What you need to know
- Apple is renovating its store in SoHo.
- The renovation will add a new Forum, Video Wall, and Boardroom.
- It will, however, remove the last Theater from the company's retail stores.
The Apple Store in SoHo is reportedly going to receive a major renovation. According to a new report by 9to5Mac, the renovation will not only bring a number of modern Apple store elements to the location but also remove a piece of the company's history.
Apple SoHo's upgrade will feature a Forum and Video Wall for future Today at Apple events. The Forum will replace the store's Theater, an early Apple Store design element that's been almost entirely phased out. SoHo's Theater was the last in the US, and only two others still exist at Apple Ginza and Shinsaibashi in Japan.
The report says that the new Forum, a popular element in a number of other flagship locations, will offer a "modular seating, an improved audio system with a Hearing Loop, and a significantly larger and brighter LED Video Wall."
The new Forum will offer modular seating, an improved audio system with a Hearing Loop, and a significantly larger and brighter LED Video Wall when compared to the store's previous projection display. Upgrades at SoHo will also replace New York City's first Apple Store Briefing Room with a redesigned Boardroom for business customers and event guests. Other surprises are in store, like refined finishes and fixtures not found in previous Apple Store designs. The changes will not disrupt the store's hallmark glass staircase or historic brick facade.
While the renovations have already begun, Apple has been able to keep the store open to customers due to the fact that the area being renovated is currently not being used.
Renovations began September 1, when the store moved from sales and service by appointment only back to more traditional operation as capacity allows. At the same time, a temporary partition wall was installed on the store's upper level to separate the former Theater from the sales area. With group events impossible due to the pandemic, the space was mostly unused. A timeframe for completion has not been shared publicly. It's not known if the pandemic will impact construction plans or duration.
Apple continues to renovate current locations as well as open new ones. Most recently, the first floating Apple Store opened at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
