Apple has a reputation of building some of the coolest, most futuristic retail stores
in the world. This location in Dubai features carbon fiber Solar Wings that automatically
open and close to cool down the space. This store in Milan features a stunning water fountain
display that welcomes visitors as they enter. And one of my favorite locations is this one
in Shanghai which utilizes patented curved glass panels to achieve its unique cylindrical
shape. But the most iconic Apple Store in the world is in New York City on Fifth Avenue.
Sitting just a few steps from central park, it’s likely one of the highest traffic stores
in the country. And you can get an understanding of just how important this store is to Apple
by considering its history. Which is exactly what we’re going to cover. This is Greg
with Apple Explained, and if you want to help decide which topics I cover, make sure you’re
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Now let’s start off by exploring where the concept of a glass cube-shaped Apple Store
came from in the first place. It turns out Jobs always had the idea in the back of his
head, but he wasn’t sure where the flagship store should be located. That is, until Jobs
met with Harry Macklowe, a New York City real estate developer. Macklowe had recently purchased
the most expensive office building in North America at the time. The General Motors building
in Manhattan, which cost him 1.4 billion dollars. But there was one problem with the property
that discouraged many other developers from investing. And that was the plaza that sat
directly in front of the building. There were a couple issues with this space. First, it
was considered by most architects to be too large for a simple plaza, but too small to
place another skyscraper. Second, it contained a basement that was never even used. This
was due to the plaza being sunken when it was first built, but subsequently raised after
the area failed to attract many pedestrians.
So Macklowe had a problem on his hands. How could this awkward, aging plaza be transformed
into a modern shopping area? Well, he had one company in mind that could offer a solution,
and that was Apple. Because not only had they made an aggressive and successful entrance
into the retail market two years earlier, but Apple’s retail stores served as stylish,
modern spaces which housed some of the coolest tech products in the world. So convincing
Apple to build their flagship store on the GM plaza became Macklowe’s top priority.
He started by contacting George Blankenship, Apple’s vice-president of real estate, to
try and set up a meeting with Jobs. He was successful, and quickly flew out to Cupertino
to discuss what would become one of the most iconic retail stores in the world. Macklowe
brought with him his longtime design partner Dan Shannon and the architects from the firm
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, who designed the Apple Store in Soho.
This meeting is where Jobs shared his idea for store’s glass cube design, complete
with a model of the GM building, Apple store, and plaza to clearly demonstrate his vision
for the space. Macklowe immediately loved the idea, especially since it made perfect
use of the challenging space. Not only could a glass cube be perfectly proportioned for
the plaza’s size, but Apple’s retail space would actually be located underground. Finally
making use of the location’s awkward basement area which had been empty for almost a decade.
But Macklowe recognized an issue Steve Job’s design right away. The glass cube was simply
too big. Jobs wanted a 40 foot cube. Which would not only obscure the GM building, but
invite protest from tenants and cause zoning issues with the city. But Macklowe knew he
couldn’t break this news to Jobs himself, since it would likely fall on deaf ears. So
instead, Macklowe helped Jobs discover this issue himself. He did this by constructing
a scaffolding mockup of the cube to give Apple an idea of its scale, and once their retail
executives saw the mockup in person, they agreed that it should be smaller.
Now it’s important to note just how involved Steve Jobs was in every step of the store’s
development. He helped decided what type of stone would be used for the plaza and ordered
workers to replace the metal bolts holding together the glass panels. Jobs was so excited
about the store that he built a mockup of his own in the parking lot of Apple’s headquarters.
He was so involved in the project that he eventually developed a friendship with Macklowe,
who offered Jobs an office in the GM building. But Jobs refused, saying, “When I come to
New York, I want to be in Soho. I want to be in Chelsea. I want to be surrounded by
young people. So I can listen to what they’re thinking. I want to have new ideas.”
On May 19, 2006 the 32 foot glass cube on fifth avenue was unveiled to the public. It
featured an illuminated white, floating Apple logo and a glass staircase spiraling around
a cylindrical glass elevator. Not only did this liberal use of glass make the store look
good and feel more spacious, but it served a functional purpose as well, by allowing
sunlight to shine down into the store. Apple’s retail executive Ron Johnson explained the
concept well, saying, “the glass cube was designed to let in light and ambiance throughout
the day. When I’m under here canopied by the cube I feel like I’m in a public space.”
And that concept is important to remember since it helped inform all of the store’s
subsequent updates. It’s also important to point out that when Apple opened this fifth
avenue location, they’d only been in retail for five years and hadn’t yet opened a flagship
store. So neither Apple nor Macklowe had an accurate frame of reference to predict how
the store would perform. They simply had to measure the earnings of surrounding stores
while drawing up a business deal. Part of that deal was deciding what percentage of
their sales Apple would pay to Macklowe, the property owner. And as it would turn out,
Apple made out like bandits since their fifth avenue store performance was unprecedented.
Although Apple and Macklowe had high hopes, all of their expectations were shattered when
the numbers came in for the store’s first year.
It ended up attracting 50,000 visitors a day, which totaled 18.2 million people. Making
the store Apple’s most popular in the world at the time. But what about revenue? Because
making money is what retail’s about after all. Well, the fifth avenue Apple store alone
ended up bringing in an average of one million dollars each day. And that’s after Apple
paid rent and a percentage of the stores profits to Macklowe. But it’s also important to
consider the store’s social impacts. Not only did this transformation of the GM building
make the property look more appealing and drive higher foot traffic, but it also attracted
more high end luxury stores looking to replicate the kind of success Apple had.
So the fifth avenue Apple store wasn’t only a wild success for Apple, but also the property
owner and the neighborhood that surrounded it. But the truth is, this was only the beginning.
Since Apple would revamp their fifth avenue store multiple times in the following years.
The first update came in 2011, when Apple spent 6.6 million dollars to rebuild the glass
cube using just 15 panes of glass instead of 90. But that was seemingly insignificant
compared to the major renovations Apple began making to the store six years later in 2017.
This time they actually opened a temporary location for the fifth avenue store just steps
away from the original. And that was in large part due to great timing. The FAO Shwarz toy
store located in the GM building behind the Apple Store actually vacated the property
due to high rent just in time for Apple’s renovation project. So Apple was able to simply
buy the location and continue offering their products and services without much disruption
to customers. And this was important, since the 2017 fifth avenue project was much more
involved and complex than in 2011.
No one knew at the time what Apple had in store for the location. They didn’t even
reveal how long the project would last. But it turned out that the fifth avenue renovation
would take over two years to finally complete. And it was time well spent, because the improvements
made to the store were absolutely stunning. I actually went on a road trip with my younger
brother to see this store for myself the day it opened, and it really was an unforgettable
experience. Not only was Tim Cook and Deirdre O’Brian there to commemorate the occasion,
but people from across the world stopped by to see the store in person.
But first let’s talk about what makes this remodeled store so special. As I mentioned
earlier in the video, Apple’s always wanted this store to feel open, spacious, and bright.
Which is especially important since the store is underground. And they were able to achieve
this in a few ways. First, there are portholes in the ceiling that not only let in much more
natural light than before, but feature integrated LED lights that automatically shift their
color temperature to match the natural light. That way cooler natural light won’t clash
with warmer artificial light. But what’s even cooler are what the portholes look like
outside the store. They carpet the plaza and give it a futuristic glow, while also doubling
as chrome benches for people to sit and perhaps even peak inside. And instead of stairs and
an elevator made of glass, Apple instead opted for chrome. Which I was told helps reflect
the greenery, which there’s quite a bit of. Not only are there trees in the middle
of the store, but there are also these walls of greenery around the perimeter where visitors
can sit and charge their devices.
But something I found very interesting was the addition this HomePod room, which gave
visitors a chance to experience stereo sound feature, which I admit was quite impressive.
Another cool touch were the photos that lined the hallway to the backroom and bathrooms.
They featured the old store, the construction process, and the new store. It’s also worth
noting that the remodeled fifth avenue store is twice as big and has higher ceilings which
is important since the number of visitors to this location has only been growing. So
the fifth avenue Apple Store continues to be one of the company’s most impressive
locations, and I highly encourage anyone in the area to visit and check it out for themselves.
Alright guys thanks for watching and I’ll see you next time.