10-02-2005, 09:51 PM

Has anyone visited this new store, or indeed any other Apple store - I am assuming they are like for like?

I really, really would like to go to an Apple store, as they look fantastic, but roughly just how long does it take to browse such a store? The reason I ask is because I cannot travel very well due to disabilities. However, it is my aim to bite the bullet and visit the new store in Birmingham. This will amount to about a 4 to 5 hour round trip for me, which is quite a lot (I get travelsick).

Would the journey be worth it? If browsing the store is over with in 30 minutes then I probably would not go, but if you can spend a good couple of hours in there without getting bored, and probably a good few pounds too, then I would make the journey. Are they as big as they seem from the pictures on the Apple site?

10-03-2005, 05:03 AM

Well, I visited the London store, and it wasn't really such a great experience, actually. It's all very impressive - big, busy, lots of stuff to catch your eye - but at the end of the day it was a warehouse piled up with stuff to buy. And to be honest, if that's what I want I can go e-shopping and save a lot of time and money.

The helpdesk/bar thing was a nice idea, except you have to book in advance, and even then there were big queues. Speaking of which, there were also huge queues to pay for anything, and there was very little chance of getting hold of a staff member if you wanted to ask a question or something. (I went on a weekday early evening, so I wouldn't have thought it would have been peak timing.)

So, yes, it's a good way of Apple getting PR and enthusing people about their great products, but if you're an existing Apple customer, I wouldn't rush to get there. Buy online instead, or find a friendly local store.

10-03-2005, 05:07 AM

Oh yeah - time. If you want to play with the various toys scattered around, you'll have to jostle with the other hundreds of people who want to press the nice buttons on the latest iPod dock or whatever, and really, how rewarding/beneficial is that exactly? I lasted about half an hour, because the whole thing seemed rather pointless (hey! an iPod! a white thing! another laptop!), and probably 15 minutes of my half hour was spent queuing to buy some headphones.

10-03-2005, 05:10 PM

Thanks for the feedback thermidor

I don't think I will bother going unless we decide to make a day of it and go christmas shopping in Birmingham, but I am certainly not making a special trip now from what you have said. Thanks again

10-03-2005, 07:37 PM

Not all of them are busy. The three that I go to (yes, there are 3 that are close to my house) have about 10 people in at a time with 5 or 6 apple employees. The Genius Bar is a great place to get help if you need it. But I don't think I could spend more than half an hour to 45 minutes in one. .