Tabletops: Fantastical future flagships
A springboard for your imagination
This past week I joined the beta of Midjourney, an experimental Discord bot for creating AI-generated art. I decided to dream up some future Apple Stores.
Disclosure: This is not a sponsored story. I am just very excited about the tool.
The concept of Midjourney is easy enough to understand: pop in a prompt like "minimal building with terrazzo floor and indoor trees," and an AI-generated image set will pop out 60 seconds later.
What happens behind the scenes is closer to magic. Midjourney uses massive image datasets and intelligent processing to fuse together surreal and stunning compositions.
Below, I've curated some of my favorite fantastical Apple Store designs created after (admittedly hours) of style and keyword experimentation. These images are more fantasy than reality, so think of them as a springboard for your imagination. Enjoy:
It's been nearly a decade since I've found an online experience and creative community as refreshingly new and positive as Midjourney. If you'd like to see all of the concept stores I generated, check out this album.
April 9
Apple Myeongdong has a grand opening date: April 9. We'll discuss it in detail next week. In the meantime, even Seoul's bus stops are preparing for the big day:
The One-two punch
Technology giant Apple Inc. is suing Sam Mizrahi’s company to terminate its lease at the developer’s long-planned 85-storey skyscraper in downtown Toronto, saying it is “disappointed” in the company and is owed millions of dollars in damages for missed deadlines.
I typically don't acknowledge rumors here, but the Apple Store planned to anchor The One at Yonge and Bloor streets is Toronto's worst-kept secret.
Filings indicate that Apple is ready to abandon the project, but impatience doesn't fully explain a reversal of this magnitude. A few scenarios seem plausible to me:
• Outlook hazy
Apple measures twice and cuts once. Remember when Apple Via del Corso opened in Rome last year? That store was in the works since at least 2013. If Apple is nervous about opening at The One, perhaps it doubts the long-term outlook of the property. The retail landscape has dramatically changed since the pandemic.
• Seizing an opportunity for a better deal
Apple is clearly a valuable tenant, and Mizrahi has a lot at stake. Apple's lawyers may have simply spotted a great loophole to renegotiate a very pricey property.
• Strategy shift
Apple's upcoming retail projects are overall more pragmatic than in recent memory. Is The One no longer "the one"?
New World celebration
The Today at Apple series New World: Creating for Tomorrow wrapped up on March 29. I hope you had a chance to check out at least one of the thought-provoking discussions. It's Nice That has published a gallery of artwork created during the virtual sessions.
Featured image
It takes more than a Polishing Cloth to clean Apple Marina Bay Sands.
Photo via ricakura on Instagram.
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