All images via Michael Steeber
Apple officially opened the relocated and reimagined Tysons Corner store today after news surfaced about the effort at the beginning of May. Coinciding with the first Apple Store’s 22nd anniversary, the space introduces an all-new in-store experience with the Genius Bar returning, rethought Avenues, accessibility improvements, more sustainable materials, and more. Check out a close look thanks to Michael Steeber.
Apple has also published a press release with a gallery of its own images from today’s grand opening.
My friend and Apple history/retail expert Michael Steeber got a tour of Apple Tysons Corner before the store opened to the public. He highlights in his wonderfully detailed coverage that this is much more than just a bigger store with a new look, Tysons Corner is Apple’s “most comprehensive redesign of the Apple Store experience in nearly a decade” and “will start a new chapter” for Apple retail.
Shown above, a major change is the return of a dedicated – and labeled – Genius Bar. Here’s how Michael describes its significance:
Genius Bar support has been fundamental to the Apple Store experience since day one, and now Apple is once again creating a dedicated, identifiable space within the store for customers to find solutions. At the new Apple Tysons Corner, the Genius Bar is located exactly where it was in the first Apple Store — the far right corner. The new bar is built into an alcove lined with wood credenzas attached to backstage. Sitting and standing counters enhance accessibility.
This is the first time a physical Genius Bar has been installed in a new Apple Store since 2015, when Apple last redesigned the store experience. Even the atomic Genius Bar logo is back with an updated design.
Joining the Genius Bar is a dedicated and marked space for Apple Store Pickup:
Along with the wood design for the new Genius Bar, Apple has made part of it and most of its tables used for service and learning more accessible by lowering their height.
Plus Michael notes that the aisles between tables are now wider which improves wheelchair accessibility. Here’s a look at the lower table and stools for Today at Apple sessions:
The Avenues in the new store and clean and organized with the wood design.
And here’s what Michael calls a “more immersive extension” of Avenues with a new alcove area. For now it’s a dedicated Apple Watch Studio space and Apple says it may update the space over time to feature different products.
Another unique choice for the store is the ceiling design.
Instead of a light box ceiling, Apple has created a new linear baffle ceiling structure designed with acoustics in mind. Lighting is placed between the individual white baffles. Apple says the store’s biogenic materials and fixtures were chosen to be environmentally sustainable, and a sampling of their vendors for this project supports those claims.
In his closing thoughts, Michael says that it’s clear how different Apple Tysons Corner looks from the photos, “but I can’t stress to you enough just how different the store feels. Apple Tysons Corner is simply one of a kind — though I expect we’ll soon see more like it.”
For a more in-depth look at Apple Tysons Corner and expert commentary, head over to Michael’s website. And to see how Tysons Corner looked and felt when it first opened in 2001, check out Michael’s amazing Apple Store Time Machine app.
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