But someone called Luv Letter who flew to central China just for the opening was disappointed.
From Malcom Owen's "Crowds flock to opening of Changsha Apple Store" posted Saturday on Apple Insider:
The opening of a new Apple Store in Changsha, China has been attended by a large crowd of people, lining up in queues to gain access to the retail outlet for the first time...
"We are thrilled to be opening in Changsha, a community filled with creativity and profound cultural heritage," said Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail + People. "So many of our team members already call Hunan province home, and they are ready to welcome and support their neighborhood at Apple Changsha."
Luv Letter's first-hand report had a very different flavor:
Some people say that buildings such as Apple Store and Apple Park are also Apple products. Unfortunately, compared to the reopening of Sanlitun [in Beijing], the design of Changsha Apple is full of compromises.
For example, the Changsha City Fire Department and IFS have been wrestling with the design problems of the first and second floors for many years. As a result, under the increasing traffic of Changsha Wuyi Square, they chose to compromise to a single-story design. The irony is that the [queue] on the day of opening [stretched] until two or three in the afternoon.
Cue Luv Letter's video:
since I think I may have missed it.
I found two videos, and one was shot in vertical mode. Sorry for the first five minutes.
The retail experience, failed and gone for so many other “tech” companies, will give Apple an even larger lead as their their strategic focus continues to evolves. These aren’t “Stores” and I wish Apple would drop that moniker. They’re schools and life enrichment centers. They’re hubs for creativity and learning. They’re how we communicate, work, express ourselves, and they’re also how Apple does that same thing.
Apple’s retail focus has always been on reciprocal learning, and in my experience *that* is what the competitors have missed. They went louder, bigger, brighter, and bolder, yet felt creatively empty and devoid of learning, and now they have the physical emptiness to match.
The Chinese government is clearly supportive of Apple’s retail expansion. Other Western retailers have not fared so well. This store is a physical measure of success and how secure Apple feels about doing business in China.
Big investors & retailers are keen to keep track of new store openings, new & same-store sales.
As Luv hints, getting this store built and open was a major challenge. Mumbai seems even tougher.
IMO, this video shows the Apple enthusiasm of its Chinese users and the high potential to keep growing in China. This store is Changsha’s own and will be a valuable magnet for Apple.
And regarding its one story “compromise” design, it’s not the look or layout, but it’s the heart that Apple has for its users, and bringing the Apple experience to them.