Latest Apple Store Opening in NYC Features New MacBooks, iPods

Latest Apple Store Opening in NYC Features New MacBooks, iPodsBy Nicholas Kolakowski

Apple’s new Upper West Side store features a glass-cube design similar to Apple’s Fifth Avenue location.

Within hours of the opening, the store seemed equally packed with visitors and red-shirted employees.

Several new Apple devices and technologies were on view, including glass multitouch trackpads that support two-finger scrolling and right-clicking.

Apple used much of the store’s real estate to highlight its iPod Shuffles, which now come in five colors and include either 2GB or 4GB of memory capacity. A voice-over feature announces the name and artist of the song being played.

The Upper West Side store is Apple’s 280th retail location. Apple reportedly earned $3 billion from its first six months of retail operations in 2009.

Apple plans on expanding its retail footprint dramatically, with 40 to 50 stores set to open in 2010. Locations will include London, Paris and Shanghai, according to the company.

The new 21.5-inch iMac includes the multitouch “Magic Mouse” and a choice of dual-core or quad-core processors.

Unlike Apple’s Fifth Avenue store, which is largely underground, the Upper West Side location features two floors: ground-level retail and basement Genius Bar.

The minimalist architecture of the store includes a glass roof.

The new MacBooks are lighter at 4.7 pounds, with a new battery that Apple claims will last up to 7 hours.

The store’s Genius Bar was soon packed after the store’s opening.

The store’s downstairs also includes shelves selling software and accessories.

The new version of Apple’s iPod Nano can shoot video, play FM radio and features a bigger screen.

Apple probably hopes that its new location will do as well as the Fifth Avenue one, which Bloomberg suggested rings up $350 million or more in annual sales.