Widgets Magazine
  • Apple to bring one of first new generation stores to Penn Square

    The Apple store in Penn Square Mall has temporarily relocated while the existing space is expanded and receives a $2.5 million remodel, and in the process bring one of the first of Apple's new stores to Oklahoma City.


    Apple recently promoted Jony Ive to Chief Design Officer and the new stores are one of his first and most ambitious projects.

    Apple officially opened one of its first Ive-inspired "next-generation" retail stores this March in suburban Memphis and plans show the Penn Square location will get the same treatment.


    The Oklahoma City store moved to temporary space on the 2nd level of the mall in April while the ambitious renovation takes place.

    The new stores are described as having a high-flung ceiling lined with light panels and spotlights, which illuminate product display tables that have been arranged to maximize floor space and achieve a sense of openness.


    New wooden accessory display installations adorn the walls, and feature a headphone tryout area along with shelves for speakers, docks and other products.

    The storefront will feature huge floor-to-ceiling glass panels, and all will pivot 90 degrees to create almost complete openness.

    Perhaps the biggest change will be the massive video screen located at the rear of the store. Previous stores featured a service counter in this area but it has been removed completely, allowing for full viewing of the huge edge-to-edge display.


    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, which is slowly being introduced in the company's latest stores.

    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.

    The new Oklahoma City Apple store should open in time for the holidays.

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