Neil Hughes
Just a few weeks after opening its first retail store in Brooklyn, Apple debuted its ninth store in New York City on Tuesday, with the new World Trade Center location opening its doors ahead of the anticipated launch of the "iPhone 7."
As spotted by AppleInsider reader Ryan, Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts was on-hand for the grand opening celebration. The two-story retail location features an entrance on the first floor of the new World Trade Center mall.
Ahrendts was on the store floor when it opened, but her presence was quickly noticed by the first customers. After posing for a few photos with fans and employees, she exited via the store's elevator.
The Apple Store at World Trade Center is located within the $4 billion Oculus structure that resides in the shadow of One World Trade Center. The new retail mall also serves as a connection between the underground station for New York City subways and the PATH trains that arrive from New Jersey.
Rather than Apple's typical Saturday grand opening, the new retail location opened at noon local time on Tuesday, celebrating the public debut of the rest of the mall.
Apple now has seven retail locations in Manhattan alone, with the World Trade Center store joined by the iconic Fifth Avenue cube, a Grand Central Terminal location, as well as stores in SoHo, the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and the Meatpacking District.
Three other New York City stores are also available: On Staten Island, in the Queens Center Mall, and in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. The Brooklyn store opened just a few weeks ago, becoming the first in the city's most populous borough.
The timing of the new Brooklyn and World Trade Center stores is particularly important, as Apple is rumored to be gearing up to debut its next-generation iPhone in just a few weeks, on Sept. 7. If the company sticks to its usual launch pattern, as is expected, it's likely that the so-called "iPhone 7" will debut in mid-to-late September.
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16 Comments
I wonder if Ange thought no one would recognize her and she could just wonder around observing? Welcome to apple fandom, first person in : selfie?
Damn, I totally forgot about this opening, I had originally planned to drop by and snag a shirt.
Apple is going to have to open up another brand new Apple store in the area, because I forgot about this opening, and I would like to get one of those exclusive Apple T-shirts that they hand out at store openings. I don't have a single Apple T-shirt from an opening, and I would like one.
I probably wont have to wait that long, as Apple stores seem to be popping up everywhere.
Aside from the potential goodie bag or t-shirt, I don't really get why "fans" line up at Apple Store openings anymore (except perhaps in places that never had an Apple store before). What's so special? It's not like there's opening day special discounts or substantial door prizes. It's another store with parsons tables and lighted wall cabinets and wooden shelves (and probably a concrete floor).
I know there's something like 125 stores in this new mall, but I bet the rents are quite high and I really wonder how well those stores can do. Most commuters are rushing to or from their trains. I can't see people doing a lot of buying down there. AFAIK, the original WTC mall stores didn't do very well (aside from coffee shops and the like) and that's when there were twin towers. Far fewer people down there now.
The store is in the the "Oculus"
http://www.theverge.com/2016/3/6/11168484/inside-the-oculus-new-yorks-insane-looking-4-billion-train-station
which is easily one of the coolest structures in NYC.