Apple, one of the world’s favourite technology companies, is tonight expected to launch its latest smartphone – the iPhone 5.
Taking place in San Francisco, the launch will see Apple CEO Tim Cook taking to the stage to present the next-generation iPhone to the world.
The iPhone 5 is one of the most eagerly anticipated Apple devices in recent years, with a larger screen, thinner body and a more powerful processor all expected to feature.
We won’t know anything about the new device until tonight’s launch, but one thing is certain – the iPhone will have a look and feel that only Apple can deliver.
Apple is a company synonymous with cutting-edge, contemporary design. But it’s not just its products that are sleek and cool; Apple stores around the world are temples of design perfection. So, where are the best ones?
Shanghai
Apple’s flagship stores are known for their huge glass structures, and the Apple store in Shanghai, China, is one of the best.
Above ground, all that can be seen is an empty 40-foot glass cylinder with the iconic Apple logo shining brightly. A spiral staircase then takes you down to the underground store below.
Covent Garden
Apple’s new flagship London store opened in Covent Garden in 2010, and was described as the “best ever” by Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail, Ron Johnson.
It’s a bold claim, but a pretty accurate one. With three floors, a huge courtyard area and glass panelling interwoven with the building’s original brickwork, the store is a sight to behold.
New York
While the Covent Garden store mixes contemporary design with a traditional structure, Apple’s New York store is pure modernity.
Visitors enter through a 32-foot glass cube before descending to the shopping area underground. In true New York style, this store is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Paris
Apple’s first French store opened in 2009, in a prime location next to the Louvre art gallery – hardly surprising given Apple’s penchant for glass structures.
But this store doesn’t let the Louvre hog all the glass limelight; a huge inverted glass triangle forms the centrepiece of the store, allowing light into the sleek, stone-walled interior.
(Images: Photo Giddy, {El Gris}, Synthesis Studios, cmkalina)
