KEY POINTS:
Once you needed to go a long way to visit an actual Apple Store; to the US, or England, or Europe or more lately, to Asia - but no longer. After the Sydney store opened last year in George St, another two were added to the Australasian list - another Sydney store plus one in Melbourne. Now you have a choice within about four hours flying time of Auckland.
The other two stores are smaller - Melbourne's is in the Chadstone Shopping Centre and the other is in Sydney's northern suburb of Chatswood.
I've talked about the phenomenon before, and not just because Apple sells a great deal from the shops it builds and staffs, but also because the retail shops extend a physical Apple presence across America and, increasingly, the planet. A downside is that it means Apple doesn't feel it needs to attend Mac-specific trade shows any longer.
Apart from having a shop dedicated to all things Apple, and to those things that go with Apple products, an Apple Store is staffed by friendly Mac and iPod/iPhone experts who spend the whole day giving people advice and even training.
While the massive and glassy façade of the Apple Store in George St might look a little imposing, that feeling is dispelled as soon as you walk into the door beneath the big suspended Apple logo. An orange-shirted concierge greets you and asks how they can help - or, more to the point, what they can help with; what information you seek.
You are directed to the floor with Macs, or the iPod floor or, if it's advice you're after, how to get answers to questions you might have, which usually entails booking a time at the Genius Bar.
The Sydney heat is gruelling (and they said the real heat wave was due the week after) and it can't have been that easy to sit upstairs waiting for your particular expert to spend time walking your through a Mac procedure, iTunes conundrum or application advice (of course the shop has air conditioning). But the people I saw looked patient. I'm guessing the idea of having an Apple trained expert, dark-blue shirted, all to yourself in a well-designed environment is worth a wait.
On the sales floors the pace was not stressed, either. 'Unhurried' might be the best descriptor, unlike in some stores. Especially considering how busy the place was (it was 11am when I visited). I asked John Marx of Apple Australia what kind of commission sales staff (in the light blue shirts) got.
Marx can be very succinct: "No commission."
One thing I liked is the casual yet professional demeanour of staff. Hair styles covered the gamut, facial piercings were allowed, yet no one seemed threatening or off-putting. The punters, from all age groups, seemed singularly unperturbed.
Some stick-in-the-muds might think this weird - I think it's enlightened. Personally, I don't particularly like being served by a stuffed shirt having to ape a fashion from 20 or 30 years back.
How about stock? There's everything Apple makes, clearly signposted with features and prices and all laid out for you to play with. There are even computers set low-down for kids. If you want a demo or you have a question, just ask.
The funny thing is, I'd been to three Auckland Apple resellers just a few days before, and the feeling in all three was similar: slick but friendly, approachable, professional yet relaxed. (That was Student IT, MagnumMac Newmarket and Übertec in Parnell). So there's obviously an Apple culture thing.
While I was in Sydney I had a meeting with three Apple staff over from the Californian headquarters campus of Cupertino - I'll write more about this later. I asked them what they thought of the Sydney flagship store and they said it was up there with the best, including New York and Regent St in London. Note that the Regent St store is currently the only other bigger than George St.
When the George St store opened last year on June 19th, by coincidence my nephew Hayden Collier was there. The Apple fan shot some video I linked on my mac.nz site. It's worth a look because of the somewhat 'un-Australian' scenes it engendered. John Marx laughed when I mentioned this. He said the head office in the US told Australian staff to prepare for queues for the store opening. The answer was words to the effect: "Are you kidding? This is Australia!"
I asked if an Apple Store was coming for New Zealand. You have to give me credit for asking, as I knew what the answer would be: "We don't have any announcements on that."
So I asked if Apple Store-building was related to population numbers. It seems not; it's more about presenting a solid Apple presence and in providing a venue to showcase to, and to service, Apple users. Sydney's population is around the same as the entire number for New Zealand (four million). And Auckland City contains around one million.
I think an Auckland Apple Store is unlikely, but who knows? But if you're in Sydney, check it out.
- Mark Webster mac.nz
