Apple Store Modernization Efforts Continue From Los Angeles to London - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Store Modernization Efforts Continue From Los Angeles to London

Apple's process of modernizing its chain of over 500 retail stores continues in several major cities around the world.

Over the weekend, Apple celebrated the grand opening of its relocated Beverly Center store in Los Angeles. Apple's original store in the shopping mall, opened November 2005, permanently closed at the end of Friday.

apple beverly center

Apple's new Beverly Center store via Instagram

Apple's remodeled stores often gain additional square footage to accommodate an increased number of both products and customers. The extra space is also beneficial to Today at Apple sessions related to photography, coding, exercising with the Apple Watch, and other topics.

Apple's latest retail design, introduced in 2015, typically includes large glass doors, large video screens for product marketing and in-store events, and sequoia wood shelves on the walls for accessories.

Apple recently announced that its flagship Covent Garden store in London will be closed starting June 27 to allow for renovations to be completed. Of note, this location became Apple's largest store when it first opened in 2010, although it has since ceded the title to a newer store in the United Arab Emirates.

apple covent garden sign

A sign at Apple Covent Garden tipped by a MacRumors reader

Likewise, 9to5Mac's Michael Steeber reported that Apple Wangfujing in Beijing will be closed for renovations starting June 24.

Elsewhere in the Greater China region, Apple has revealed that it will be opening a second store in Macau, along the Cotai Strip, an area with several hotels, casinos, and resorts, earning it the nickname of the Las Vegas of Asia. Apple has yet to specify an exact opening date, but it could be within the next month.

image3

Apple's banner for its second store in Macau via MacRumors reader Chris Gooda

Apple's renovation efforts continue at its iconic Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan, and at its Palo Alto store, often visited by Apple CEO Tim Cook on product launch days due to its close proximity to Apple's headquarters.

fifth ave cube reinstalled

Apple reinstalling its glass cube on Fifth Avenue via MacRumors reader David Bills

Other regional stores closed for renovations include locations in Charlotte, Nashville, and Westchester County north of New York City.

Update: As noted by a MacRumors reader, Apple Causeway Bay in Hong Kong is also undergoing renovations, although the store remains open.

Update 2: Apple has announced on its store page for the Cotai Central location in Macau that the grand opening will be June 29.

Popular Stories

Apple Park Visitor Center

Apple Park Visitor Center Just Lost an Attraction Offered Since 2017

Tuesday September 22, 2026 12:42 pm PDT by
Following renovations, the Apple Park Visitor Center in Cupertino, California no longer features a 3D augmented reality model of the Apple Park campus. The area that housed the 3D model, which was called the Exhibition Space, now has wall-mounted shelves known as "Avenues" and new, rounder tables for product displays. The remodeling process began in July and was completed recently. Appl ...
Apple Store Hello

Apple Stores Have a New 'Hello' Easter Egg, Here's Why

Friday September 18, 2026 5:42 am PDT by
Starting today, many if not all Apple Stores around the world have received a new "hello" decoration somewhere in the store for the purposes of testing iPhone camera zoom. Like the iPhone 17 Pro models, the new iPhone 18 Pro models that launched today offer up to 8× optical...
iPhone 18 Pro 16x9 1

Forgot to Pre-Order iPhone 18 Pro? Apple Store Pickup Available Today at Most Locations

Friday September 18, 2026 1:00 am PDT by
Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models are now being delivered to customers worldwide following the pre-order period that began on Saturday, September 12. For those who didn't pre-order, there's now a 3-4 week wait time for iPhone 18 Pro Max models across all storage options and colorways in the U.S. Demand has been less strong for iPhone 18 Pro models, but you're still looking at ...

Top Rated Comments

109 months ago
apple's product changes have been so miniscule in the past years that the value of these stores has decreased significantly. for me it is basically zero.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
109 months ago
You can tell its modern by how white the walls are and how little products are on display.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
109 months ago
Great products mean great sales, period. "Innovation" can be garbage too. Innovation doesn't necessarily make a great product.

A few innovative items:

* iPhone X
* Airpods
* Apple Watch with cellular
* A-Series Silicon
* FaceID
* Privacy/Security (Bugs are fixed, don't start saying these aren't industry leading)

Mac innovation isn't going to be as obvious because the product life cycle is longer and the size of the business is relatively smaller. Computers/Laptops are going to get updated processors and software, but they aren't going to move as fast as mobile and wearables.

I think Apple has done a phenomenal job managing the business. You don't innovate so fast that you lose sales. You slowly release features and market them to maximize sales. That's business. It's working, btw. If people buy and are satisfied with incremental innovations, it is smarter to release them as needed and when the features are fully vetted...not just innovating to innovate.
And to that I'd add MBPs with four ports of prodigious bandwidth multipurpose 40 Gb/sec Thunderbolt 3, 5K iMac displays with DCI-P3 color gamut, iMac Pro, Homepod, and ARKit.

In many ways, Apple is beholden to Intel. I suspect that will change within the next two years.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BrettArchibald Avatar
109 months ago
You can tell its modern by how white the walls are and how little products are on display.
"How white the walls are..." :rolleyes:

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
109 months ago
I guess you haven't really paid attention to all the changes they've made or they aren't valuable to you? Doesn't mean the changes have been "miniscule" to others or that the value of the stores has decreased.

The entire company is more valuable today than ever before, so it kind of refutes your thesis.
The value of the company and how good it's products are aren't mutually inclusive. matt_and_187_like_this ('https://forums.macrumors.com/members/matt_and_187_like_this.1007624/') is correct that Apple's product changes especially in regards to Mac have been demonstrably non-innovative and utterly lackluster since the round Mac Pro came out in 2013.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BrettArchibald Avatar
108 months ago
That's the store that hasn't been done yet. The Covent Garden Store, which IMO is FAR superior to the extremely sterile product-vacuum over on Regent St.

This upcoming refurb is a shame, because I've been using Covent Garden pretty much exclusively for the past couple of years, even though I work at the western end of Soho. I don't like the new design.
Yep, I know it's the Covent Garden store. I used to work in Covent Garden a few years ago.
I like the Apple Store there. It's quirky and has character, but I'll admit, it's not a very "Apple-like character"...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
AT&T Acknowledges iPhone 18 Pro Max Issues: 'Update Immediately'
AT&T Acknowledges iPhone 18 Pro Max Issues: 'Update Immediately'
7 hours ago
New 'AirFly Drive' Accessory Turns Wired CarPlay Into Wireless CarPlay
New 'AirFly Drive' Accessory Turns Wired CarPlay Into Wireless CarPlay
13 hours ago
Apple Shares Photos Shot on iPhone Duo
Apple Shares Photos Shot on iPhone Duo
14 hours ago
Apple Says iPhone Duo Has Replaceable 'Cover Layer'
Apple Says iPhone Duo Has Replaceable 'Cover Layer'
15 hours ago
Apple's Smart Home Camera Will Apparently Have 'No Video Recording'
Apple's Smart Home Camera Will Apparently Have 'No Video Recording'
17 hours ago
Apple TV Just Updated Its Selection of 'Bonus' Movies
Apple TV Just Updated Its Selection of 'Bonus' Movies
19 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro Colors Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
iPhone 18 Pro Colors Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?
19 hours ago
Early Prime Big Deal Days: Best Discounts on Accessories, TVs, and More at Amazon
Early Prime Big Deal Days: Best Discounts on Accessories, TVs, and More at Amazon
19 hours ago
MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Rumored to Launch in October or November
MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Rumored to Launch in October or November
21 hours ago
Apple's All-New Home Hub Rumored to Launch in These Four Colors
Apple's All-New Home Hub Rumored to Launch in These Four Colors
21 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro Aperture Control Goes Fully Manual in Halide 3.2
iPhone 18 Pro Aperture Control Goes Fully Manual in Halide 3.2
22 hours ago
Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
23 hours ago
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump in China Ahead of iPhone Duo Launch
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Jump in China Ahead of iPhone Duo Launch
23 hours ago
Apple TV Still Down for Some Users Following Apple Services Outage
Apple TV Still Down for Some Users Following Apple Services Outage
1 day ago
PSA: Apple Mail on Mac May Stop Syncing Microsoft 365 Accounts Today
PSA: Apple Mail on Mac May Stop Syncing Microsoft 365 Accounts Today
1 day ago
Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
Apple's Smart Home Hub: Everything We Know So Far
1 day ago
Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode
Apple's Home Hub Borrows From the iPhone Duo's StandBy Mode
2 days ago
Apple Invites App Updated With Three New Features
Apple Invites App Updated With Three New Features
2 days ago
Apple Event on October 13?
Apple Event on October 13?
2 days ago
Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
Apple Watch SE 3 vs. Series 12 Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Buy?
2 days ago
iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features
iPad Mini 8 to Offer These 10 New Features
2 days ago
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
2 days ago
Amazon Takes Up to $150 Off Select M5 MacBook Air Models
Amazon Takes Up to $150 Off Select M5 MacBook Air Models
2 days ago
Apple Still Plans to Release a New Full-Sized HomePod
Apple Still Plans to Release a New Full-Sized HomePod
2 days ago
Apple Working to Expand HomeKit
Apple Working to Expand HomeKit
2 days ago
Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design
Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design
2 days ago
Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13
Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13
2 days ago
Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards
Apple Pay Now Available in India With Axis Bank Cards
2 days ago
OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents to Rival Meta's Muse
OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents to Rival Meta's Muse
3 days ago
AirPods 5 Teardown: Batteries Removable, Case Still Tough
AirPods 5 Teardown: Batteries Removable, Case Still Tough
3 days ago