Apple to unveil first Apple Retail Store in Vienna on Saturday

Apple Kärntner Straße, Apple’s first store in Austria, will open Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in the heart of Vienna. Nestled on the famous pedestrian shopping street between St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the Vienna State Opera, the store’s 150 employees will invite visitors to experience the creative sessions and services offered in Apple Stores around the world. 

“We can’t wait to join the bustling city of Vienna, a European crossroads so rich in history and culture," said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “Apple Kärntner Straße brings the best of Apple together with our products, services and educational programs. Everyone is welcome to connect, be inspired to learn, and unlock their creativity.”

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Apple's Personal Pickup service now available in Canada

Canadians now have the option of buying items from Apple online and picking the item up at their nearest Apple Retail Store. The Personal Pickup option is ideal for saving time and money on shipping and works well for highly anticipated or 'must-have' Apple products or accessories, like an Apple Pencil for your one-week-old iPad Pro.

The service enables customers to choose and play for their items through an app and simply present proof of payment at a chosen or designated store to pick up their item. This speeds up the process considerably and is a great option for anyone who knows what they want or who doesn't relish the prospect of having to visit a crowded store during peak hours. Personal Pickup in Canada comes at the heels of the initial availability of Apple Pay in Canada.

Video: Brussels Apple Store opening shows preview of new look and feel coming to retail

There's a new Apple Store in Brussels, Belgium and it's contained in an ultramodern building. What's interesting about this video, aside from the fact that lining up for an Apple Store opening is still very much a thing, is the new design and layout of the store which is pioneering some new retail features.

It is said that Apple's Director of Design, Jony Ive, is behind the new look. We see tree-lined benches, motion activated display areas, Beats headphone-specific displays and overall a clean yet practical arrangement for Apple's growing plethora of products.

Source: http://www.onemorething.nl/

Apple's new Upper East Side Store in NY features a bank vault for Apple Watch try ons

There's been a lot of Apple Store news coming out of New York. The iconic 24/7 365 glass cube on 5th Avenue will be reportedly shut down for some renovations and upgrades while moving into the soon to be vacated F.A.O. Schwartz toy store and just over the weekend a new Upper East Side Store opened up

Located at 940 Madison Avenue on the corner of 74th St, a block from Central Park, the stately new store is a restored 100 year old building that used to be a bank. Apple decided to keep various identifying features and has the original bank vault converted into a fitting room for Apple Watch Edition tryons. Apple SVP for Retail Angela Ahrendts, who lived in the area for 25 years, was on hand to open up the latest store (see tweet above). This is the third feature store in NYC, aside from the 5th Avenue Store, the company also has an impressive store at Grand Central Station.

 Apple has 454 retail stores in 16 countries and an online store available in 39 countries.

Source: Angela Ahrendts via Twitter.