However is this placemaking or is it just a way to sell more devices and software, either way in true Apple style this has been done well and with creativity. They have applied the principles of drawing people together in a pleasant environment where they want to seek and share in an experience. Technology is the experience and societies thirst for technology and for ever evolving software capabilities and how best to apply these is what draws people in.
Their new global store concept will see every Apple store become a “modern-day town square” and events space for the general public. The tech giant’s Today at Apple program is set to roll out internationally in all of its 495 stores, and will see each of them host free workshops on topics including photography, design and coding.
The initiative is a wider roll out of the Apple store opened in San Francisco, US in May 2016, which is designed to be a work and gathering space for the public as well as a regular retail store. The San Francisco store is open to the public 24 hours a day, and includes a canopy of trees and an area that hosts all of the Today at Apple events, with a large video wall that is used in the more interactive sessions.
Regular sessions will include photography workshops for both iPhone users interested in photography and more advanced photographers; presentations on art and design; advice-based workshops for teachers on how to incorporate technology into the classroom; and sessions on music-making and coding with robots for families.