Where it all began
Hello. Again.
Something exciting is happing at Apple Tysons Corner. On Friday, this message was posted on a temporary wall near the plaza entrance to the mall:
The first-ever Apple Store opened 22 years ago here at Tysons Corner. Soon we look forward to welcoming you to this newly reimagined space. Thank you for being part of our story. Here’s to the next chapter.
Sorry, team Glendale Galleria, but the final verdict is in: time zones matter.
It goes without saying that this opening will be significant because it’s the first time the first Apple Store has ever moved. But this opening will be much more than that — trust me. Tysons Corner is where it all began.
Apple MixC Shenzhen
Shenzhen’s second Apple Store opened on Friday. It’s been almost 11 years since the city’s first Apple Store opened, so Apple fans were especially eager for another location. This video on Weibo does a great job of illustrating the truly unbelievable opening day line snaking through the mall and adjacent public transit entrance.
At openings in Asia, Apple often uses a wristband registration system with overnight queues to manage massive opening day traffic. This special easel spelled out the remarkably well-organized event.
That said, Apple MixC Shenzhen is one of the highest capacity Vintage D.2 format stores we’ve seen so far. There’s enough room along the back for a single freestanding Avenue on both sides of the Apple Pickup zone, which projects slightly from the wall. I was also fascinated to see that this store’s iPhone cases bay was initially missing its header row.
For further reading, I recommend this Chinese interview with three employees at Apple MixC Shenzhen who have disabilities and are using the opportunities provided by Apple to overcome their challenges. Safari’s built in translation feature works fairly well for this article.
More notes
Apple recently began hiring for another store in South Korea — this time in East Seoul. Open positions are posted on Apple’s Jobs website.
@FindASession, the Today at Apple Twitter bot I helped run, was another casualty of the Twitter API self-destruction. If you’d still like to keep up with new sessions as they’re posted, you can now get notifications on Telegram.
Featured image
Apple Upper West Side
Photo via @namtk_images.
Thanks for the Tysons update. This one is special to me.
👏“...a new chapter.” Many thoughts: 🎬The video of MixC Shenzhen’s opening day is absolutely remarkable. MixC’s D.2 next-gen format appears open while focused, welcoming and warm without the need for trees in pots and most importantly: functional. In eschewing the LCD wall for a wood-based, rear façade flanked by two zones designed for one-to-several workshops, this crucial aspect of the Apple Store can flourish amongst retail and service operations. I’m blown away by the implementation of acoustic design in the new workshop zones. Clever design of PA system and table aside, each workshop display is centered on the spaced, wooden, floor-to-ceiling assembly which further enhances the sound absorption characteristics in these sections for enhanced clarity of conversation. 🔗Great find in the linked article. The innovations and considerations such that all team members can thrive could be standard-setting.