Keeping with his tradition of attending Apple's gala international retail launches, our friend Gary Allen from ifoAppleStore has made the grueling journey across the Pacific to be on hand for tomorrow's grand opening at 10:00 a.m.
Allen reports that Apple's space within the Sanlitun complex "is nearly invisible from the street," because it sits within the center's inner courtyard. "But once you see it, itâs impressive — a three-story glass façade covering two visible floors, and a level covered with stainless steel."
A large overpass reportedly caps off the store, funneling patrons to and from other portions of the shopping center. The overpass itself is covered with stainless steel and punctuated with a back-lit Apple logo near center mass.
Inside, customers will find the usually array of Mac and iPod products, as well as a sprawling Genius Bar staffed with technical support specialists. However, one thing they won't find is the iPhone, as Apple's negotiations with Chinese wireless carriers remain a work-in-progress.
According to Allen, a crowd of over 110 people had queued up in an enclosed space just to the left of the store as of midnight Saturday morning local time.
Apple Store Sanlitun in Beijing, China | Copyright: 变脸.
22 Comments
The chinese build buildings that really look like ass. The Apple store looks nice, but the rest of the buildings in the "Village at Sanlitun retail complex" look horrible.
Our friend Gary Allen from ifoAppleStore has made the grueling journey across the Pacific to be on hand for tomorrow's grand opening at 10:00 a.m. What he do swim ??
The chinese build buildings that really look like ass. The Apple store looks nice, but the rest of the buildings in the "Village at Sanlitun retail complex" look horrible.
I don't know about looking like ass. But shouldn't "Genius Bar" be written in
chinese.
And ya'll ain't fooling me. Those photos were done over with CS3,using the smog filter.
That is the most beautiful piece of Apple architecture in existence. GAAHHH. We need one in downtown Seattle.