store is lovely (particularly its exterior), the Opera store's interior is closer to what I would describe as "boutique":
The Most Beautiful Apple Stores in The World
When it was first announced, the idea of Apple having its own retail store was not received well by many quarters – here's a commentary by Bloombergwww.hongkiat.com
View attachment 934652
Beautiful but too much for me. I would rather run into a normal mall Apple store and be done ASAP. When I shop I’m there to do what I need to do.
I used to shop at this store when I lived in Beijing. The original wasn’t too shabby, this was one of about 3 stores that Apple had in Beijing.
well energy efficiency and all-glass surfaces don't go hand in hand. these 'modern' architectural works cram amazing amount of HVAC infra in exchange to keep the indoor temperature convenient. glass walled buildings are a nightmare when it comes to energy consumption. just by sunlight you get roughly 1kW/m2 energy, and this will be mostly heat. so you have to work pretty hard to compensate this by AC. during winter - even with low-e 3 layered glass panels - there is a notable temperature loss, as believe or not, solid walls with additional 5-7 inch foam insulation are still better at keeping the heat inside than any fancy glass panel.
renewable energy or not, all the all-glass-office-towers are some sort of felony agains energy efficiency, so you will consume far more energy and generate a considerable amount of excess heat (due to energy transport and operational inefficiency) compared to what you would with a little sacrifice to the eye candy part.
Just guessing, but that seems like a comment from someone who’s not traveled much in China, land of communist ‘gigantism’ (layouts so huge they’re intensely annoying to pedestrians), never finished infrastructure (the project is deemed ‘complete’ when they run out of building materials), and planned cities built but unpopulated.
Last edited:
Beyond the very good answer from @theorist9 I'll add: history of US cities cannot be compared with that of European and Asian cities. Two or three centuries of "imported" architecture compared to an evolution of millennia. Most of "foreign" Apple stores are in places that are older than the US itself.
As long as Apple had an opportunity its originality manifested itself immediately, see the glass cube in NYC
I went there back in 2010 when I was interning in Beijing. My hostel was literally down the road and right behind this shopping area there's a bunch of little bars. I remember the World Cup was been played on projectors on every wall space you could find! And wow just realizing that was 10 years ago today! Feeling nostalgic I apologize, the photo triggered it.
Lol, I’ve been to China and they destroy the US at production and infrastructure. There is waste and silly unpopulated utopias, but the big cities are miles ahead of the US big cities.
You're not coming across as hating, but I'm curious... do you somehow feel that the US is being shafted? You said it yourself that the US already has a handful. These newer stores are just that.... new. Many of the stores you're likely referring to in the US are older, and as they get upgraded or replaced, they'll be overhauled with a newer design. Simple as that. The US does not need to be first or best at everything. There are 194 other countries around the world that deserve equal treatment, right?
[automerge]1595053765[/automerge]
You're describing laziness, and a cultural difference. The human body does not need to lay back against a back rest. It's better to sit up straight. These are not movie theatres.