Apple has been meticulously planning the launch of Apple Watch, with advertising in full swing, getting print ads in top magazines, integrating fitness blog page by top model Christy Turlington Burns and also giving third-party app developers access to the hardware much before the launch.

Unlike the iPhone that launched without the App Store, the Apple Watch just like the iPad will launch with many third-party apps available on launch day. Apple has been showcasing apps like Target, American Airlines, Instagram, Twitter, ESPN and many more.

YouVersion the developers of The Bible app for iOS earlier today announced the availability of The Bible app for the Apple Watch. The app will be available when the Apple Watch ships.

The Bible app for Apple Watch includes features from its iOS app specifically reimagined for the watch. The app will bring Verse of the Day, Friends Notifications, Trending Verses and Your Verse Images, Bookmarks, and Highlights.

The developers state that their mission with the app is to simply, “help you engage with the Bible.”

Because we’re convinced that when you spend time with the Bible, either reading or listening, and then carefully reflect on what it’s saying to you, God’s Spirit will do something inside of you. His words will change you, make you into a new person. Ultimately, His words will draw you closer to Him.

Seven years ago when the App Store for the iPhone was launched YouVersion’s Bible app was amongst the first 200 apps approved for the launch day. Just like the iPhone version, the Apple Watch version will also be available on launch day.

Have you pre-ordered the Apple Watch yet? Share the model you’ve ordered in the comments section below.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus launch was no different, it set all time high record for the company and until recently the company had been struggling to catch up with the demand. Due to differences in pricing, currency and contract terms iPhones are sometimes cheaper in certain countries when compared with others.

The black market is known to import phones from countries where it is available earlier or cheaper and make profit by selling at higher price. One Chinese man thought about doing the same, however the import technique he used was rather unique.

According to the report published by Huffington Post, the man strapped 94 iPhones to his body as he was allegedly smuggling the phones from HongKong to mainland China. The report mentions that the custom officials noticed his “weird walking posture, joint stiffness, muscle tension” and pulled him aside for questioning.

When I first saw the photo of the man with all those phones strapped to his body I was reminded about the iPhone 6 bendgate. I wonder if any of those 94 iPhone were bent during the course of his journey. While we may never find out if those iPhones did bend or not but, considering the fact that those were meant to be sold it seems that the man was fairly confident about his technique.

Apple is committed to increase the number of Apple Stores in China from 15 to 40 within two years. Making the devices available easily and on the same launch date as the U.S. may help discourage such activities in future.

The latest iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c from Apple went on sale in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on September 20th. Apple recently announced opening weekend sales figures of 9 million iPhones sold. However, the company did not give a breakdown for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c separately.

Judging by the availability of iPhone 5s models at Apple stores and the slipping of shipping dates to October, it was easy to believe that iPhone 5s is clearly more popular. Now, a new report by Localytics gives us some more insight into how popular is the iPhone 5s vs. iPhone 5c. The analytics company examined 20 million unique iPhones and then analysed the breakdown by country.

The report reveals that China leads in terms of users’ preference for iPhone 5s over iPhone 5c. One of the results for the popularity could be the new gold color. Many analysts believe that in the Asian market gold color phone would be extremely popular.

One possible explanation: there was a lot of hoopla around the addition of the gold-colored iPhone 5s as a very attractive addition in particular for Asian markets so this hypothesis may hold true.

Except the UK all other major markets were reported to have a very high ratio of the 5s vs. the 5c. The reason behind this could be due to subsidies not playing a major role in buyers decision and the fact that the economy is still recovering.

Further, the report highlights that the United States accounts for 68% of all active iPhone 5s and 5c devices. In simple terms, these numbers clearly suggest that more users are opting to buy the all-new iPhone 5s than the iPhone 5c.

Apple’s iPhone 5s comes with improved camera, dual-tone LED flash, 64-bit chip A7 processor and Touch ID fingerprint sensor. This year the company added two new colors to the lineup, introducing space gray and gold. Even though iPhone 5c is available at $100 cheaper the launch weekend certainly suggests more interest in the faster flagship model than the more colorful 5c.

The all-new iPhone 5s will go on sale on September 20th in ten countries and for the first time China will be one of them. This year Apple did not take any pre-orders for the iPhone 5S however, in China and Hong Kong the company started accepting reservations for iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s on September 17th.

Shortly after the iPhone 5s reservations went live, the stock for most models were sold out. It was reported that gold color was one of the quick sell outs. The reason behind Apple not taking pre-orders this year is because of limited supplies. We previously reported that Apple was facing issues with the fingerprint sensor and even though the smartphone will launch on schedule the supplies will be limited.

Stock selling out in China is a clear indication that the availability of the new iPhone 5s will be constrained worldwide. Customers in the U.S can either order the iPhone 5s online on September 20th or visit an Apple Store to buy it. However, due to limited stock it might be difficult to buy it on launch day.

Apple’s new iPhone 5s features Touch ID fingerprint technology, enhanced camera and 64bit A7 chip. The design is same as the iPhone 5 with minor changes to the overall look. iPhone 5s also features dual-tone LED flash for natural looking photos even in low light conditions.

iPhone 5s is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64 GB memory variations in white, gold and space gray colors. Are you excited about getting an iPhone 5s? Will you visiting the Apple Store or ordering it online? Let us know in the comments below.

iPhone 5S release date will be announced on September 10th during the special media event. However, a few customers are already excited about the launch and have been spotted camping outside Apple’s Fifth Avenue Store.

Major Apple product launches have received great first day response and customers often camp days in advance in anticipation of the release. This year campers have again set out their chairs on the streets waiting to be the first ones to buy the new iPhone 5S.

Apple’s new iPhone is expected to be released on September 20th in the US. The company is widely rumored to unveil two models this year. iPhone 5S will be the flagship model while iPhone 5C will be a more affordable option for the mass market.

According to reports and leaks in the past it is believed that iPhone 5S will feature A7 processor, dual-led flash, fingerprint sensor and advanced camera software. iPhone 5C is expected to support a plastic body with 4-inch retina display running the same hardware specification as the iPhone 5.

In addition to the media event in the US, Apple is also holding an event for the Chinese media in Beijing on September 11th. This move is being seen as a breakthrough deal with China Mobile, worlds largest telecom operator with over 700 million subscribers. Asian market is of strategic importance for Apple and the company is making more and more efforts to capture market share.

Are you excited about iPhone 5S launch? Will you visit the Apple Store on the first day to buy one? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{via 9to5 Mac}

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency seized a massive shipment of counterfeit Lightning connectors and USB cables and adapters in Anchorage, Alaska several days ago. This was one of the larger counterfeit shipments that the CBP discovered, and identified its origin as a manufacturer in China. According to Frank Falcon, a CBP spokesperson, the knock off Lightning connectors looked very similar to the genuine Apple connectors, with fake Apple logos and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) trademark icons.

However, Falcon noted that it was obvious that the connectors were fake because they were packaged in plastic “blister” packs, as opposed to Apple’s white cardboard packaging. Falcon also mentioned that because the products are from a manufacturer in another country, ti would be hard to do much about the shipments. However, he did note that it would bring about more scrutiny and make them aware if any future shipments were to come through.

In total, the counterfeit Lightning connectors were priced at about $635,000, however, they would have likely been sold at much lower prices. It is unclear if all of the Lightning connectors and adapters were functional. Apple has had an issue with counterfeit products in the past, including fake iPods, iPhones, and iPads and in several cases, fake Apple Stores.

{Via iMore}

Over 30 retail stores on the East Coast of America, including 4 Apple Stores in NYC shut down earlier this week because of Hurricane Sandy, which swept across the NorthEast region and knocked out power to much of Lower Manhattan and uprooted trees and even the roofs of houses. Apple’s 14th Street location in Manhattan, pictured above, is one of the 4 in the metro area of NYC that was shut down during the storm.

The storm, brought over 10 inches of rain to the region, and wind gusts in excess of 90MPH which threatened numerous retail chains in NYC, including Apple Stores, which have all glass designs. With subway and bus stations shut down across the region, Apple Stores may have a hard time getting fresh supplies of iPad mini.

However, during the storm, Apple did take precautionary measures and sent its employees home and put sandbags at the base of stores to prevent water from entering. On iTunes, Apple is now collecting money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Apple posted a page for users to donate to the American Red Cross to help supply regions in the Northeast with power, water, food, and other forms of assistance. Apple is accepting donations for $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, and $200. One hundred percent of the donations will be transferred to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief, and Apple will not profit in any way. They have done this in the past following the tsunami in Japan and other natural disasters.

On Tuesday, alongside the announcement of the new iPad mini and the 4th generation iPad, Apple Inc. (AAPL) also went ahead to introduce a thinner, lighter 13 inch MacBook Pro with a Retina Display. The new MacBook Pro is only 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds in weight, making nearly 20% thinner than its predecessor and about a pound lighter and also has a FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones, improved speakers, faster 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a MagSafe 2 charging port.

With the newest addition to the MacBook lineup, AAPL has made nearly all of its products into portable machines. The 13 inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display does not have an optical drive as with most of Apple’s Mac products, and instead sports a slimmer form factor with a Retina Display that has 227 pixels per inch and flash storage that is faster upon startup.

With the transition to flash storage, Apple can produce thinner and lighter machines that start up and run programs much faster than the last generation. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is now one of Apple’s base models, with a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starting at only US$1,699. Users then have the option to configure their machines with 256GB of flash storage coming in at US$1,999.

The 13 inch and 15 inch MacBook Pros with Retina Display are on sale in Apple Stores and online with free shipping.

Are you planning to buy the MacBook Pro with Retina Display? Do you think it is worth the upgrade?

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has retail stores all over the world, most recently in China and is now looking to spread out to other parts of the world, the latest country being Sweden. The Cupertino company reportedly filed for a business registration certificate and even began hiring for the store. Apple’s products are already available if many countries, even those without any Apple owned retail stores.

According to site 99Mac, Apple’s latest store is expected to be located in the Täby Centrum shopping center in Stockholm and will likely be opened September 15th. The new retail store will certainly benefit from the expected iPhone 5 release date of September 21st.

According to further reports, this isn’t the only location that Apple is planning for Sweden and is in fact planning one in Malmö for October 25 as well as another location in Stockholm. Sweden is the 14th country to receive an Apple owned Retail Store, showing the company’s dominance in markets that it deems massively profitable. This is Apple’s first retail stores in Sweden and surely not the last in the European region.

{via MacRumors}

We recently reported that Apple Inc. (AAPL) was opening their new Barcelona Retail Store on Saturday at 10:00AM. The wall outside of the Passeig de Gràcia store consists of Gaudi-influenced design, with iOS icons arranged to resemble the modernista style of the popular Catalan architect. On Thursday, Cult of Mac was given access to take photos of the interior of the Passeig de Gràcia store.

Although the initial photographs of the exterior hinted at a very artistic interior, it now appears that the design is unchanged from Apple’s other retail locations and uses the same typical stone, wood, and metal designs. This latest location in Barcelona has a grand three floor structure, consisting of a full fledged theatre, a range of product displays, as well as a large Genius Bar.

On the ground floor of the Barcelona Apple Store, about half of the available floor space is taken up with iPhone and iPad displays, spread across twelve tables in three rows. The other half of the floor is taken up by various models of MacBooks, with only a single table devoted to iMacs.

Higher up, the glass staircase leads to the Genius Bar, as well as an in-house theater.

In the basement is where Mac and iOS accessories are stored, which Apple retail employees are now hard at work filling the shelves.

Apple’s Passeig de Gràcia location is the company’s second store in Barcelona and eighth and most recent retail store in Spain and opens at 10:00AM on Saturday, July 28th.

{via MacRumors — Image Credit: Cult of Mac}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) recently announced that they are planning to open their newest retail store in Barcelona, Spain on July 28th. The Cupertino company’s Passeig de Gràcia retail store will officially be opening on Saturday, July 28th at 10:00 AM. This is the same time of day that Apple holds all grand openings or reopenings around the world.

During grand openings, the company often gives out food from local bakeries and coffee shops, as well as the iconic commemorative t-shirts designed for each individual store. Apple’s Retail Stores often reflect a fair amount of culture from the town or country in which they are placed and in the Passeig de Gràcia retail store, the Cupertino company has used mosaics in the store’s logo.

The mosaics and construction barriers, adopt the artistic style of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí’s modernista style appears in many buildings and galleries across Spain, and reflects artistic accents from religion, as can be seen in the intricate mosaics at the Apple Store.

The mosaics at the Apple Store are made up of pieces of iOS icons from the App Store, and pulls together Gaudí’s style with Apple’s technological innovations. The Passeig de Gràcia will be Apple’s second store in Barcelona and eighth and most recent retail store in Spain.

{via MacRumors — Image Credit: Gadgetsteria}

Apple’s Retail stores are a window of the company to its customers, and a large part of the store’s atmosphere are the Genius’ and the Genius Bar. The efficient setup allows employees to easily help customers and form an orderly process to address issues that customers face with their products.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Best Buy is now changing the design of their Geek Squad Solutions Center to operate similarly to a Genius Bar, with customers sitting in front of a wood table and employees addressing their issues face to face as opposed to taking the device and repairing it behind closed doors.

The company is currently testing a prototype store in Richfield, Minn., with the new Solutions Central table. The prototype stores also allow customers to buy products from employees walking around the store with a device to ring up the sale, similar to Apple’s current checkout process.

Best Buy interim chief executive, Mike Mikan called the newly designed stores, “Best Buy 2.0”. Best Buy, with this new design is attempting to make customers the focal point of the store which it hasn’t really enforced in the past as opposed to stocking as many products as possible.

Best Buy stocks numerous Apple products, including the iPod, iPhone, and iPad as well as MacBooks and sells almost as many devices as Apple does in their own stores. Best Buy’s Apple-like design will attract more customers and surround them with enough knowledge to make a purchase in-store, and not just use the brick and mortar location to test the product and then purchase online. Best Buy has not yet announced when the design will begin to be implemented, but will likely do it if it receives a positive response from the prototype stores.

{via AppleInsider}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) currently operates six retail stores in greater China, and serves more than 216 million people per store, in comparison to the total population in the country. AAPL has two retail stores in Beijing, three in Shanghai, and one in Hong Kong. In 2010, when Ron Johnson was still head of Apple Retail, he suggested that the company would open over 25 retail stores in China.

On Wednesday, a report from Reuters revealed that the state of Pennsylvania has more Apple Retail Stores than all of China, a fact that can be quite surprising when considering that the 6 retail stores in China bring in one fifth of Apple’s total revenue. Pennsylvania currently has eight stores, with 3 in Pittsburgh and 5 others across the state. The population of the state is at 12.7 million as opposed to the 1.2 billion people in China.

The Cupertino company is taking its time in China and selecting prime retail locations that can serve numerous regions. Due to Apple’s lack of a large retail presence in China, a strong surge in scalping has become an issue at some locations. Scalpers essentially buy out stock of a newly introduced Apple product on launch day and then attempt to sell them on the street illegally for much higher prices, because of Apple’s low stock and pent up demand.

Apple’s future is definitely in China, where the company is quickly building a reputation and a large customer base. Last month, Chinese government officials stated that Apple may be looking to open two new retail locations in Chengdu and Shenzhen. Shenzhen is currently the location of a Foxconn factory, where Apple’s products are manufactured. Apple has not yet commented on this report and has not announced any further plans to open more retail locations or follow Ron Johnson’s plans for over 25 retail stores in China.

Apple has long been scrutinized by the press and the public for the way the company handled employee wages and the manufacturing process of their products. The most recent, a report from the NYTimes criticized Apple for the low wages that their retail store employees received. However, earlier in the week, a report from Business Insider revealed that Apple may be gearing up to give their employees a $4 per hour raise in their wages.

Other news reports, including one from Dow Jones Newswires suggests that the wage increase will be much bigger, about 25% of the hourly rate, which according to the report, is anywhere from $9 to $15 for the sales staff. Geniuses at Retail Stores earn up to $30 per hour and would benefit greatly from the 25% wage increase.

Employees began learning of the raises in face-to-face meetings with managers last week, according to three Apple employees in various regions across the U.S. The raises, which are based on performance, will begin appearing in paychecks around the middle of July, two of these people said. […]

Apple has not formally announced any plans to raise wages, however, credible reports and severe criticism in the last several weeks may lead the company to give workers a bump in pay. A 25% wage increase is great for retail store employees who feel they are underappreciated, and alongside health benefits, major product discounts, and stock options, definitely puts Apple’s Retail Store jobs far above other retail chains.

{via MacRumors}

On Thursday, a report from The Houston Chronicle noted that Apple’s Highland Village retail store will be opening on Friday, March 16. The store was originally scheduled to open on Saturday, March 17th, but was mysteriously bumped back a day to the Friday. This has lead to speculation that Apple is looking to have the store open for iPad 3 release date.

Apple’s iPad 3 keynote event is scheduled for March 7th, and will likely release the third-gen iPad in the following week as the company did with the iPad 2. In order to accommodate the long lines and large influx of customers, Apple’s new Highland Village Store will allow for better management of iPad 3 distribution and less traffic in Apple’s seven other retail locations in Houston.

The store, located in the Highland Village Shopping center at Westheimer and Drexel , was originally supposed to open in January, according to the source, but was delayed. March 17 was originally set as the new opening date, but the source said it was moved to the 16th a few weeks ago.

Apple’s Grand Openings typically take place on Saturdays, but may be moved to other days of the week to recognize special events or announcements. The March 16th opening would allow Apple exactly nine days following the announcement to ship the iPad 3’s to retail stores across the U.S.

Apple has does this in the past with the iPad 2, releasing the device on March 2nd and releasing it in stores at 5:00PM local time on March 11th. The Highland Village store is one of the few stores to adopt the same prototype design of the Upper West Side store in New York City. The Highland Village store is going to have the same glass-roof, front and back entrances, and tall brick wall above the glass. The store will be the first of Houston’s seven retail stores to be located outside of a shopping mall.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) opened its fifth retail location in New York City late last year, and experienced many controversies over the amount of rent that the Cupertino company paid to the Metropolitan Transit Authority, roughly $60 per square foot. However, the AAPL  retail store is now turning the tables on those who complained about the rent sharing issue, proving that its presence is in fact, helping the neighboring stores in Grand Central.

One restaurant has reported a 7% increase in sales since the opening of Apple’s newest store. Michael Jordan’s The Steak House is located across the terminal from the new Apple Store, Grand Central and co-owner Peter Glazier has confirmed that their restaurant has experienced a 7% increase.

He also specified that this increase was not due to the fact that the Apple Store replaced another restaurant, Matrazur, which occupied the space prior to the tech giant’s arrival, but because of the Apple brand itself setting up shop in that location. “The jump only happened after Apple opened,” said Glazier but not during the months that the store was being built.

Apple’s $60-per-square-foot lease agreement is significantly lower than what most tenants pay at Grand Central, however, Apple’s brand presence increases foot traffic to a place that otherwise, experiences the same amount of traffic each day. Apple’s Grand Central Store brings in far more people, who are likely to sit down at a restaurant such as Michael Jordan’s The Steak House after visiting the Apple Store.

{via Mac Rumors}

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) opened its first retail stores in the US long ago, giving customers a whole new retail experience, allowing them to use the devices hands on, try out the products and provide them with help if needed. Now, over a decade later, AAPL is opening up retail stores all around the world.

Apple has branched out to China, London, Japan, and many other countries. However, in a recent report from Indian business newspaper, Mint, it was mentioned that Apple is looking to increase their presence in India and is looking to open a number of retail stores in major retail districts.

Apple Inc. may open its own shops following the Indian government allowing full ownership of single-brand retail stores by foreign companies, according to a senior official of the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP).

The maker of the iPad and iPhone has been in discussion with the department for some time and is keen to re-enter Indian market after an earlier bid to do so in 2006, said the official on condition of anonymity.

The report also suggests that Apple went ahead with plans to make stores in India after the Indian government decided to eliminate ownership requirements, which previously required retail stores such as Apple Stores to have at least 49% domestic investment.

However, problems remain, with Apple being forced to source 30% of their product value from small businesses in India. Regulators are willing to address the requirement based on the guarantee of whether Apple will be moving their retail presence to India. Mint’s report also suggested that Apple attempted to open a tech support call center in India in 2006 in order to expand its presence but later drew back the effort and scrapped the idea.

However, if Apple were to open retail stores in India, a large influence of Apple products would spread across the east, starting with China, which is a large part of Apple’s international profits.

{via MacRumors}

Over the last year, Apple has expanded their number of retail stores, including a new Apple Retail Store in the heart of Manhattan, in Grand Central Station. On Monday, ifoAppleStore reported that Apple is planning to open a new ‘Transparent’ retail store in France and Switzerland.

The new Apple Store, reported to be built in the Aix en Provence is planned to be a major architectural accomplishment for Apple, one that closely resembles Apple’s Upper West Side store. The rendering of the images show a mock-up of the store, with what it would look like on an average day with an almost invisible outer wall, showing the tables and display models of iPhone, iPod touches, and iPads set up inside.

The walls and ceiling are expected to be constructed of a special glass, different from the ones currently used, that allow the interior of the store to be entirely visible from a reasonable distance. The retail store located in the south of France has fair weather and a good share of customers walking through the shopping area.

The tourism office located on the south side of Place du General de Gaulle is going to be taken down, and replaced by the proposed Apple Store, which is expected to be open by open by late 2012 or early 2013. Apple’s Stores usually take anywhere from 6-8 months, with planning, construction, and opening, and it is a rather fast pace for any retail establishment.

Apple has been experiencing high sales volume for the iPhone 4S, since its release late last year, in October. Apple, after releasing in the United States, began the roll out of the popular device in international markets, including China, however, after scalpers caused many problems in recent months, and a near riot in Apple’s Sanlitun retail store in Beijing, the Cupertino company has decided to halt sales of the device in-store “until further notice”.

Reuters reported early Friday that Apple stopped in-store sales after police restrained a massive crowd, causing riot behavior and unsafe conditions for both customers and employees. Scalpers are very common in Chinese Apple Stores, buying up iPhone and iPad stock, causing limited availability of the device, and then selling them at higher than suggested retail prices.

This illegal activity has caused tensions in Apple Stores which consistently run low on stock iOS devices and has also caused a major headache for police who must manage crowds of angry people on a regular basis.

“The demand for iPhone 4S has been incredible and our stores in China have already sold out,” an Apple spokeswoman said.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd. And to ensure the safety of our customers and our employees, iPhones will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being,” she said.

Apple’s decision to halt in-store sales is a smart one, because of the negative press that they would receive by allowing a riot in one of their retail stores. With sales halted, online sales will be increasing, which could possibly lead to a number of crashes and errors on the Apple Online Store. It’ll be interesting to see how Apple’s PR team will handle this situation as the days progress and the announcement of an iPad 3 gets closer and closer.

Apple has planned to launch a major sale across Asia in celebration of The Year of the Dragon, something that is rarely seen and not done regularly by Apple. The sale will begin on January 6, but will last only for the day in Apple Stores in China, Japan, and numerous other Asian countries.

Apple is not currently disclosing details on what the sale offers, however, it may be similar to Apple’s Black Friday sales in the US with minor discounts on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, as well as models of Macbooks and other smaller products.

Customers in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines are eligible for Apple’s one-day sale, which the company is calling ‘Red Friday’, offering a range of accessories, gadgets and software — as well as some Apple Store exclusives.

Apple has seen major growth and adoption of its products in Asian markets, particularly in China, and is looking to expand its reach by conducting sales and announcement of products internationally around key dates in the Asian calendar. It is very interesting to see Apple’s personal approach to sales in numerous countries, by including holidays and popular culture of Asia as opposed to a more corporate approach to sales.

Apple’s establishment in the Asian markets has witnessed substantial growth over the past few years and continues to grow as the company expands the number of retail stores and online availability in more countries.

{via TiPb}

Apple began construction on their iconic Fifth Avenue store in June and closed off much of the store for construction, covering up the entire cube and shutting down parts of the store. Customers continued to access the store through a small walkway that led directly into the store, causing crowded elevators and stairways. Apple has revealed the plans for the iconic glass cube and the future for the store and posted them on the construction site, showing off a much simpler and clean design for the glass panes.

We’re simplifying the Fifth Avenue cube. By using larger, seamless pieces of glass, we’re using just 15 panes instead of 90.

According to the new design, Apple will be using 3 panes of glass on all sides of the cube inlcuidng the top with each pane of glass reaching from top to bottom. This works well with Apple’s focus on simplicity, highlighting the key component of the storefront, the large Apple logo. Apple is attempting to simplify it’s stores design, something that is very important to the brand itself and it’s use of design to attract customers to it’s store and it’s products.

Last year, Apple filed a patent on the original Fifth Avenue design in order to protect the design of one of the most photographed sites in Manhattan. Apple’s Fifth Avenue Store is one of the most visited places in the city and has quickly become a hub for tourists.

Apple’s new design will continue to make Fifth Avenue a popular spot and will help Apple market its product much better. Apple has not yet commented as to when the store will be completed or when it is set to open completely.

{via MacRumors}

ifoAppleStore recently reported that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is planning to open a new retail store in El Paso, Texas, roughly two miles from the border of Mexico. The store is planned to be built on the ground floor of the local Cielo Vista Mall, which makes up about 16% of retail sales in El Paso. Nearby, in another location in El Paso, a more upscale mall is preparing for an Apple Store in 2012, however, Apple chose to build in Cielo Vista for obvious reasons.

Currently, the Cielo Vista mall is the ideal location for an Apple Store as the closest store to this location is over in neighboring state, New Mexico, which means this new retail outlet will be the go to store for El Paso residents. According to a recent study, El Paso is the fourth most Apple-Loyal region in all of America, which makes it a great location for Apple retail store.

The Cielo Vista location is expected to open as early as next year. Now El Paso residents will be receiving two Apple locations within months, possibly building more loyalty in the region.

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has often stated that the retail stores have played a huge role in making its products successful. The stores allow customers to experience the latest products, ask questions and seek solutions to their problems. The company has been continually expanding its retail footprint and it will be interesting to see where the next store opens.

{via TUAW}

Earlier today ifoAppleStore reported that Apple has started work on a $6.6 million project to revamp the plaza at its flagship Fifth Avenue retail store in Manhattan. The area is currently home to the iconic glass cube, Manhattan’s famous Central Park, and The Plaza hotel. As part of the project, Apple will be temporarily removing the glass cube to install new pavers on the plaza.

The building that it is currently sitting on is over 5 years old and needs to be rebuilt. This will cause more traffic in a retail location that is already packed with tourists and visitors on a daily basis. It seems that big changes are underway for Apple to cause crowding at one of it’s prime retail locations, something that they take very seriously. Worker’s arrived yesterday night in order to begin work on the Apple Store’s revamp began fencing off areas around the store in order to do so.

It is unclear what Apple plans to do with the store’s construction, whether they will be replacing the glass or working on the seating area outside. Not to worry though, Apple’s Upper West Side store is only a few blocks away from the iconic 5th ave location, where it also seems that Apple is doing construction. In a recent visit to the Upper West Side Apple Store, pieces of the exterior glass were being replaced with pieces of black plastic, possibly a space holder for new glass.

Apple may also be implementing this in their 5th Ave. store in order to prevent degradation of glass that is exposed to the elements. Either way, Apple will still be stocking iPads, iPhones, and iPods, so customers will still be happy.

{via MacRumors}

The standout change was the removal of all paper literature – no more paper pamphlets or cards displaying product information. But what to replace them with….

In a move that we have to say makes perfect sense, Apple has taken the step of removing all existing product detail cards and replacing them with interactive alternatives running on the company’s iPad 2. Each desk has a few iPads displaying information on the products it’s sat beside, whether that be an iPhone, Mac or slightly confusingly, an iPad.

Photos of the newly revamped stores have been circulating since stores in Australia began to open this morning thanks to MacStories among others.

As if the addition of iPads displaying product information wasn’t enough, the bespoke app they’re running can even call a member off staff should you require attention. Of course, that does rely on your particular Apple Store possessing enough bodies to keep up with demand – something we’re not sure will be the case if our local store is anything to go by!

An added bonus for Apple is the passive advertising of its own tablet device. What better way to get people to try out a new form of computer than have them flicking and swiping one to buy their iPod or Mac? We’re fairly confident Apple will sell plenty of iPads just on the back of someone falling in love with one when they arrive in-store to buy something else.

Is that the real reason Apple has splashed the cash to refit all its stores with umpteen iPads just for displaying product information? Considering they already can’t make enough iPads to meet demand, we’re not sure they’d need to resort to such tactics just yet!

According to WSJ Apple is now preparing to penetrate the Chinese market further as it plans to open a new store in Shanghai which is rumored to be the largest in China.

The company is planning to open a new store – it’s biggest in China – on Shanghai’s famous Nanjing Road, an Apple spokeswoman has confirmed to China Real Time after news of the plan appeared in Thursday’s Beijing Youth Daily.

This seems to be a very obvious move by Apple to accommodate the increasing number of visitors to its retail store and offer everyone a great shopping experience. Apple retail stores over the last few years have helped in selling the latest iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Macs to people who had never used an Apple product before.

Another rumor reported recently suggests that Apple is planning to open a new retail store in Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal too. With more than $40 billion in cash they are certainly making a good move to establish more retail stores to retain its dominance.

Do you think Apple should continue to open more retail stores? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.