Three Apple stores in Australia for 2008

by Alex Zaharov-Reutt

Friday, 14 March 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! Reports that a third Apple store will be opened in Australia this year come as Aussies keenly await the opening of the first official Apple store in Sydney, with construction reported to be nearly complete. Apple’s magical retail experience, one that makes most other retail experiences seem boring and restrictive in comparison, still hasn’t made its appearance in Australia, but it’s nearly here. For anyone lucky enough to have visited an Apple store overseas, the expansive nature of the stores, the luxuriously stylish design, the helpful staff, the free classes, the myriad of Apple products available to test and try (in store) and even the lack of the traditional cash register, are an eye-opening experience. Although many have tried to create a welcoming, exciting retail experience, a trip to an Apple store shows just how poorly the rest of the retail world treats customers, the very people that make the cash registers ring. Australia’s first Apple store is situated on the corner of George St and King St, with photos available at Flickr. According to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), this store features three levels, will have the famous 'Genuis Bar' and will have an Apple logo ‘floating’ in a glass cube (similar to the New York store). If New York’s latest Apple store is anything to go by, which we previously reported on in iTWire "Apple's newest store in New York redefines the retail experience - again", the third level will be where Apple’s legendary classes are held, teaching customers about all aspects of the Apple experience, from basic classes teaching iTunes and iPhoto, all the way through to advanced video editing with Final Cut Pro. The SMH states that a second Apple store is due for the Sydney suburb of Chatswood in the state of New South Wales, with a third due for the Melbourne suburb of Chadstone, in the state of Victoria. The SMH also states that Apple has around 200 retail stores worldwide, with the stores having a major impact on authorised, yet third party Apple stores, with a number of them closing down. There are at least two ‘Next Byte’ authorised Apple retailers in Sydney’s CBD alone, with others scattered around Sydney suburbs. Quite what these retailers will do once the Apple faithful desert these stores for the ‘real thing’ and Apple’s unique retail experience is yet to be seen, but if I was a franchise owner of Next Byte I’d certainly be wondering where my next byte would be coming from. Please read onto page 2. << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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