Tech

Apple is about to open a monster retail store that looks totally different than all the others

Rafi Letzter

2016-05-19T18:27:55Z

apple store brussels 5 — This is actually Apple's new store in Brussels, but it has a lot of similarities with the one about to open in San Francisco. Apple

Apple has opened a new store in Union Square in San Francisco. And it looks...different.

Gone are the wide sheets of brushed aluminum and blue LEDs. Instead, there's a whole lot of trees and warm lighting. And the giant plane of glass and wide-open spaces have grown gianter and wider-open.

Apple says this woodsy aesthetic represents the future of Apple's store design, and will arrive at more stores in the future. TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino and Apple analyst Rene Ritchie were on site to give everyone not in San Francisco an early look at this new architecture.

There are giant, floor-to-ceiling glass doors at the front of the building.

They're 42 feet tall, and open 40 feet wide.

Here's what they look like when they open.

Inside, there's a wide-open space.

It's full of wooden furniture.

Seriously, there's a lot of wooden furniture.

Some of it is sculpted to fit your butt.

There's also a glass staircase.

The "Genius Bar" is now a "Genius Grove" with actual trees.

A plaza behind the store includes a 65-foot wall of greenery and a fountain.

The public space will be open 24/7.

The idea behind the Genius Grove is to be less noisey and crowded, and offer a more pleasant experience.

An "Avenue" staffed by "Creative Pros" will offer a place to come for advice on photography, music, and other skills.

A "Forum" will show videos on a giant 6K screen.

And for business customers, there's the "Boardroom."

This isn't entirely our first look at this aesthetic.

A store in Brussels featured some similar design elements back in September.

But this is the first time we've seen Apple commit so fully to the look.

Apple