Apple Computer Inc. is unveiling a new store design to add more show room for iPod music players and Macintosh computers and stations where shoppers can get technical help for their products.
The new stores will have an "iPod Bar" and Studio where artists and musicians will offer advice on creative projects, said Ron Johnson, who runs Apple's retail operations.
Apple stores already have "Genius Bars" for repairs and questions on Macintosh computers.
The new design puts twice as many Macs and iPods on display and should speed customer service, Johnson said. More than 10,000 people visit each store a week. Apple, which opened its first store in May 2001 to fuel sales of Macs, said in July that retail revenue rose by 29 percent in its fiscal third quarter to $715 million.
"We launched stores with the Genius Bar in 2001 with no real understanding" by people outside of Apple where the value was in offering that kind of service and support, Johnson said in an interview yesterday. "The service has become a hallmark of what the stores offer."
The new design is modeled after Apple's New York store on Fifth Avenue, which opened in May and has become the company's most visited outlet. It includes stainless steel walls, Italian stone floors, illuminated displays and larger tables for showcasing Mac and iPod models. The design also lets Apple display 50 percent more products from other companies that sell Mac software and iPod accessories.
Apple, which has a store in University Village, is starting with two new stores in Providence, R.I., and Columbia, Md., set to open this weekend, Johnson said. That brings the total to 164 outlets. Stores average about 4,000 square feet. Apple worked on the new design for about a year and built a prototype at a warehouse near its headquarters to test it, he said.
Apple has added iPod Bars and Studios in a few existing stores. They will now be a standard feature in every new store built.
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