After more than two years of renovations, Apple Fifth Avenue, Apple’s underground flagship store in New York, has opened its doors once more.
Almost twice the size
Today, the doors of the renovated store, the world’s most profitable Apple store, have reopened just in time for the launch of the new iPhone 11 and iPhone Pro.
The surface area of Apple Fifth Avenue has nearly doubled, now totalling over 7,000 m². The extra space will be used in part to run the Today at Apple programme, which organises free sessions teaching skills such as photography and coding.
More light
In order to reduce the ‘cellar-like feeling’ of the store, the ceilings have been raised and the roof of the underground store space is now dotted with some 62 frosted glass skylights. These are embedded in the city square in front of the monumental GM building. The skylights are also surrounded by LED lights that change shade as the day progresses; according to Apple, they change so they match the various shades of sunlight during the day.
Attraction
Apple has also created two new entrances to the store on either side of the square. The idea is to stop a build-up of people at the central entrance along the glass cube when numbers of visitors are high. The store—which is open day and night, 365 days a year—is also a real tourist attraction in New York. Since its opening in 2006, more than 57 million people have walked through the doors of Apple Fifth Avenue.