Architecture, creativity, and community. These are the themes that best summarize Apple retail in 2018. Over the past year, Apple has worked in new ways to expand its global and local reach. The company has challenged the traditional definition of brick-and-mortar stores during an uncertain time for many retailers. By opening increasingly ambitious and inviting locations supported by an engaging schedule of creative events, Apple hopes that its 500 million yearly visitors won’t just shop, but also discover a place to connect with like-minded individuals in their own communities.
Last year, we highlighted each new and newly remodeled store that Apple opened worldwide. In the twelve months following, the boundaries of architecture and environmental design have been pushed even further. As the year comes to a close, we’ve closely cataloged not just each new store, but every detail of Apple’s retail initiatives in 2018 to bring you a comprehensive field guide. For easy navigation, you can jump to any section below:
- New Stores
- Redesigned and Rebuilt Stores
- Closed Stores
- Today at Apple
- New Forums
- Products and Merchandising
- Apple Store App
- What’s Next?
New Stores
Across 2018, Apple opened nine entirely new stores worldwide for a total of 506 operating locations. Each new store is powered by 100% renewable energy and offers regionalized architecture, a completely custom layout, and a strong emphasis on community connection.
While Apple opened fewer stores than in previous years, each one represents deeper capital and civic investments than ever before. Every 2018 store has been built with outdoor access and ground-level windows for natural light. When possible, Apple incorporates native plant life and locally sourced materials into its newest designs. We cataloged the evolution of Apple’s contemporary retail architecture earlier this year in a one-of-a-kind photo book.
Apple Garosugil
Opened: January 27th, 2018
Just ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Apple opened its first store in South Korea, Apple Garosugil. Nestled in a shopping district of Seoul, the store announced its arrival with colorful banners reading “Nice to meet you.” 140 team members staffed the store for the grand opening, during which retail SVP Angela Ahrendts greeted customers. Apple Garosugil’s combination of parallel stone walls and an overhung, wood-planked ceiling would become a reference point for the design of smaller store remodels later in the year.
Apple Kärntner Straße
Opened: February 24th, 2018
Less than a month after arriving in South Korea, Apple also established its first store in Austria. Vienna’s Apple Kärntner Straße is located in a 19th-century storefront with a stone facade and curved corner entrance. Apple celebrated the artistic legacy of Vienna with a creative campaign surrounding the store’s grand opening. Patterns and animations created from Apple icons were designed as an homage to the Wiener Werkstätte, a historic local community of artists.
Apple Shinjuku
Opened: April 7th, 2018
Japan’s first new Apple store of 2018 opened at the base of the Shinjuku Marui Main Building in one of Tokyo’s most popular shopping districts. While the country was already home to seven Apple retail stores, Apple Shinjuku marked the first time Japanese customers could participate in the full Today at Apple experience with a 6K Video Wall and Forum. Neon-themed graphics decorated the storefront, Apple’s website, and souvenir gifts given away to the first customers inside.
Apple Cotai Central
Opened: June 29th, 2018
Architects Foster + Partners describe Macau’s second Apple store as “a new oasis of calm.” Just steps from the bright lights and glamour of resorts and casinos, a 1mm stone curtain laminated between sheets of glass envelopes the store’s second floor. A balcony overlooks an indoor bamboo grove, where leather benches and Forum seating are nestled around the Video Wall.
Apple Piazza Liberty
Opened: July 26th, 2018
In Milan, Italy, a cascading fountain marks the glass entrance to a global flagship space unlike any other. Apple Piazza Liberty seamlessly transitions from an amphitheater above ground to a more traditional store below. The store’s design is perhaps the clearest expression of Apple’s retail direction going forward. For Milan, a creative campaign featuring the work of 21 local artists was established. A dedicated website, limited edition book, and a month of artist-hosted Today at Apple sessions were promoted with the slogan “Cosa farai domani, Milano,” or “What will you do tomorrow, Milan?”
Apple Kyoto
Opened: August 25th, 2018
Apple’s second new Japanese store for 2018 was its first in the ancient city of Kyoto. A staircase with carved handrails connects the first floor to an upper level designed with traditional Japanese culture in mind. Timber and paper window coverings known as shōji complement plaster walls installed by local craftspeople.
Apple Suzhou
Opened: September 21st, 2018
Below the Gate to the East, Apple opened its latest store in China coinciding with the launch of the iPhone XS and Apple Watch Series 4. The store’s dramatically curved glass facade is adjacent to the Suzhou Center Mall’s main entrance and joins 600 other brands in the shopping complex. Apple Suzhou is one of only two new stores to open in greater China this year, possibly due to unforeseen changes in the company’s international growth plans. In February, Alibaba Affiliate Ant Financial announced that Apple would begin supporting the popular payment app Alipay in Chinese stores.
Photo via Foster + Partners
Apple Iconsiam
Opened: November 10th, 2018
Apple entered Thailand with a splash, opening a soaring glass pavilion and rooftop terrace in the ICONSIAM mall on the banks of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River. Angela Ahrendts called the store “the fullest expression of everything that Apple’s doing,” and addressed fears that Apple’s increased presence would lead to the demise of third-party resellers by stressing the importance of its existing relationship with the partners.
Apple Champs-Élysées
Opened: November 18, 2018
Rounding out the year, France received a new flagship store in the heart of Paris. By strategically blending historic and modern elements, Apple and architects Foster + Partners created a surprising and labyrinthine space with new vantage points and product showcases around every corner. The centerpiece of the store is a towering, trapezoidal Forum topped by a photovoltaic skylight. Prior to its grand opening, the work of 15 artists covered store windows to promote an exclusive lineup of Today at Apple sessions for Paris.
Redesigned and Rebuilt Stores
In addition to opening entirely new stores, Apple completely redesigned or moved 17 of its existing classic stores. Some locations were temporarily closed and updated in place or expanded into adjacent storefronts. These updates include replacing stainless steel and tile interiors with all-new layouts featuring Apple’s latest fixtures and materials. Other stores moved a few doors down in their respective malls, continuing to operate as normal until new spaces were ready.
These renovations and closures typically take between six and twelve months to complete. We documented every temporary store Apple has built to serve customer demand during renovations, and what became of every space Apple vacated through the years.
Most impressively, Apple transformed some of its smallest stores into architecturally significant flagship locations, occasionally moving across the street or across town. While these stores have new addresses and occasionally new names, they are considered replacements and don’t impact global store count.
2018 was the first year in Apple retail history during which the company did not open a single entirely new store location in the United States, choosing instead to update its existing fleet. 44 states plus the District of Columbia have at least one store, and 7,000 U.S. retail jobs have been added over the last five years.
Reopened: March 24th, 2018
After closing in July 2017, Apple’s location in the Bluewater Shopping Centre roughly doubled in size upon reopening. It was the only mall store in the United Kingdom to receive a full redesign in 2018.
Moved: June 9th, 2018
LA’s Beverly Center recently underwent a $500-million remodeling project, and Apple’s own expansion put a bow on it.
Photo courtesy of Peter Cao
Moved: June 30th, 2018
In Seattle, a small and aging classic location was replaced next door by an open-air flagship surrounded by a terrazzo porch. Skylights, tree wells, a living wall, and a rooftop garden planted with sedum connect the store to nature.
Apple Broadway Plaza (Formerly Walnut Creek)
Moved: July 28th, 2018
Apple revitalized the heart of Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza shopping center by creating a community terrace around its Bohlin Cywinski Jackson-designed store. We visited the space on opening day to bring you an extensive gallery of its design details.
Moved: August 18th, 2018
In a suburb of Chicago, Orland Park’s indoor mall store was one of two Apple locations to move on the same day. We visited the store and documented its grand reopening.
Moved: August 18th, 2018
The unveiling of a $200-million expansion project at the Irvine Spectrum Center included the grand opening of Apple’s relocated store. A line of rhythmic fountains leads to the standalone building’s entrance, which is entirely enclosed by glass on two sides.
Photo courtesy of Aaron Zollo
Reopened: September 2nd, 2018
After closing in April to be renovated, Charlotte, North Carolina’s store reopened just in time for fall. While the store didn’t significantly expand in size, it now features Apple’s latest layout.
Moved: September 21st, 2018
In Victor, New York, Apple quietly relocated its 2005-era store to coincide with the iPhone XS and Apple Watch Series 4 launch. Apple Suzhou opened in China on the same day.
Moved: September 29th, 2018
Robina Town Centre became the home of Australia’s second modernized Apple store this fall and kicked off a 1-day retail marathon during which five stores across the world celebrated grand reopenings just hours apart.
Photo courtesy of Justin Sommer
Moved: September 29th, 2018
Whitehall, Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley Mall received the first in a series of updated stores to feature a revised design for Apple’s suburban outdoor mall locations. Wood and stone elements are arranged in a combination similar to South Korea’s Apple Garosugil and replace the light boxes and polished white facades Apple previously used in similar store layouts.
Reopened: September 29th, 2018
Apple closed its circa-2005 Nashville store in February 2018 and essentially tripled its width upon reopening.
Moved: September 29th, 2018
Not far from the updated Orland Square Mall store, Apple moved a few doors down in the outdoor Deer Park Town Center. We attended the store’s grand reopening and photographed the new space.
Photo courtesy of Corbin Gotelli
Apple Scottsdale Fashion Square (Formerly Biltmore)
Moved: September 29th, 2018
Replacing a low-profile location 7 miles west at Biltmore Fashion Park, Scottsdale, Arizona’s Fashion Square is now home to one of the most architecturally unique Apple stores in the United States. The sunken, split-level structure uses a grid of angled skylights across its cantilevered roof to fill the space below with pools of natural light.
Reopened: October 26th, 2018
Following the country’s two new stores earlier in the year, Apple updated one of its classic locations in Japan as well. Apple Shibuya was closed for 11 months and returned with a new three-story design and stunning spiral staircase. It’s also one of the only contemporary Apple stores built without a Video Wall.
Photo courtesy of Chase Hooper
Reopened: November 3rd, 2018
After closing in March, Apple returned to Southlake, Texas with its second outdoor mall store featuring a revised design language.
Reopened: November 10th, 2018
Apple’s White Plains, New York store saw its second major expansion since first opening in 2002. Renovations began this past May.
Apple Alderwood (Formerly Alderwood Mall)
Reopened: November 17th, 2018
Lynnwood, Washington’s outdoor mall store was one of the first to close for renovation in 2018 and also the last of the year to reopen. It shares its design with Southlake and Lehigh Valley’s stores.
(Click image for larger version)
Closed Stores
Unlike many other brick and mortar retailers that have struggled in the wake of changing consumer preferences and shopping habits, Apple rarely closes retail locations without replacing them. Most stores are situated in top-performing malls and shopping districts to ensure healthy foot traffic and maintain a positive brand image. Prior to 2018, only stores in Simi Valley, California, Sapporo, Japan, and two Apple Watch shops had ever closed their doors. This year saw three closures worldwide, largely due to external factors.
Apple Watch at Isetan Shinjuku
Closed: May 13th, 2018
The last of three Apple Watch pop-up stores closed at Tokyo’s Isetan department store. After similar experimental shops in Paris and London closed in 2017, it was only a matter of time before Japan’s store followed. One month earlier, Apple Shinjuku had opened across the street offering not just watches, but Apple’s entire product line.
Apple The Pier
Closed: June 30th, 2018
Due to a decline in local tourism and visitors to the area, Atlantic City, New Jersey’s Apple The Pier closed on June 30th.
Apple Carrousel du Louvre
Closed: October 27th, 2018
In Paris, Apple chose not to extend the lease of its iconic space at the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall. With over 12 million visitors since 2009, the decision was likely not a result of declining foot traffic, but a byproduct of Apple’s modern retail philosophy. Upon closing, we took a look back at the famous store’s history. Nearby, Apple Champs-Élysées opened a few weeks later on November 18th.
Today at Apple
Greater than groundbreaking architecture and store remodeling projects is Today at Apple, a platform of in-store creative and educational sessions. The program rolled out globally in May 2017 and has become one of Apple’s most underestimated competitive advantages. We documented Today at Apple’s first year worldwide and analyzed how recent hardware and software updates can unlock potential for new sessions.
In 2018, Today at Apple significantly expanded in customer reach and community awareness. 18,000 sessions are now hosted per week and attended by millions. A team of 70,000 retail employees including 3,000 Creative Pros are behind Apple’s bet that the future of retail belongs to immersive experiences that can’t be replicated online.
Regional session iconography created for Santa Monica, Bangkok, and Vienna.
To achieve its goal of creating a stronger human connection, every component of the company’s in-store messaging from classic Genius Bar displays to employee pins have been realigned to be Today at Apple-first. When possible, Apple likes to regionalize its creative promotions with artwork that adopts themes and colors from local culture. Today at Apple session icons for Santa Monica, Bangkok, and Vienna were all individually styled.
While new content can theoretically be rolled out at a moment’s notice, physical design changes take longer to percolate. The fruits of these efforts were abundantly clear in 2018, as each new store large and small integrated a more significant Forum or outdoor community space than ever before. Designing for Today at Apple must begin in the earliest planning stages of a project.
In addition to a consistent schedule of sessions offered at every store location, Apple produced a large set of exclusive events typically held at top flagship stores around the world. These special events often bring a packed house and greatly help increase awareness of Today at Apple. Sessions are also Apple’s best way to promote local creative talent and the artists it collaborates with.
Upcoming Sessions — Apple Burlingame
Notable exclusive sessions in 2018 included:
- The Dubai Typography Series at Apple Dubai Mall
- Teacher Tuesday following March’s iPad education keynote at Apple Michigan Avenue
- International Women’s Day at Apple Orchard Road
- Earth Day celebrations at Apple Union Square
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day at Apple Michigan Avenue and Williamsburg
- WWDC 2018 broadcasts at select stores
- Apple Camp for kids aged 8 to 12 at stores around the world
- The Big Draw at eight flagship stores worldwide
- October 30th Special Event broadcasts at select stores
In addition to these unique programs, Apple continued its promotion of coding skills by again supporting EU Code Week with over 2,000 sessions in Europe throughout October. Hour of Code sessions were held daily from December 1st through 14th. In June, a new session was launched to help designers and developers explore app prototyping with keynote. We took the session and reviewed it.
Video with a Creative — Apple Orland Square Mall
New programs were also co-created with artists who had the opportunity to showcase their creative tips to a global audience. A Music Lab was developed with Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA to help aspiring musicians hone their sound. Photographer Chase Jarvis shared with iPhone owners how to craft a shot. Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine discussed how to build a song.
In June, the proliferation of Today at Apple helped it win the Brand Experience and Activation Grand Prix at 2018’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Angela Ahrendts also spoke at the Festival, calling Today at Apple the “largest platform we’ve ever had for enriching lives.” The sentiment was echoed in a later interview during the annual Global Leadership Summit. June’s “Celebrate Creativity” in-store campaign decorated retail locations globally with artwork created by a range of illustrators and designers. The name extended to a collection of sessions with a common goal.
Photo Walks: Manipulating Light and Shadow — Apple Park Visitor Center
Since October, sessions have been held at Apple Park Visitor Center. The unique location was a notable holdout in programming, but is now one of the best places to experience Today at Apple. One of the first major events held at the Visitor Center was a livestream of Apple’s October 30th keynote. We collected scenes of the broadcast at stores around the world in a gallery. During the keynote, 60 new sessions were introduced and will begin rolling out in 2019.
Today at Apple’s significant competitive advantage is met by an equally formidable challenge. In some cities, leaders and residents feel the company’s relationship with public space has become a bit too cozy. Store plans in Melbourne, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden have been largely rejected after multiple rounds of revision and negotiation. Securing the support of communities around the world will be critical to the long-term success of Today at Apple.
New Forums
The full Today at Apple experience requires a modernized store. While around 120 stores fully offer the company’s latest design and layout, this only represents roughly one-quarter of Apple’s locations worldwide. Completely remodeling or replacing a store is a costly endeavor, and many locations predate the new design strategy by only a few years or months. To expedite Today at Apple’s growth and extend the useful life of well-equipped classic locations, Apple began a program in 2018 to upgrade select stores by replacing the Genius Bar with a contemporary Forum. This includes a 6K or 8K Video Wall, modular Forum seating, and in many cases, new tables throughout the store. Significant stores drop classic accessory bays and inset tables for product Avenues.
Apple Palo Alto — November 2018
The end result is a hybrid between new and old store designs. Facades are left untouched and stainless steel interiors remain with a modern twist. These renovations take only about a month in many cases, and for non-flagship locations don’t require a full store closure.
The classic store upgrade program has allowed Apple to modernize an additional 24 stores across 2018 and bring at least one Forum to all but two countries with an Apple retail presence, Sweden and Switzerland. Over 70 more stores are expected to receive similar upgrades next year alone.
Apple Covent Garden — Photo courtesy of Saif Aslam
Apple Palo Alto was the first classic store to receive a Forum, closing briefly in May and June for updates. Four more flagships—Causeway Bay, Wangfujing, Covent Garden, and Third Street Promenade—received similar changes. Significant stores often include a few unique elements as well, like leather benches, indoor trees, and living walls.
In London’s Covent Garden, Apple created custom Avenue display cases as to not disturb the building’s historic brickwork. In Santa Monica, Apple Third Street Promenade includes unusual double-length tables.
Classic stores with Forum upgrades across 2018:
- Apple Palo Alto: June 30th, 2018
- Apple Victoria Gardens: July 2018
- Apple Yorkdale: July 2018
- Apple Queens Center: August 16th, 2018
- Apple Holiday Plaza Shenzhen: August 25th, 2018
- Apple NorthPark Center: August 2018
- Apple Willowbrook: September 2018
- Apple Houston Galleria: September 2018
- Apple Wangfujing: September 17th, 2018
- Apple Boca Raton: September 2018
- Apple Causeway Bay: September 2018
- Apple La Maquinista: September 29th, 2018
- Apple Manchester Arndale: September 29th, 2018
- Apple Mall of Louisiana: October 2018
- Apple Carrefour Laval: October 2018
- Apple Morumbi: October 5th, 2018
- Apple Akasya: October 2018
- Apple Covent Garden: October 26th, 2018
- Apple Tianjin Joy City: October 2018
- Apple CAP 3000: October 2018
- Apple Rundle Place: November 2018
- Apple MixC Chengdu: November 2018
- Apple Third Street Promenade: November 17th, 2018
- Apple Den Haag: November 28th, 2018
Products and Merchandising
While Today at Apple has become a retail star, it’s still Apple’s products and their thoughtful merchandising that keep stores stocked and bursting at the seams with customers. New products and services offer opportunities to display and market the hardware and software in new ways.
The year began on the heels of a late December 2017 announcement in which Apple dropped the price of iPhone battery replacement on iPhone 6 and newer from $79 to $29 through the end of 2018. The change came in response to criticism surrounding Apple’s policies for handling performance on iPhones with older batteries. Predictably, the price cut caused a year-long spike in Genius Bar appointments at stores and further strained the capacity of older locations already full to the brim.
In February, Apple released the HomePod and began displaying it in stores. Demoing a Siri-controlled speaker in a noisy environment is a challenge, so iPad mini display units were employed to highlight the device’s specs and features. A similar strategy is used at Apple Watch try-on tables. We conceptualized how augmented reality and dedicated Avenues could be used to create a more immersive demo experience. Later in the year, Apple began merchandising HomePod boxes on Avenue shelves.
During the lead up to Earth Day, Apple shared that all of its operations are now powered by 100% renewable energy. This statistic includes all 506 retail stores. To compensate for shopping centers and stores that must rely on dirty energy, Apple buys power from renewable energy projects it has a hand in sustaining—rather than simply purchasing hard-to-track carbon credits.
Green wall at Apple Palo Alto
Environmental initiatives continued with a focus on the Apple GiveBack recycling program. Customers can bring in old devices to trade for in-store credit. The program was promoted by storefront window decals during Earth Day alongside traditional green Apple logos and T-shirts for employees. Less than one month later, Apple Michigan Avenue in Chicago was recognized for lighting design sympathetic to its environment and the well-being of employees and visitors.
New Activity Avenue design
In June, Apple celebrated Pride Month with the special release of a Pride Edition Woven Nylon Apple Watch band. Like in 2017, the band was prominently showcased at select stores worldwide. 13 locations dedicated an entire Apple Watch display table to demoing various watch models with the band and a colorful Apple logo.
Later in the month, a Mac keyboard service program was launched for customers experiencing sticky, unresponsive, or repeated key presses. Eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro models can be serviced free of charge through Apple or Authorized Service Providers. The program brought yet another spike in service appointments at Apple stores. During a visit to the Mall of America’s aging and undersized store, we imagined how Apple could make a move to the mall’s north wing and transform the customer experience.
Apple’s Back to School offer launched in July and again offered a free pair of Beats headphones with the purchase of specific Mac or iPad models. The promotion wrapped up on September 25th, right after significant visual changes came to all stores dovetailing the announcement of the iPhone XS, XR, and Apple Watch Series 4.
New graphic panels, and in classic stores, 3D feature bays highlighted Apple’s ecosystem of services and apps. These displays were later updated with reflective iconography for the holiday season. Apple had previously rolled out a new backlit Activity Avenue at modern stores starting in June with Apple Beverly Center. In London, at least two major department stores featured stunning and dynamic displays depicting the iPhone XS live wallpaper and watchOS 5 motion watch faces at dramatic scale.
At Apple Park Visitor Center, four new one-of-a-kind Avenues were installed to showcase the Apple Watch Series 4, iPhone photography, Hermès watch bands, and Apple’s leather case manufacturing process. The Visitor Center often acts as a test location for new merchandising strategies and also debuted wooden Apple Watch collection stands roughly two months before they rolled out to stores worldwide. One month later, T-shirts inspired by classic merchandise designs were made available to visitors lucky enough to stop in Cupertino.
New wooden Apple Watch collection stands
In November, the 2018 Apple holiday gift guide launched with a special webpage and listing inside the Apple Store app. Graphic panels matching the gift guide decorated stores through the end of the year. We curated a gallery of every Apple holiday window display through the years. The holiday season also lines up with World AIDS Day, when Apple tints store logos to encourage donations to the nonprofit organization (RED).
A four-day Black Friday shopping event ran from November 23rd through November 26th, followed by pervasive new marketing measures that took over in-store displays, storefront windows, and Apple TVs to promote limited-time savings on iPhone XS and XR.
Apple Store App
The iOS Apple Store app has always complemented the brick and mortar experience rather than replacing it with online shopping. Customers can check in-store product availability and quickly scan and purchase accessories right on their iPhones. A few key updates throughout 2018 have improved the app in numerous ways.
In March, Apple redesigned the app and added a Sessions tab for quick access to local Today at Apple listings. Creative Pros promote the app during sessions as the quickest way to find and register for more events. Apple also added easier access to favorited items in stock and made it possible to scan items to see compatibility with the devices you already own.
In July, the app’s search interface was overhauled with quick suggestions and speech recognition. Search results are now displayed as cards, a design trend Apple has used across many of its apps. Further updates in October and December focused on support for Siri Shortcuts.
Initially, iPhone Upgrade Program members could pre-order the iPhone XR with their voice. Later, Shortcuts support was added for checking product availability and order status. For those who don’t like waiting in lines, the Apple Store app has long offered the best chance to secure a device pre-order for launch day delivery.
What’s Next?
As we begin a new year, Apple has laid the groundwork for a busy 2019 and beyond. Several major construction projects have been announced or are already underway. New session content is right around the corner. And just weeks ago, we learned that Apple will monitor an initiative to help human trafficking victims secure behind-the-scenes roles in retail. We can learn from Apple’s trajectory in 2018 to predict how the company will grow its retail efforts in the future.
767 Fifth Avenue — Render via Cushman & Wakefield / Colliers International
Apple Fifth Avenue
New York City’s famous glass cube on Fifth Avenue should reopen during the first half of 2019. After two years of renovation work, Apple has completely redesigned the iconic store above ground and below with a new plaza and greatly expanded interior. The store was originally announced to reopen late in 2018, but appears to have fallen a little behind schedule. We recently gave a detailed end-of-year assessment of the project’s progress.
Apple Natick Collection
Apple temporarily closed its store at the Natick Mall on May 31st after postponing its renovation from April 22nd. Remodeling work should wrap up during the first half of 2019.
Apple Waterside Shops
In Naples, Florida, Apple has been completely rebuilding its store at The Waterside Shops since the previous location closed on September 2nd. The scope of the project exceeds a standard remodeling job, but the store will still likely be completed in 2019.
New Store In Japan
This past March, Angela Ahrendts announced plans to open several new Japanese stores and extensively renovate others as part of a major investment in the country. Throughout 2018, stylized logos teased the openings of both Apple Kyoto and Shibuya. In October, a new image appeared promising at least one more store opening before the end of 2019. Some believe this store is destined for the Kanagawa Prefecture.
Render via Foster + Partners
Apple Mount Vernon Square
Apple’s plans for a historic restoration of Washington D.C.’s Carnegie Library were fully approved in July 2017, and hiring for the store began in January 2018. Apple will share the renovated building with the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., which teases its DC History Center as opening in “early 2019.”
60 New Today at Apple Sessions, Over 70 New Forums
In October, a massive expansion of Today at Apple programming was previewed. New sessions will include a sharper focus on Photo Walks in addition to content based around ARKit, Clips, Siri Shortcuts, and more.
Apple has partnered with talented experts including architects Foster + Partners, video creator Zach King, fitness trainer Jeanette Jenkins, and record producer Swizz Beatz to build new Labs. Each store’s Creative Pros have been learning the new session material, which is expected to debut early in 2019. To support the content, over 70 existing classic stores will add Video Walls and Forums.
Miscellaneous
Further over the horizon, planned stores in Stockholm, Sweden’s Kungsträdgården and Melbourne, Australia’s Federation Square face an uncertain future. Stockholm’s City Council has promised to block Apple’s construction plans, and a Victorian Heritage nomination threatens to stop the redevelopment of Federation Square. If either store sees the light of day, a grand opening is still years away.
Across the world, rumors of second Apple retail locations planned for Singapore and Taipei have been floated. Plans were filed for a multi-level store in Atlanta’s Lenox Square. Officially, Apple has announced that it will restore and reopen L.A.’s storied Tower Theatre and join a vibrant revitalization of the city’s historic core. We documented the site and surrounding theater district before exterior renovations began.
If you attend a store grand opening, spot something interesting, or attend a great Today at Apple session, we’d love to see your photos on Twitter or by email. As always, 9to5Mac’s retail guide will provide in-depth coverage of the latest Apple store news throughout 2019.
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