newcube560
Artist Rendition

We've heard a couple of reports that Apple will finally unveiling their newly renovated 5th Avenue Apple NYC store on Friday, November 4th.

Apple began work on the $6.6 million renovation back in June. Since then, the 5th Avenue Store has been surrounded by barriers and the store has remained open as the construction has continued. The redesign involves replacing the cube's 90 glass panels with only 15 larger ones. The new design is rendered artistically above.

fifth avenue cube changes

Steve Jobs, himself, had much input into this Apple Retail Store's design. The Wall Street Journal had previously reported that Jobs had a very hands-on role. The developer said:

“[Steve Jobs] is solely responsible for the cube,” Mr. Macklowe said. “I had different shapes and different ideas, and his cube was somewhat different than what it is now, but it’s Steve Jobs’s idea.”

Jobs has had a long fascination with the cube shape. During his time at NeXT he created the NeXTcube workstation housed in a magnesium enclosure. Apple even created a Power Mac G4 Cube in 2000, a few years after Jobs' return to Apple.

A November 4th unveiling falls in line with the original permits which estimated "early November" as a possible completion date. If the grand unveiling is indeed taking place this Friday, we expect Apple will make an announcement this week to inform the press.

Top Rated Comments

nerdo Avatar
170 months ago
The most transparent thing Apple has done in years.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hobo.hopkins Avatar
170 months ago
That was completely worth the $6.6B it costed to get it renovated. I'm serious, it looks sick. I thought it was cool before, but damn. Can you imagine? Replacing 90 glass panels with only 15?

Can't wait to check it out in person.
It was an expensive renovation, but not that expensive :P It cost 6.6 Million dollars; it didn't cost 6.6 Billion dollars.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdowns Avatar
170 months ago
Below the photo it states "Artist Rendition" :p

I wonder if Arn hired the same guy who did the 'iPhone 5' rendering. :D
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cougarcat Avatar
170 months ago
What "technical challenges"?

they should have used 5 panels, one for each side tbh.

In the bio, Steve mentions that they had to build their own autoclaves in china to make the glass. If they had used the technology available, the cube would have been a foot shorter.

Making 5 huge panes isn't possible with current technology.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
marcusj0015 Avatar
170 months ago
What "technical challenges"?

they should have used 5 panels, one for each side tbh.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
170 months ago
Based on the artist rendition, I think I liked it better before. :( It looked amazing in person, the glass seams between the panels shimmered and refracted light, bending it into these amazing patterns- removing panels is going to reduce that effect.
One man's "shimmer" is another man's "gaudy." I have a feeling that at certain parts of the day the reflections got a little too prismatic and diffuse, and ruined the effect they wanted (which is basically, feeling like you're not indoors at all).

Personally, I would have suggested looking into colored/tinted glass -- perhaps a blue tint? Something like that would have looked more striking, and been amazing to light up at night too.
I disagree, because then you'd be stuck with "what color is YOUR Apple Store?" It would be way too early iMac, and would distract from the products.

This is mentioned in his book. This renovation was completely a pet project by Jobs. Apparently, Ron Johnson disagreed with the new design (and likely the additional unnecessary costs), but Jobs went ahead with it anyway.

I personally like the old cube better. Only Apple would redesign what's become a landmark.
That's totally Apple's M.O. Even though something is gorgeous and makes a splash (Cube store, iPhone, iMac), you redesign it to make it look even slicker (Cube redesign, iPhone4, iMac). Steve Jobs has for many years done things that certain advisors didn't want. Never underestimate the power of saying no. otherwise, Apple's products would have a much cheaper feel to them.
Score: 1 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...