After a long build up, Apple’s first Eastern Europe/Asia Minor store opened up today in Istanbul at the Zorlu Center. As with some other flagship stores, it is mostly subterranean with a glass upward protrusion. This one has four large panes of glass covered by a white roof with a darker Apple logo surrounded by a fountain as pictured below.
Apple yesterday held a press event attended by one of the Apple Store leads Steve Cano. Tim Cook took to Twitter to announce the opening:
Teşekkür ederim to our customers in Istanbul and all the people of Turkey. http://t.co/4xD4A2X06c
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Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 05, 2014More images and videos below:
https://twitter.com/kerem_sayin/status/452363507141709824
I suppose Apple’s critics will claim this was a poor turnout as supposedly fewer and fewer consumers are buying Apple products. Or the critics will say those consumers only turned out for the free T-shirts.
Pitiful turnout. You could have done better by opening the first Apple Store in Montana.
Looking at the 3rd image from the top which shows a large group of people in a contained open air space circumambulating about an abstract cubic object.
Especially in a predominantly muslim country like Turkey, does this strike anyone else like a rather (perhaps blasphemous?) secular analog to the Masjid al-Haram with this new Apple store playing the role of the Kaaba?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masjid_al-Haram