Another week, another Apple Store: Apple MixC Shenzhen

April is turning into quite a month for new Apple Stores. Last week saw the launch of two new stores in India, and this week sees the opening of another in China: Apple MixC Shenzhen.

This latest addition is a mall store, whose design is virtually identical to the Apple Saket store opened last week – with the Cupertino company seemingly adopting a new standard feature for its retail outlets …

Background

Apple last week opened its first-ever Apple Stores in India, after a years-long effort to meet government requirements.

In a bid to boost tech manufacturing in the country, the Indian government passed a law requiring a company to manufacture around 30% of its products within the country in order to open a single-brand store. The law was essentially created specifically to target Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and a handful of other tech giants.

Apple finally met these requirements, and CEO Tim Cook opened both Apple BKC in Mumbai, and Apple Saket in New Delhi. The former has a spectacular cantilevered design, while the latter is more of a cookie-cutter Apple mall store.

Apple MixC Shenzhen

Apple today previewed photos of the new Apple MixC Shenzhen mall store, ahead of its official opening on Friday.

The interior looks like a very minor variation on the Apple Saket store opened last week.

Apple Saket:

Apple MixC Shenzhen:

This includes a similar curved storefront, seen in the top photo in China, and below in India:

A new standard feature: Local materials

Apple has incorporated locally sourced materials into its retail stores before, but based on the last couple of announcements, it appears this may now be a standard feature of new Apple Stores in malls.

Apple Saket:

Apple Saket is designed with materials sourced from the region, including the tables and wood feature wall.

Apple MixC Shenzhen:

The new store features a Padang Light stone floor and a timber veneer-clad wall — sustainably and locally sourced within China — that maximizes visibility within the store.

Apple shared only three photos of the new store, the third showing a roundtable Today at Apple area, next to the Pickup desk.

This is the 55th Apple Store in the region, with the company noting that its first store in the city, Apple Holiday Plaza Shenzhen, has seen 22 million visitors since its opening in 2012.