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Apple has opened a new store in Union Square in San Francisco. And it looks...different.
2016-05-19Gone are the wide sheets of brushed aluminum and blue LEDs. Instead, there's a whole lot of trees and warm lighting. And the giant plane of glass and wide-open spaces have grown gianter and wider-open.
Apple says this woodsy aesthetic represents the future of Apple's store design, and will arrive at more stores in the future. TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino and Apple analyst Rene Ritchie were on site to give everyone not in San Francisco an early look at this new architecture.
There are giant, floor-to-ceiling glass doors at the front of the building.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
They're 42 feet tall, and open 40 feet wide.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
Here's what they look like when they open.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
Inside, there's a wide-open space.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
It's full of wooden furniture.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
Seriously, there's a lot of wooden furniture.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
Some of it is sculpted to fit your butt.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
There's also a glass staircase.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
The "Genius Bar" is now a "Genius Grove" with actual trees.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
A plaza behind the store includes a 65-foot wall of greenery and a fountain.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
The public space will be open 24/7.
—Matthew Panzarino (@panzer) May 19, 2016
The idea behind the Genius Grove is to be less noisey and crowded, and offer a more pleasant experience.
—Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) May 19, 2016
An "Avenue" staffed by "Creative Pros" will offer a place to come for advice on photography, music, and other skills.
—Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) May 19, 2016
A "Forum" will show videos on a giant 6K screen.
—Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) May 19, 2016
And for business customers, there's the "Boardroom."
—Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) May 19, 2016
This isn't entirely our first look at this aesthetic.
A store in Brussels featured some similar design elements back in September.
But this is the first time we've seen Apple commit so fully to the look.
—Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) May 19, 2016