World's biggest Apple store opens in Covent Garden

[84Mark]

The world's largest Apple shop has opened in London's Covent Garden.

Some people began queuing on Friday so they could be among the first customers when the shop opened its doors at 1000 BST on Saturday.

An Apple executive said it was "a big moment" for the firm as it was its 300th store.

The Grade II listed building on The Piazza has been restored using English oak and York stone and it will employ 300 staff.

Ron Johnson, Apple's senior vice president of retail, said: "Every time we make a product, we try and better what came before it, we tried to do the same with our stores and this is what we have done here.

"It is our most historic store, we've spent a lot of time refurbishing the building, retaining its original features and giving it an Apple spin."

The new store is Apple's 28th in the UK The first customer arrived at 1000 BST on Friday.

International law student Rose Williams from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said she used the time queuing to brush up on her studies.

"I brought along two law books," said the 29-year-old. "But with all the people wanting to talk to me I've not had much chance to read them.

"I'm hoping to buy an iPhone and maybe an iPad - I might treat myself to both."

So far this year nearly 150 million people have visited Apple stores in 10 countries from the US and UK to Japan, China and Switzerland.

However, London's Regent Street store is Apple's busiest.

The actor and writer Stephen Fry, renowned as one of the company's devotees, wrote on his Twitter feed that the shop's prestigious address - No 1, The Piazza, Covent Garden - meant that "if all goes wrong, Apple will survive as real-estate owners".

From: BBC News

[Argi]

I have to admit, that looks bloody amazing how they're kept all the heritage architecture. Are there any high res photos anywhere?

[IphoneMini]

isn't it awesome. Where will we get to see another Technology Company making the same approach as Apple Store is heading even a higher standard.

[84Mark]

[riceBox]

Looks like an Apple "Mall"

[fhpuqrgrpgvirzhpujbj]

Seems a bit excessive. Why does it need that much space?

[andrew_f]

Great building and a really good location.

But as much as I like Apple stores this seems a tad excessive, all they need is a medium to large sized unit in a shopping centre. This building could (/should) have been used for something, for lack of a better phrase, more deserving.

[Saad_Salman]

Wow! looks beautiful.

[DavidM]

It seems a little over the top, kinda like a big slot machine. Whoo-hoo four apples what do I win?

[Uncharted]

ITS JUST A STORE !

[acnpt]

This is why I like spending a little more for apple products.

Going into the Apple Store is 'part of the experience', or at least you can check google maps, email for free, and try any product.

Sure they could have made it like PC World or Currys, but does anybody actually like going there. :laugh:

In any case I'd rather that building be an Apple store, than another Tesco Express or Sainsburys Local.

[84Mark]

I think half of what Apple is doing here is investing in real estate, as the article suggests.

[Growled Member]

It does look awesomely cool, though.

[vanx]

A friend of mine went there yesterday, but after being told that he'd have to wait for 10 hours in a queue, he left. According to him, several queues were created -- just browsing, buying an iPad, purchasing an iPhone, etc -- and first few hundred got a t-shirt. It's just a store, methinks....

[amon91]

Looks like an Apple "Mall"

Indeed. :p

Personally I don't like the retro look, but that's just me. I wish I was in London, that would be the first place I'd check out.

[Kerm]

I don't understand why anybody would queue up to go into an apple store. Genuinely, it's just a shop with another store exactly the same around the corner.

Can someone fill me in on what i'm missing?

[Quillz]

Do people really have nothing better to do than stand in line for 10+ hours just to walk into a STORE? At least with the iPhone 4 lines, you got something out of it at the end, but what's the point here? You give up hours of your life to go into a store that sells lots of overpriced accessories that could be gotten cheaper elsewhere.

It's this "experience" that some speak of that only adds to the "smug Mac user" stereotype.

[DanLeto]

Lots of glass and shiny stuff, people will never learn will they...

[Panacik]

Cool. I have been watching them make this over the last few months, but didnt realise it was being opened so soon.

Ill go there at some point this week. I work literally 1 minutes walk away :p

[Brodel]

That isn't the new one, that is the Regent Street store.

I'm surprised people queue to be the first in, were they selling something special at the same time?

[sean l]

Maann that place really looks cool too.

Even though I'm not much of a mac user, I still think it would be awesome to travel to as many Apple stores as possible. Get one of those maps out, with the different color tacks for each place :whistle:

[M_Lyons10]

I have to admit, that looks bloody amazing how they're kept all the heritage architecture. Are there any high res photos anywhere?

I was thinking the same thing. Good for them that they chose to retain all of that.

[Panacik]

That isn't the new one, that is the Regent Street store.

I'm surprised people queue to be the first in, were they selling something special at the same time?

Maann that place really looks cool too.

Even though I'm not much of a mac user, I still think it would be awesome to travel to as many Apple stores as possible. Get one of those maps out, with the different color tacks for each place :whistle:

I was thinking the same thing. Good for them that they chose to retain all of that.

As Brodel said above, thats not the Covent Garden store.

I went to the Covent Garden one this morning and it is HUGE! The outside is very nice and fits in with the general architecture of the surrounding buildings etc.

[1337ish]

Hmm, all the apple stores I have been too all seem to suffer from the same issue, there is not enough software/hardware to even fill up there limited smaller sizes, they just repear the same box's and hardware around the store rather then having much more actual product on display....

So they have an even bigger version of that in a building that should be used for far more deserving purposes.....

"we now have 3x the space, what will we fill it with?" "exactly the same as before just 3 times as many of the same products..."

[FloatingFatMan]

Seems a bit excessive. Why does it need that much space?

The more space they have, they less stock they can display and the more they can charge for it; especially in that locale... It's like top end fashion stores. Huge shops, bugger all on the shelves, and you need a mortgage for a pair of socks.