Apple’s latest retail store has a design quite unlike any others we’ve seen from the tech giant.
Set to open its doors to customers in Singapore’s Marina Bay on Thursday, September 10, the extraordinary dome-shaped site appears to float on water, while a dramatic backdrop is provided by the city-state’s dazzling skyline.
On Monday the company posted the first photos of the store’s interior. You can see them in the gallery below.
Apple describes its new, spherical store as “a first-of-its-kind, all-glass dome structure that is fully self-supported, comprised of 114 pieces of glass with only 10 narrow vertical mullions for structural connection.”
The unique design allows natural light to flood in, and it even has small trees lining its interior.
“We couldn’t be more excited to open the breathtaking Apple Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, building on our commitment to this special place that began more than 40 years ago,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail and People.
When it opens later this week, Apple will have three stores operating in Singapore. The first one opened on Orchard Road in 2017, followed by a second at Jewel Changi Airport in 2019.
Apple’s latest store opening comes at a difficult time for the retail industry as lockdowns and other measures linked to the coronavirus pandemic prompt an increasing number of people to do their shopping online.
In March 2020, the iPhone maker took the decision to temporarily shutter all of its stores outside of China due to the virus. Since then, it’s been opening and closing its retail sites according to local conditions regarding the severity of the pandemic.
As part of efforts to protect staff and customers, anyone entering an Apple Store is now asked to wear a mask and also submit to a touchless temperature check. To ensure social distancing can comfortably take place, limits have also been placed on how many people are allowed in the store at any one time, while all tabletops and other areas are being regularly sanitized, too.
The opening of Apple’s Singapore store also comes in the same week that we’re expecting to hear details of the iPhone 12 unveiling event.
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