YouTuber “patjem2” has posted video of Apple Store Fifth Avenue’s new glass cube which reduced the number of individual glass panes from 90 to just 15.
Arnold Kim reports for MacRumors, “In addition to the new cube, Apple has also upgraded the plaza, refreshing or installing new water drains and pavers while removing the small bollards that had previously surrounded the cube.”
The glass cube has been enclosed in a giant box while it underwent reconstruction since mid-summer.
MacDailyNews Take: Only one company in the world would care enough to spend the time and money to reduce those glass panes. Only Apple. May they keep that Jobsian mindset forever!
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple begins removing construction façade from Fifth Avenue glass cube – September 20, 2011
Apple Store Fifth Avenue’s new glass arrives – September 1, 2011
Advanced new glass technology behind landmark Apple Store Fifth Avenue’s rebuilt cube – August 10, 2011
Apple Store Fifth Avenue cube plans revealed: Larger, seamless glass panes – August 9, 2011
Apple Store Fifth Avenue enclosed in giant box (with photo) – July 1, 2011
Photos show major renovations in progress at Apple’s Fifth Ave store – June 16, 2011
Work begins to replace iconic Apple Store Fifth Avenue glass cube – June 16, 2011
Apple Store Fifth Avenue is New York City’s most-photographed attraction – June 2, 2011
Where is it? I can’t see it 🙂
+1
I’m glad I wasn’t drinking coffee when I read that.
So you go down to the huge glass cube, and then you walk down the glass stairs into the rabbit hole… to the best consumer digital products store in the world. Welcome to WonderLand.
How many jugs of windex to clean them inside and out?
FIRST POST!!!!
If by first, you mean third, congratulations.
NOT!
It doesn’t really look all that much different. Fewer panes I guess, maybe a LOT fewer panes. I know if Jobs could have it would have been ONE sheet of glass.
Is it just me — or did it have more impact the old 90-piece-of-glass way? At first glance, I miss the grid effect of the cross-bracing members. But maybe it works better in person…
That was MY thought. I’m not sure I didn’t like the original better. Maybe it leaked like sieve when it rained.
If someone didn’t post that I was going to. I actually prefer the old cube. You almost can’t see this one. Oh well.
It looks like Wonder Woman’s headquarters. I can’t see it.
When viewed against the building behind it I kind of preferred the old one. At least in terms of the number of vertical lines.
From the book:
…”One afternoon he showed me a picture of the Fifth Avenue store and pointed to the eighteen pieces of glass on each side. “This was state of the art in glass technology at the time,” he said. “We had to build our own autoclaves to make the glass.” Then he pulled out a drawing in which the eighteen panes were replaced by four huge panes. That is what he wanted to do next, he said. […] Ron Johnson (head of Apple Retail) was not thrilled by the idea. He thought the eighteen panes actually looked better than four panes would. “The proportions we have today work magically with the colonnade of the GM Building,” he said. “It glitters like a jewel box. I think if we get the glass too transparent, it will almost go away to a fault.” He debated the point with Jobs, but to no avail. “When technology enables something new, he wants to take advantage of that,” said Johnson. “Plus, for Steve, less is always more, simpler is always better. Therefore, if you can build a glass box with fewer elements, it’s better, it’s simpler, and it’s at the forefront of technology. That’s where Steve likes to be, in both his products and his stores.”
I think Johnson was right.
As with the iPhone 4S, Apple has repackaged something old and called it new.
You’re not Ballmer’s left nut. You’re just a nut. As a previous 3GS user, the 4S is plenty new for me.
“You’re not Ballmer’s left nut.”
I hate the fact that anyone can impersonate anyone else via the WordPress interface here. Anyone could rant anything using my name. All I have to protect my identity is a little dot next to my name, just as Spark has, just as the fake ‘Ballmer’s left nut’ does NOT.
Annoying. It encourages IdentiTrolling.
Really seems to be working against them. Not that I agree with your ridiculous statement. If they repackaged the iPhone, why does it still look the same?
You’re just salty because they didn’t change the shape and put a battery-hogging technology that has yet to reach any kind of ubiquity in the device. Two pretty pathetic reasons to say the 4S wasn’t a great update.
Holy crap, that’s even cooler looking than before. Can’t wait to get back to NYC to see it in person again!
Art in retail. Incomprehensible.
Love the MDN Take on the story. In a few words, you nicely captured yet another reason Apple stands as an inspiration to so many individuals.
Thanks for using my Youtube video! I added another one on my blog at http://patjem.nl/new-york-en-heropening-apple-store-op-5th-ave .