The Shophound

Apple West Side: Curtain Up

In anticipation of Apple's Upper West Side Store opening this Saturday, the red-curtain window coverings have been removed to reveal in interior that looks like ...an Apple Store.
Seriously, since this is Manhattan's fourth unit, we are probably all pretty familiar with what's inside one of these things by now, and we are not expecting any major surprises here. The main thing we are excited about is that it's close to us, and also, the more Genius Bars there are in the city, the better. The sidewalk in front of the store is now once again open for the public to trod upon, and the dramatic glass storefront offers a clear view of exactly what's inside. The patented spiral staircase leads to a lower level, and as you can see above, the signature glowing Apple logo is suspended in a way that echoes Fifth Avenue's glass box entryway.
In the past, the promise of free merchandise like iPods, or even a few laptops for a lucky few has encouraged shoppers to stand in line all day for an evening opening. So far, we have heard no reports of such giveaways this time around (which doesn't necessarily mean that there won' be any), and the store will be opening in the morning, so the promotion machine appears to have been dialed down just a bit.
Nonetheless, we are still expecting a mob scene on Saturday. Brace yourselves.
UPDATE: It turns out that there will be giveaways after all. The first 2,500 customers will get a free commemorative T-shirt. No purchase necessary.
That's a t-shirt, folks.
Line up if you must.
Apple's Upper West Side 1981 Broadway at 67^th Street

A few more images after the jump

Confirmed Openings: West Side Apple Ripens On November 14

As if to quell rampant speculation, Apple has announced via massive email that its upcoming Upper West Side Store on Broadway at 67^th Street will open at 10 AM on Saturday, November 14^th, not, as some had speculated, the following Friday evening. We're happy because this means it will be open sooner! So far, no word on any special opening day events, but we'll keep an eye out.
Apple Store Upper West Side 1981 Broadway at 67^th Street
Previously:
Apple West Side Store Update: Does Soon = November 20th?

Apple West Side Store Update: Does Soon = November 20th?

Apple has been especially cagey regarding the details of its upcoming store on the Upper West Side. Despite its long rumored status, the company didn't officially acknowledge its existence until a few months before its opening after extensive re-construction was well under way, and still resists pinning down an opening date beyond  "soon".
IfoAppleStore, which exhaustively chronicles the company's retail expansions, has deduced that the date will be Friday, November 20^th at 6 PM, one week before Black Friday. A 6 PM opening is expected to be in order, allowing for plenty of line-up time for eager customers. So far, we have heard no word on the opening day giveaways and specials that usually accompany a new store's premiere, but past events in Manhattan would suggest that at least a few lucky customers may score an iPod or possibly something better.
The store's glass façade and striking arched roof are currently obscured by a red velvet curtain graphic, and the sidewalk, freshly repaved, surprisingly remains closed and patrolled by security (which seems like overkill and of questionable legality if construction is basically finished.)
Apple is busy opening a large Paris store this weekend, so the November 20^th date would make sense to get the store up and running before the Holiday crowds descend.
Of course, we wouldn't mind if they opened a bit earlier.
NYC Store Ready—And Amazing Architecture (IfoAppleStore)

The September Issue: Director Spills At Apple Store Appearance

In advance of tonight's sold-out preview screening at 92YTribeca, filmmaker R.J.Cutler made a special appearance yesterday to discuss and promote his documentary The September Issue at the Apple Store in SoHo. The film, as you probably know by now, profiles Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour and chronicles the creation of the September 2007 issue, the largest single issue of a magazine ever published.
A few rumors were debunked including most obviously the myth that Anna Wintour is controlling the promotion of the film with an iron fist. There was absolutely no Vogue presence at the Apple Store. This was actually a good thing as it allowed the director to talk about Wintour freely. In fact, the event was very low key, as Apple does little more to promote its events beyond publishing a calendar on its website and distributing pamphlets in-store. This talk was geared more towards film than fashion folk, as Cutler made sure to note that the movie was edited with Apple's Final Cut Pro software. The discussion will be made available shortly in podcast form as part of iTunes' Meet The Filmmakers series.
Here are a few of the interesting tidbits about the film that Cutler dropped yesterday:

• The reason why he was allowed access to film Wintour and Vogue at all may simply have been because he had the guts to ask. Most people would have been too intimidated to even bother.
• Wintour agreed to Cutler's having final cut out of respect for him as a journalist and as the daughter of a journalist —a decision she may have regretted at times. After seeing a rough cut of the film, she responded with praise and a long list of "suggestions".
• The process of boiling down the enormous amount of footage was so complicated that one late-stage cut of the film actually eliminated Editor At Large André Leon Talley entirely! Clearly a huge mistake, Talley was abundantly re-inserted into the next cut.
• Cutler immediately knew he wanted to make a movie about Wintour not because of her own personality but because of the way other people reacted to her. She has a command of her environment and, according to him, the ability to change the temperature in a room with her mood.
• Ultimately, the film is less about Wintour herself than it is about her relationship with Vogue's Creative Director Grace Coddington, who was initially so disinterested in the project that she refused to allow herself to be filmed at all until four months into the nine-month shooting schedule, and had to be practically begged to participate.
• The two are apparently Vogue's Yin and Yang with Wintour's office described as a "freezer of efficiency" and Coddington's as an "incubator of creativity". He also had great admiration for the rest of the magazine's staff including Tonne Goodman, Sally Singer and Phyllis Posnick among others whom he described as an all-star team of editors.

Cutler was careful to remind his audience that despite all the attention the movie was drawing in the fashion press, it is still an independent documentary with an independent documentary's promotional budget, meaning a tiny one, so he implored everyone to please go see the movie, which is already scheduled for release in major U.S. cities.
The September Issue opens in New York on August 28th and in other cities on September 11th.
Our calendar is marked.

Fashion Tech: The September Issue To Hit The Apple Store

The Shophound always keeps a keen eye on the schedule of events at the Apple Store in SoHo because you never know who might show up to do a little bit of plugging. Earlier this year, we caught Stars from Watchmen, as well as Dollhouse and Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon along with the show's alluring star Eliza Dushku in a surprise appearance.
Thursday evening, the store will filmmaker R.J. Cutler, the director behind The September Issue, the much talked about documentary about Anna Wintour and the creation of Vogue's biggest issue ever.
Presumably, he'll be talking about entering a rarefied  part of the fashion world to make the film.
Will La Wintour make a surprise appearance for the computer geeks? Oh, to see the bobbed one answer questions from the audience would be a rare treat. We will see tomorrow at 5 PM. We can't promise anything, but stranger things have been known to happen.
R.J. Cutler at The Apple Store SoHo, July 30^th at 5 PM, 103 Prince Street at Greene Street, SoHo

Rumours We'd LIke To Believe:Would a $99 iPhoneGet You To Go To Walmart?

The Apple rumour websites have been buzzing that when Walmart starts selling iPhones later this month, they will kick it off with an exclusive $99 4GB model. By comparison, the regular iPhone 3G 8GB and 16GB models sell for $199 and $299 respectively with 2-year AT&T contracts.
Here at the Shophound, we have a zillion different reasons why we don't shop at Walmart (the first being that there isn't one remotely convenient to us) but we're not that proud. What do we need those extra gigabytes for anyway?
That price would almost make up for the extra $30 or so that will get tacked onto our cellphone bill every month when we finally switch from our lowly RAZR.
But is this for real?
We expect some confirmation very soon...
Our fingers are crossed.
Rumor: Wal-Mart to sell 4GB iPhone for $99 (AppleInsider)

Apple Rumor Uppdate:Apple Finally Eschews 34th Street

Rumors have been flying back and forth about Apple's plans for a large flagship store at 21-25 West 34th Street. It's happening. It's not happening. Apple has never commented one way or another about it, but that did not stop constant speculation.
Today, The Post gives a pretty definitive end to the saga. Apple has apparently leased the space, but is putting the 18,000 square foot three level parcel up for sublease to be available next April. Apparently, the neighborhood has not yet upgraded enough to satisfy Steve Jobs, and current conditions are not promising any further improvement.
Actually, Apple was the improvement many other retailers on 34th street were waiting for, but as we have mentioned before, as innovative as Apple is in product development, it is equally conservative when it comes to real estate, and is much more likely to enter an established upscale shopping area than be the catalyst for an improving one.
What does this mean for the much discussed Upper West Side Apple Store? Nothing. Since Apple has never officially announced either store, technically, it doesn't exist.
Apple Drops Out Of 34th Street Site (NYPost via The Real Deal)
Preciously: Apple 34th Street Plans Back On? Brooklyn Next?

Goodbye Panties, Hello iPhones:Dismantling Begins At Victoria's SecretApple Rebuilding To Begin Soon?

The demolition has begun at 67^th and Broadway where the former Victoria's Secret flagship is finally being ripped apart to prepare for another Apple Store...so we're told.
So far, (and feel free to help us out here) we haven't been able to find a hard confirmation from Apple that they are taking this site, although many blogs and newspapers feel confident that this is the case. While the idea appears to make perfect sense, unfortunately, many of the same sources have also been equally confident about the 34^th Street Apple Store that has yet to materialize.
But back to the Upper West Side. The general thinking is that the vaguely '80s-ish pink stone building will be totally razed in favor of Apple's signature steel and glass which would make it the company's first real build-out in the city. SoHo and 14^th Street are both in pre-existing buildings while the Fifth Avenue Cube is really an entrance for an underground store.
If it all works out as speculated, it should prove another opportunity for an architectural brand showplace.
If.

New iPhoneFinally, Oficially Revealed:Max Price $299!Available 7/11/08

Get ready for a repeat of last year's iPhone insanity.
Line up now.
It's thinner, faster, available in two colors and, best of all CHEAPER!
The much awaited, much rumored new iPhone was finally announced only minutes ago at Apple's annual World Wide Developer's Conference. Running on the 3G network that AT&T is close to completing, the handset offers all sorts of improvements that are better explained by the folks at Gizmodo, Engadget and AppleInsider.
We'll take it.