By Patrick Avenell
Apple has confirmed the worst kept-secret in Australian consumer electronics, ‘announcing’ their Sydney store will open at 5 pm on Thursday 19 June. Although this information had already been reported by Current.com.au, it was only today that eager fans could finally write over the pencil marks in their calendars with ink.
In addition to confirming the date and time, Apple has released details on what the store will feature, with a representative saying, “[the Sydney store] features two floors dedicated to Macs and iPods and a third floor dedicated to service, including the world’s largest Genius Bar for free advice.”
The three floors at 367 George Street will be staffed by over 125 locals, which are known in the Apple world as “Specialists, Creatives and Geniuses” (sic). Specialised Apple services offered by these employees include giving instructions for first-timers, webpage creation and podcast and movie production.
For the professional, the Sydney store will also include Pro Labs, which offers “free, in-depth training on Apple’s professional creative applications for digital photography, music production and video editing".
For the casual browser, the new store will include at least 140 Macs and iPods for potential customers to play around with, including all of Apple’s current range.
Talking up the big opening was Apple senior vice president of retail, Ron Johnson: “We are thrilled to bring the unique Apple retail experience to Australia. This…new store will be the ultimate place for the people of Sydney to shop, learn and be inspired".