- Apple’s iconic Fifth Avenue store will officially reopen on September 20 as the largest Apple store in the world.
- When the store opens, customers can buy any of 3 new phones, including the $700 iPhone 11 or $1,100 iPhone 11 Pro.
- The store will be open 24 hours a day every single day of the year and is designed to be a place both local New Yorkers and tourists can visit.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Apple is opening its redesigned Fifth Avenue store this week, set to open to the public on September 20.
The new space, which kept the same landmark glass cube look but wth new single glass panels, is nearly twice the size of the original store, making it the world’s largest Apple Store.
“Our customers are at the center of everything we do, and Apple Fifth Avenue is for them, to inspire them, and to provide the very best place to discover our newest products,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a press release. “It’s unique among Apple stores, and today it returns even more welcoming, and even more beautiful than ever. We’re so proud to be a part of this great city where so much happens every day.”
The store initially opened in 2006 under. Since then, the store has welcomed more than 57 million visitors.
Here's what to expect when you visit.
The glass cube landmark remains, across the street from Central Park, but has a cleaner look with just 15 glass panels instead of the old cube's 90.
The iridescent coating on the new glass panels which the cube debuted with this month has since been removed.
Customers enter the underground store through a new stainless steel staircase.
The stairs are the focal point of the store, made of 43 cantilevered stair treads.
There are also new side entrances for people who want to get in and out quickly.
But you still shouldn't miss out on descending through the center of the store on the stairs.
Or, take the circular, stainless steel elevator down to the main level.
The elevator takes you down the center of the cube, directly beneath the hanging Apple logo.
The updated store has 18 "sky lenses" — skylights that magnify the light filtering more of it into the store — and 62 skylights that naturally the space with outdoor light. You'll almost forget that you're underground.
The ceiling is designed to evoke the sky, with what the press release described as a "back-lit, cloud-like ceiling made from curved fabric."
The sky lenses sit above the ground on the place outside and are raised so that people above ground can't walk over them and block the light.
18 sky lenses are raised above the ground on the plaza outside, and magnify the sky to viewers below. Their bases are sculpted out of the same material as the plaza, and can also function as seating outside the store. Sky lights are covered in frosted glass, and people walking over them can look down into the store.
Led lights around the sky lenses are responsive to light sensors outside to reflect real-life conditions.
The store is open 24 hours a day, so be sure to visit at sunrise or sunset, when the lights create a warmth in the store that is designed to mimic the sky outside
As you walk in, you get a full view of the store, which is now large that Apple CEO Tim Cook has said it's the largest in the world.
The Genius Bar area has doubled, and the store has almost 900 employees. When the store first opened in 2006, it had only 300.
The forum will be home to "Today at Apple" sessions hosted by local artists.
They'll lead daily sessions on photography, video, drawing, and other workshops beginning on Saturday, September 21. The forum area also has a video wall.
The store's design is intended to blur the lines between outdoors and indoors. Trees cover benches throughout the store.
Both sides of the store have a wall of greenery.
Visitors can sit next to the green space and charge their phones while waiting for a Genius Bar appointment.
The store has a physical version of the new Apple Watch Studio.
You can choose a size, case material, and band, and see the price as you go on iPads.
Mix and match your favorite bands and cases.
You can test out your creations to see how they look in person before you buy.
This display in the headphones and speakers section of the store has the notes from the original "Think Different" campaign song spelled out via AirPods.
You can try on Beats headphones in your favorite color.
The store also features a walled-off "Experience Room" where you can try out audio features.
Although the main area of the store is open with high ceilings, this room is designed to simulate a home, so you can get an idea of how the audio will actually sound from products like the HomePod.
Some elements of the store remain the same — long wooden tables with the current lineup of iPhones, laptops, and Apple Watches are available to play with.
Try out all the products Apple currently carries, and see what the new colors look like in person.
The store opens at 8 a.m. on September 20, and will remain open 24/7, 365 days a year to serve both tourists and locals alike.
