Gizmodo
Later this month, Apple is opening its latest flagship store on Boylston Street in Boston. The store's main claim to fame? It's huge. We're talking largest Apple Store in the world country, by square footage. The store, in the city's historic Back Bay district, looks like a four-story glass cube. It's the first store inside Boston proper and the first with (finally) easy subway access. According to a store employee, it's a good thing Boylston Street is so big: Apple estimates 1,500-2000 customers/hour will visit — more than 10 times the 160/hour that the average store gets. It's something else inferiority-complex ravaged Bostonians can hold over New York. UPDATE May 13 2008: An Apple spokesperson has confirmed this is the largest store in the United States, besting the Fifth Avenue store in New York, but still smaller than Regent Street in London.
(Photos by Jordan Golson)
Sorry, I'm not so sure this is even close to the biggest. I am stupid. Some other sites have questioned this claim. Apple has never been forthcoming with information on upcoming stores, so we have to work this one out on our own.
The Boston Globe claimed back in 2007 that the store would be 21,350 square feet. The current largest location, the Regent Street store in London, has somewhere around 28,000 square feet of space.
ifoAppleStore says "...the [Boylston Street] lot is only 6,384 square-feet, so the store would have to be at least five stories to be larger than Regent Street (London), at 28,000 s.f."
The store is at least four stories above ground, (if you include the half-length fourth story that is hidden from street view) and likely has a floor or two of basement for stock-keeping purposes. This easily puts the store in the 26-32,000 sq ft range needed to beat Regent Street. There also may be discrepancies here between "sales space" and "back-of-house" space and what the employee meant by "largest in the world."
Apple hasn't gotten back to repeated requests for confirmation. Tag this one "plausible."
Comments
Great for Boston people! But I'm still waiting for the Apple Store in Mexico City.
Looks like a big green monster...
Why does an Apple store need to be that big? They have a fairly limited number of products and the software/accessories don't take up much room, either.
Maybe 1 or 2 storeys will be entirely devoted to queues for upcoming unannounced products...
Boston greeting the BIG APPLE store... is there a bosox jersey buried underneath?
here are a few shots from across the street...
[www.rainydaymagazine.com]
Will they sells iPods?
Why is it green?
That is pretty cool. I like how they are keeping with the traditions of the city.
Hold your tongue and say "apple"
@rb4dv
As explained in our article...Fenway park colors..."the green monster"
Wait, "Boylston" is a street?
I thought the Apple people were making fun of Boston accents!
and there's still not a single apple store in Philadelphia.
How sweet...looks like the Green Monster.
Green for the Celtics.
Remember: it's an *Apple Store*. Not a bomb.
@hanspecans: Yeah, Ardmore and K of P are often too far to go just for a fix. Hell even Lancaster County (Amish country) is getting one!
Oh man, I live in Boston and this is the first time I am seeing this. Every time I've walked past the building has been all wrapped up,Christo-and-Jeanne-Claude-style. Exciting!
No LEDs on this one please. Might be bombs in there.
Thank god its finally coming. I'm so sick of going to the Cambridge-side galleria when I need my fix.
Prime location too.
@rb4dv: I think/hope thats a cover for the glass that's under it. I'm guessing it's gonna look like the NY Cube on the front.
Isn't that just a temporary facade to cover the real thing underneath?
OK, time to start a new unfounded rumor. I heard from a friend of a coworker whose nephew is on the construction crew that overheard one of the Apple people that the 3G iPhone will debut at the Boston Apple Store the day that the store opens.
Not.
Though we have 5+ stores in the boston area, they are all boring mall stores. It will nice to have a flagship store, right in the (retail) heart of the city.
I've been watching it slowly get built over at ifoapplestore's web cam for many many months. Can't wait to walk in there!
>> inferiority-complex ravaged Bostonians
You kid right? With two World Series titles under our belt since the last time the Yankees even made it to the big game, 3 of the last 7 Super Bowl titles and an amazing undefeated regular season last year (despite the upset at the Super Bowl), and the Celtics with a frikkin' amazing 80+% winning percentage and a good chance at the championship this year, we hold nothing but SUPERIORITY over New Yorkers these days ;-)
And yeah, a Boylston Apple Store is greatly appreciated, although I don't mind the drive to either Cambridge Side or Chestnut Hill.
Go Sawx. :)
Since when Boston have a complex with NY?
Maybe the fans of the Sox had one before 04 but that is long gone.
I think NY thinks everyone has an inferiority complex.
@Dearhaw: No inferiority-complex in that comment. Nope. None.
Lame, Boston doesn't need a Apple Store. That new Microsoft store, perhaps. But I suppose Apple needs to keep that 10% of the computer market held down huh?
Yep, I live in Boston and I've seen it. It is really really big! Looks nice too :) Can't wait till its done.
Pentagon City Mall Apple Store is accessible via Metrorail so I don't know what you're talking about. You get off the train, walk through a tunnel, past a homeless blind guy singing R&B covers with a cigar-box banjo, and up some stairs and you're in the mall. One flight of escalators and you're at the apple store. All without having to even see the sun.
I work a couple blocks down from there and keep forgetting to go look. I might run down there now and see if I can get any sneaky pics.
Apple tried for several months to hire me for that location, I even got them to bump up the salary offer to a very decent number for fun.
Sorry Apple, I would never work in retail again.
@OLEDRevolution:
I think they meant subway access in the Boston area. Which isn't quite accurate... the Cambridge store isn't all that far from the Green line's Lechmere stop. Of course, it's probably further away than I want to carry an iMac or something. I had a hard enough time lugging the wife's iMac through the Burlington mall out to the parking lot.
You forgot to add that with the normal construction in Boston this piece of crap won't open for another 11 years and it'll kill 7 people in the mean time.
It'll then go on to not sell anything for 86 Years.
Can the term "flagship" really be used in the plural sense?
@Rbastid:
It's already been years. Aple's been trying to put a store at this location for a very long time but local govt. made them jump through many, many hoops. Lst I heard it had been killed off, this is a nice surprise.
@Death: that would be the back bay residents aka snobs that made apple jump thru hoops. Every business and City of Boston gov't leader saw the value that the Apple store would bring to the area.
Boston: City of Champions and large Apple stores.
I just walked past the site today. They're not kidding, it looks *huge*
@rb4dv: the theme is extremely in-tune with fenway park. which is a beautiful ball field, i'm a mets fan and i went there with a bunch of yankee fans to see a yankees-sox game, and i've never seen a nicer baseball field in my life.
so, even if the size is beyond unnessecary, cheers to the fenway theme!
@rimplestultskin: For $250+ tickets, the ballfield better be spectacular.
Ha, just saw this on Sunday walking back from the game at Fenway. Here's a more artsy photo of it.
[www.ayaz.com]
Really? Largest apple store in the world? For a handful of products and accessories?
whats the point... they seriously don't need a big store, they don't have many products, how much room do you need to sell iphones, and mac computers that all look the same, all they need is a hot dog stand... the huge store is a bit overboard... apple is so overated
@Dr.Danger's got juice!: it is
and its got one of the best atmospheres of a ballpark Ive ever seen, disregarding the homeless people. Its like stepping back in time to a 1920's carnival every time you go fenway area.
although I dont know about that apple store, doesnt really fit in with the buildings around it. kind of rapes the scene actually
@Kobe_No_Means_No: It's the Green Monster, not the Celtics...
And to the dude that thought "Boylston" was supposed to be a Boston with a Boston accent...
LMAO
All you people question why it's green instead of reading any of the comments explaining it should know that the Red Sox are the largest dominating force in Boston. More than politics, more than religion, more than anything.
Apple wants fans to associate them with their feverish fanaticism.
I should know, I work at Fenway =p
its just going to be full of college kids crying about how they broke their iphone/mbp cause they were TOTALLY WASTED AFTER THE GAME WOOOOOO!!
additonally, being a boston resident:
where the fahck is this thing. it looks fahking yooj. is it closer to the ahlington stop or is it by fackin copley square and shit guydood.
Comment on New Boston Apple Store Largest In the World Wait until you see the staff! Enjoy all the 2nd tier management from Gap and Banana Republic. How can Apple hire management that can't even startup a computer without a manual? Unlike other stores, where they had the opening staff install the network and configure the computers, they are planning on bringing in outside help. I really hope they've taken into consideration the rat problem that the ally behind suffers from. NEb
Don't make the mistake of asking, 'Why do they need such a large store for so few products?" They need it becuase:
a) Their overall presentation uses more space than most stores (which pack stuff together as tightly as possible), making for a better browsing experience.
b) Have you ever been in an Apple Store? They're PACKED.
c) This store is in prime college student area - it will be twice as packed as any other Apple Store we know.
So, yes, it DOES need to be that big.
Boy people are fahckin' stoopid. "Why is it green?" "I live in Boston and this is the first time I am seeing this." "I'm guessing it's gonna look like the NY Cube on the front." "Boston doesn't need a Apple Store. That new Microsoft store, perhaps. But I suppose Apple needs to keep that 10% of the computer market held down huh?" "even if the size is beyond unnessecary, cheers to the fenway theme!" "apple is so overated."
You ah all wickit reetahdid dood.
@techtechnonolologic: It's by Cahpley Squayah guy!
Comment on New Boston Apple Store Largest In the World First convenient to subway? Umm, it's on the green line. The same green line that terminates at Lechmere, which is 1/2 block from Cambridgeside Galleria, home to an Apple Store that has been around a few years.
Sorry, that would be the APPLE STORE lettering, not the "opening soon" lettering which doesn't exhibit the score box design.
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