A new and larger Apple Store is under construction at Christiana Mall. Is the space needed to handle the crowds that come for tax-free shopping? Or is it a sign that some big things are brewing – perhaps in television. That’s one area ripe for a breakthrough from the hassles of DVRs and remote controls.
The work in Delaware is taking place at the current store space, with the computer giant taking additional square footage next door. The website ifoAppleStore.com, reported the location will have 10,000 square feet of retail and backroom space. The site reported the bigger store will be open by Thanksgiving.
Apple has opened a temporary store, with an outside entrance on the northern end of the mall. That location is a necessity in serving back-to-school shoppers to the store. Apple staff have been on hand outside the old location to direct confused customers.
Apple opened a store at the mall in 2004 during the early phase of its international rollout. It moved to new space now under construction a couple of years ago.
The Christiana store is believed to be a top performer, due to the lack of a state sales tax. The store has even become a focal point of shopping bus trips from high-tax areas of the East Coast.
Rival Microsoft also plans to open a store a few doors away in Christiana Mall. The company, after watching the Apple Store become a multi-billion dollar business, is also opening retail locations. Still, 10,000 is a lot of square feet for iPads and computers.
On the other side of the nation, Apple is believed to be building a store not far from its Silicon Valley, Calif. headquarters. VentureBeat reports the store in Palo Alto is near a ultra high-speed Internet connection. That has led to speculation that the company is poised to jump into the television market, perhaps with technology that gets around cable TV systems.
Other reports talk about a set top box, with a DVR-like feature that would store TV shows in the “cloud” as well as a rumored premium priced TV set
That might also provide a clue on why the company needs so much high-priced square footage in Delaware.
Sure wish Apple would bite its core and also move an Apple Store into the old Border’s store space in the Concord Mall on Concord Pike (Rt. 202) near the Delaware state line with Pennsylvania and an easy drive from NJ. There is not only the three state populations to draw from, but several colleges within easy drive of that tax free location. I do not believe it would hurt the current mall store which is a half hour or more drive away And it would be a welcome addition to us Apple fans who now visit the poor display of Apple products in the Best Buy Store staffed by uninformed sales folk and no Genius Bar. Let’s have a second tax-free full size Apple Store in Delaware.
I agree. It makes sense, but we probably won’t see it anytime soon The Border’s space is too large by Apple standards and with fewer than 400 stores, other opportunities exist, including the outlet area in Rehoboth Beach.