Dan Pražák Apple prepared an event for this Saturday, which undoubtedly pleased all of its Central European customers, including Czech and Slovak ones. In Vienna, the American company opened the first ever Austrian Apple Store, which is also an alternative for Czech customers who are used to going to the closest Apple Store in Dresden, Germany. As loyal fans, we couldn't miss the grand opening of the apple store, so we planned a trip to Vienna today and went to see the brand new brick-and-mortar store. On that occasion, we took some pictures, which you can view in the gallery below.
The Apple Store is located at Kaerntner Strasse 11, which is near the Stephansplatz right in the heart of Vienna itself, on which, among other things, St. Stephen's Cathedral is located. Of course, this is one of the busiest streets in Vienna, home to chains with clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, and is also a very luxurious corridor with many fashion stores. The two-story building in which the apple store appeared was taken over by Apple from the fashion brand Esprit, and these are truly ideal spaces that the company was able to transform perfectly for its needs.
The grand opening was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Hundreds of people gathered in front of the store waiting for the opening, and in addition to German, Czech and Slovak words often flew through the air, which only proves how universal the location of the store was chosen by Apple. The doors of the Apple Store opened to the public for exactly one minute, and the first enthusiasts poured in to the applause of employees dressed in the iconic blue t-shirts with the bitten apple logo. However, we got to the Apple Store after standing in line for about an hour.
Gallery
Even though the store was immediately full almost to bursting, largely due to the presence of 150 employees, it was quite easy to see how spacious it was. The Apple Store is based on the latest generation of design, the design of which was also contributed by the company's chief designer, Jony Ive. The space is dominated by massive wooden tables on which iPhones, iPads, iPods, Apple Watch, MacBooks and even iMacs, including the new iMac Pro, are arranged symmetrically on one of the tables. The entire room, including the tables, is illuminated by a giant screen, which is mainly used for organizing educational workshops called Today at Apple, which will be focused on application development, photography, music, design or art. On the side of the tables stretches an elongated wall equipped with accessories in the form of Beats headphones, straps for Apple Watch, original cases for iPhones that you can try on and other accessories for Apple products. Accessories for iPads can be found on the second floor of the building.
Overall, the Apple Store has a minimalist, but at the same time rich in products and accessories feel, which is exactly Apple's style. A visit to the store is definitely worth it, and although it does not offer any exceptional products compared to the Czech or Slovak APR stores, it still has its charm and you should not miss it when visiting Vienna.
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 10:00 a.m. to 20:00 p.m
Sat: 9:30 a.m. to 18:00 p.m
No: closed
"and although in essence it does not offer any exceptional products compared to Czech or Slovak APR stores..."
Workshops, consultations with experts, help with installation, exchange of goods while you wait... We don't have any of that in the Czech Republic, and that's exactly the magic of official Apple stores.
It doesn't seem to me that workshops, expert consultations, help with installation or exchange of goods while waiting are "products".
I would fix the opening hours. Apparently it should be:
Mon – Fri 10am to 00pm