Exclusive photos from the Apple Store Fifth Ave

Apple Computer on Thursday morning officially unveiled its "most architecturally innovative" retail store to date with a press briefing for analysts and members of the media on the site of the store at 767 Fifth Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets.

The 20,000-square foot location, which will be the first to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, features a distinctive 32-foot glass cube that creates an attractive new destination on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, one of the world's most popular shopping scenes.

When the store opens to the public at 7:00PM ET on Friday, it will feature more than 100 Macs and nearly 200 iPods for customers to try before they buy, as well as the world’s largest assortment of accessories.

"We opened our first New York store in SoHo in 2002, and it has been successful beyond our dreams. Now we’re thrilled to open our second New York store on Fifth Avenue," said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. "With outstanding service and an amazing location open 24 hours a day, we think the Apple Store Fifth Avenue is going to be a favorite destination for New Yorkers and people around the world."

Several photos taken Thursday morning at the site of the new retail store have been published, below, for your enjoyment.

(Thanks to our pals from cheechandchong.com for supplying several of the photos.)

Meanwhile, Curbed has posted some so-so quality photos from inside the store. The New York City-based real estate publication continues to allude to "surprises" tomorrow evening out on the store's plaza, where a live band is rumored to make a performance.