Apple has gone through several iterations of its retail store design in the 10 years the stores have been open. The original design had black borders with large, backlit Apple logo mounted to the front of the store, near eye-level. Then, the stores went through an aluminum phase, with much more glass. The stores had a smallish aluminum border surrounding both the front doors and the window displays.

The most recent stores, such as the new Apple Store 4th Street in Berkeley, CA get rid of almost all the aluminum, and instead are almost entirely glass.

4thstreetcombine560
As IFOAppleStore notes, Apple's store architects have worked very hard to present an entirely symmetrical appearance for the 4th Street store. Apple has redesigned the sidewalk in front of the store with several different sized stone tiles to precisely match the sizes of the front window glass.

In this case, the master element is the stone floor tiles, which are 76 centimeters square (about 30 inches). The glass window panes are then manufactured to a multiple of that dimension. Outside, Apple routinely installs a new sidewalk in front of its street-facing stores. In this case, the sidewalk was made with contraction lines that are also multiple of the stone tile dimension. When all the painstaking design and construction work is finished, passersby and store visitors “see” the effect, but probably don’t realize why the store is so attractive.

In a companion post, IFOAppleStore notes the subtle new security grate system the Berkeley store -- one open to foot traffic 24/7 -- employs:

The steel grating at that store is constructed of narrow horizontal rods and thin vertical strips that have a minimal cross-section. When the grating is raised, it’s stored entirely within the ceiling behind a thin access slot. When the grating is lowered, it slides down through narrow slots in the side wall.

The grate closes well behind the front window as well, so that Apple's perfectionist window displays aren't obstructed by unsightly, but necessary, security features.

Top Rated Comments

thegoldenmackid Avatar
184 months ago
Now I can go in the stores without getting shakes from my OCDness.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nateo200 Avatar
184 months ago
Now I can go in the stores without getting shakes from my OCDness.

I know I had to stand perfectly in the middle or it felt like the walls were closing in on me :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

















(/Sarcasm)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danpass Avatar
184 months ago
The Apple logo is not symmetrical...
[Jobs] Don't look at it that way [/Jobs]






:D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Navdakilla Avatar
184 months ago
nicely done

definely an order from Jobs
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
notjustjay Avatar
184 months ago
Adrian Monk would be pleased.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PJMAN2952 Avatar
184 months ago
Will this happen to all Apple Stores again? Hope so. This looks cool.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...