7 Unique and Amazing Apple Stores from Around the World | 91mobiles.com

Apple is one of the few tech brands (some would say “the only”) which takes pride in its design. This sentiment is not just limited to its products. Whether it is something as small as the packaging of its products or something as big as its headquarters, Apple Park in Cupertino, California, Apple as a brand has been very attentive towards the design of all that it creates. This design philosophy is often credited to the co-founder of the brand, Steve Jobs. Jobs was obsessed with making technology simple and that included the design of Apple’s products – “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works,” he once famously said. It was this idea to make all that Apple created extremely simple and easy to use. An idea that literally started a design revolution in the world of tech. 

Apple follows this same design path when creating its flagship stores. The brand does not just open stores that hold Apple products as showpieces but delivers an experience. From building stores in restored historical buildings, to creating modern, futuristic structures, the design of Apple Stores covers quite a few bases. Some of the stores are such design and architectural marvels that they have become popular even as tourist spots. After opening these flagship stores in 25 countries, the Cupertino tech giant will be opening two of its flagship stores in India this month. The first store will open in BKC, Mumbai on April 18th, 2023, while the next one (pictured above) will open shortly after in Saket, Delhi on April 20th, 2023.

There are still some days till you can actually go into one of these flagship Apple stores and experience what the hype is all about. And as of now, we do not even know much about their design. But it would make sense to have great expectations, as Apple Stores can often be quite a sight. If that sounds hard to believe, here’s a look at seven of Apple’s most unique and amazing flagship stores around the world: 

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore: The floating dome

When most tech brands were shutting shops during the pandemic, Apple opened one of its most iconic stores in the world. Apple opened its Marina Bay Sands store in Singapore in September 2020. The store screams ‘Apple’ in every design way possible. It is the first-of-its-kind store according to Apple. It is not only an all-glass dome structure which is fully self-supported but a store that appears to float. This all-glass store is made with 112 glazed glass that uses only ten really narrow vertical bars for structural connection. Surrounded completely by water, it is joined to the land by a tiny bridge. With water all around and a skyline with tall skyscrapers in the foreground, the Marina Bay Sands store allows visitors to enjoy an uninterrupted 360-degree panoramic view of Marina Bay, all while buying your new iPhone or iMac. 

Regent Street, London: Antique meets advanced

It was the first ever store that Apple opened in Europe back in 2004 and remains one of the largest in the continent. When it was first opened, the store had stainless steel, glass and stone interiors. The place was then revamped in 2016 and Apple decided to match its minimalist, modern-day design with the historical integrity of the building. The tech brand preserved the building’s Grade II-listed exterior facade of Portland stone, Carrara marble and hand-cut Venetian smalti glass tile and chose a palette of interiors that remained sympathetic to the building’s history. Materials like white Terrazzo floors, Castagna stone walls and bronze links were used to bring the element of the old days, while incorporating its clean, green design by adding tall tree planters that double up as seating space, with a  twin stone staircase which leads visitors to another floor and box-shaped stools placed in front of a gigantic video wall playing exclusive music and videos.  The store is truly the best of both worlds. 

Piazza Liberty, Milan: A waterfall leads you to the store

Located just off the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, one of the most popular pedestrian streets in Milan is Apple’s Piazza Liberty branch. Opened in 2018, the store literally has a waterfall of its own. No, we are not kidding. There are two key elements to this Apple store – a fountain and a stepped plaza. Right off the street, you will find a glorious eight-metre glass fountain which not only serves as the entrance to the Apple store but also as a backdrop to the huge outdoor amphitheatre. The experience of entering through this glass fountain is very multisensory and keeps changing through the day as sunlight passes through the water. At night, the fountain creates a kaleidoscopic effect as the reflection of the water moves through the sky. The plaza is created with Beola Grigia, a stone local to Italy and is surrounded by 21 Gleditsia Sunburst trees, keeping Apple’s green and clean commitment in mind. 

Apple Park Visitor Centre, Cupertino: Peak Apple design

One would think that Apple would unleash all its design powers at this particular store considering this place is right out in the company’s headquarters. This store speaks the fluent design language that Apple is master of. It literally makes the difference between ‘inside and outside’ disappear with its transparent glass wall, a popular design element in many of Apple’s stores. Covering this is a cantilevered carbon fibre roof which appears to float on top of the store and is only supported by stone-clad cores and no other extraneous columns for support. Apple also gives visitors a virtual tour of Apple Park using augmented reality on iPads and iPhones and the terrace of the store offers a real-time view of the main office. Apart from tech, the Visitors Centre is also the only Apple store where you can buy Apple Park merchandise that is not otherwise available elsewhere. 

Dubai Mall, Dubai: The store with wings

This Apple Store must have had tons of Redbull considering this is a store that actually has wings. That really poor joke does not take anything away from the architectural marvel that is the Apple store at Dubai Mall. Opened in 2017, the store features a huge 186 feet curved front which offers visitors a spectacular view of the world’s tallest skyscraper, Burj Khalifa and the famous Dubai Fountain. It is also the most visited Apple store in the world which sees a footfall of over 80 million every year. Another massive highlight of this store are the carbon fibre ‘solar wings’ that shade the store and protect it from the intense heat of Dubai. Inspired by the traditional Arabic Mashrabiya, the 180-feet wide 18 transparent panels open up, making it one of the world’s largest kinetic art installations.

Apple Central World, Bangkok: The Tech tree 

Apple’s obsession with transparent facades comes through in this particular store as well. Situated at Ratchaprasong intersection in Central World, which is Bangkok’s biggest shopping plaza, the store was opened in 2020. It has curved glass that surrounds the store from top to bottom. The centrepiece of this all-glass store is a tree-shaped column made of European white oak blocks, which stretches into a roof on top and is suspended over the store. There are two floors to this store, which are connected by a spiral staircase that is wrapped around the trunk of the tree in the middle. There also is a cylindrical lift in the store, which is mirror polished so that it can camouflage with its surroundings. The store also directly connects to skytrain which means visitors can take the train from the store itself. 

Apple Store Pudong, Shanghai: A glass cylinder entry! 

Another design marvel is Apple’s store in Shanghai. The store features a 41 feet high glass cylinder that has a spiral glass staircase which transports visitors under the ground which is where the store is located. The inside of the store is quite typical with hues of beige, white and light grey surrounding the whole store but it is really about the grand entry one makes to get to the retail store. On the outside, it is also surrounded by two of the tallest skyscrapers in the world — the Shanghai World Financial Centre and the Oriental Pearl Tower.