As part of Apple's plans to expand its retail store presence in Germany, the company has been working on a store at a mall in Sindelfingen, just outside of Stuttgart. Last month, iFun.de reported [Google translation] reported that Apple was targeting Saturday, September 22 for the store's grand opening.
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We've now heard from a source claiming that Apple has brought forward the opening date for the store to Thursday, September 20, potentially signaling that the next-generation iPhone will indeed launch the following day as has been rumored. Moving the grand opening forward by just a few days would enable Apple to have another retail store open to support the launch without requiring a significant change to store construction and preparation plans.
A similar change earlier this year signaled Apple's plans for the third-generation iPad launch, when the grand opening of the Highland Village retail store in Houston was brought forward by a day, suggesting that it would coincide with the March 16 iPad launch as did turn out to be the case. Apple's official announcement of the 8:00 AM grand opening for the store on that date also revealed the company's plans for the timing of the iPad launch.
Germany is typically included in Apple's first-round launches, although on some occasions such as with the iPad 2 the company has launched first in the United States before rolling out to other countries in the following weeks. iMore reported last month that Apple is planning for pre-orders to begin on September 12 ahead of the September 21 launch in the U.S. and perhaps other countries, with a second wave of international launches coming in the first week of October. If today's speculation bears out it would mean that Apple be including several other high-profile countries besides the U.S. in its first round of launches, with the second wave moving to quickly broaden distribution to other countries around the world.
Top Rated Comments
I believe it was called the re:store and I got my iPad 1st Gen there back in 2010.
That being said it makes perfect sense for Apple to locate the store there in Sindelfingen, which is actually not a very big city compared to Stuttgart:
There are 3 or 4 American military bases in close range AND because of that a Burger King, McDonalds and a KFC. This is as American as you can get in the south of Germany ;)
Well, it's rather people's shoes and cleaning machines causing that in such a public place rather than drunk and sprayers, but I think part of it is marketing. Everybody uses white (thus risks to get "dirty") and back is the new brown (which was the new black, I believe... - an attempt to make a joke on in-colors), so it's just classy. And if it ever gets scuffed up, use a black Sharpie (or Edding) and you are good. If you try this on a white wall, you might end up with 50 Shades of Gray (pun intended).
PS: Sorry folks, I ate a clown for breakfast, in retrospect, I think it tasted funny and it's coming up all the time. :D
Haven't thought of it even though evident...
Btw, this needs correcting: