First Singapore Apple Store to open soon after long delay

According to a report from The Straits Times, barricades fronting the Apple Orchard Road store at Knightsbridge mall came down Wednesday night after months of construction.

Similar to other grand openings, the store's facade is now veiled in a large white mural sporting three red icons: the Apple logo, a heart and a large dot. Singapore, a small independent city-state, is sometimes referred to colloquially as the "little red dot."

The large icons match 12 smaller groupings positioned near the store's doors, the red dots of which are filled with works of 12 different local artists. Dubbed "Red Dot Heroes," the Creative Pros were selected by Apple to take part in "Today at Apple" workshops once the location opens for business, the report says.

"I'm pretty stoked to be able to share what I see, impart my knowledge using my iPhone camera to fellow Singaporeans," said Apple Creative Pro Aik Beng Chia.

Announced last month, the Today at Apple program involves a series of 60 different educational sessions held at larger brick and mortar stores. Led by Creative Pros skilled in fields like music and photography, the workshops will cover topics like art, design and software coding, while select stores will offer performances by local music acts.

Today at Apple is expected to kick off at the end of May.

Apple has yet to announce an official opening date for its Orchard Road location, but the report claims the store is expected to begin operations soon.

Word of Apple's first outlet serving the Singapore market arrived in late 2015 when the location's previous tenant, Pure Fitness, revealed it was closing to make space for the iPhone maker. At the time, reports claimed Apple would open its doors to customers in 2016.