AppleInsider Staff
It seems that select Apple Store locations are organizing accessories into collections called "feature bays" to enhance the in-store shopping experience, with the first arrangement advertising iPhone photography products.
According to Mac Otakara, which provided the photo of the so-called "feature bay" seen above, Apple Stores are rolling out the new design to throw a spotlight on accessory use cases, not simply the devices they support. It is unclear when other stores are scheduled to get similar treatment.
For now it seems Apple is concentrating on iPhone photography, the most touted feature of the company's biggest revenue driver. The feature bay shown above includes an assembly of products including a "Photography Kit," a "Videography Kit," multiple GoPro items beneath a poster of shot on iPhone. Perhaps not coincidentally, Apple started advertising some of these accessory kits on its website earlier today.
The reimagined Apple Store layout comes just days after Apple SVP of Retail Angela Ahrendts spoke about the future of Apple retail, both online and in brick-and-mortar outlets. Ahrendts said she envisions a store with products arranged by use case, singling out photography and gaming as specific examples, suggesting a "feature bay" advertising gaming accessories could be in the offing.
Malcolm Owen
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16 Comments
The Apple Store in The Natick Collection just outside of Boston had one of these set up today also. It was also dedicated to photography.
If this is true, it's horrible. The items should be at eye level, not an inch off the floor. How dirty/dusty will the bottom items get after a day in a high-traffic store? I see the lip, but feet can kick dust bunnies airborne. Why isn't the shelving glass instead of something one can find in Ikea's bargain bin? Glass—light and airy—is used successfully in their stores from façades to stairs to iWatch display tables. Zoom in on the pic and you can see that the top and second rows of aluminum are warped, barely supporting the product or themselves. The edges don't align properly!
The first Apple stores had a very similar area for video and still cameras. Sony was among the first with FireWire support from which all good things video flowed.
These feature bays have been around since last holiday season
That "feature bay" looks like crap. Misaligned shelves, and items displayed all crooked, someone needs to get a pair of glasses.