Apple has gone through several iterations of its retail store design in the 10 years the stores have been open. The original design had black borders with large, backlit Apple logo mounted to the front of the store, near eye-level. Then, the stores went through an aluminum phase, with much more glass. The stores had a smallish aluminum border surrounding both the front doors and the window displays.

The most recent stores, such as the new Apple Store 4th Street in Berkeley, CA get rid of almost all the aluminum, and instead are almost entirely glass.

4thstreetcombine560
As IFOAppleStore notes, Apple's store architects have worked very hard to present an entirely symmetrical appearance for the 4th Street store. Apple has redesigned the sidewalk in front of the store with several different sized stone tiles to precisely match the sizes of the front window glass.

In this case, the master element is the stone floor tiles, which are 76 centimeters square (about 30 inches). The glass window panes are then manufactured to a multiple of that dimension. Outside, Apple routinely installs a new sidewalk in front of its street-facing stores. In this case, the sidewalk was made with contraction lines that are also multiple of the stone tile dimension. When all the painstaking design and construction work is finished, passersby and store visitors “see” the effect, but probably don’t realize why the store is so attractive.

In a companion post, IFOAppleStore notes the subtle new security grate system the Berkeley store -- one open to foot traffic 24/7 -- employs:

The steel grating at that store is constructed of narrow horizontal rods and thin vertical strips that have a minimal cross-section. When the grating is raised, it’s stored entirely within the ceiling behind a thin access slot. When the grating is lowered, it slides down through narrow slots in the side wall.

The grate closes well behind the front window as well, so that Apple's perfectionist window displays aren't obstructed by unsightly, but necessary, security features.

Top Rated Comments

thegoldenmackid Avatar
173 months ago
Now I can go in the stores without getting shakes from my OCDness.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nateo200 Avatar
173 months ago
Now I can go in the stores without getting shakes from my OCDness.

I know I had to stand perfectly in the middle or it felt like the walls were closing in on me :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

















(/Sarcasm)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danpass Avatar
173 months ago
The Apple logo is not symmetrical...
[Jobs] Don't look at it that way [/Jobs]






:D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Navdakilla Avatar
173 months ago
nicely done

definely an order from Jobs
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
notjustjay Avatar
173 months ago
Adrian Monk would be pleased.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PJMAN2952 Avatar
173 months ago
Will this happen to all Apple Stores again? Hope so. This looks cool.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...