Apple officially opened one of its first Jony Ive-inspired “next-generation” retail stores in the U.S. over the weekend.
The new-look store is located at the Shops of Saddle Creek South in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee, and features a number of novel design elements, as shown in photos provided to AppleInsider.
The store is described as having a high-flung ceiling lined with light panels and spotlights, which illuminate product display tables that have been arranged to maximize floorspace and achieve a sense of openness.
The wooden tables have been redesigned by Ive and now contain motion sensors that operate a flip-up panel concealing power outlets and ports.
New wooden accessory display installations adorn the walls, and feature a headphone tryout area along with shelves for speakers, docks and other products.
Undoubtedly the biggest new addition though is a gigantic 37-foot display screen opposite the store’s all-glass frontage. The high-resolution array is encased in a black housing and fills almost the entire wall with its edge-to-edge display.
Plans for the next-generation Memphis store were revealed in an August 2015 building permit application. In February 2015, The New Yorker ran a profile of Jony Ive which included details of the collaboration between Ive and retail chief Angela Ahrendts in coming up with the redesign.
In December, 60 Minutes viewers got a peek at Apple’s next-generation design when correspondent Charlie Rose spoke to Ahrendts in a mock store located in an unmarked warehouse off Apple’s Cupertino headquarters.
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Source: MAC ROUMORS