In June 2015 it was reported that Apple would renovate its iconic Fifth Avenue retail store, temporarily relocating its operations to the vacated FAO Schwarz toy store in the General Motors Building. A MacRumors reader spotted a new sign in front of the iconic store that reveals the relocation will happen on January 20.
FAO Schwarz vacated its location in the General Motors Building in July 2015 due to the rising cost of rent. The space is just a couple feet away from the iconic glass cube, making the relocation largely seamless for frequent customers of the Fifth Avenue store.
Apple's Fifth Avenue store and the former FAO Schwarz space, far right (Flickr)
While the extent of the renovations at the Fifth Avenue store are unknown, the company has been expanding or relocating a number of its older stores to accommodate increased foot traffic. The Fifth Avenue location was last renovated in 2011, when larger, more seamless panes of glass were installed. The renovation was completed in November 2011.
Ahead of the closure, the store will have reduced hours of 6:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on January 16-18. The location is usually open on a 24 hour, 365 day basis.
Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others.
During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date.
Keep reading...
Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind.
Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe.
Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features.
OLED Display
The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating.
When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...
Thursday November 20, 2025 8:21 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
Earlier this week, Illinois became the 13th state in the U.S. to offer the feature. Subsequently, we shared a list of additional states that are committed...
Thursday November 20, 2025 9:47 am PST by Juli Clover
Google today announced a new cross-platform feature that allows for file sharing between iPhone and Android users. With AirDrop on the iPhone and QuickShare on Pixel 10 devices, there is a new file transfer function available.
The file sharing option works on Apple devices that include iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Fold....
Too many clever words on that sign when a simple arrow would've sufficed (especially considering the number of non-English-speaking tourists that must visit that iconic store)
Perfect example for anyone new to Macrumors as far as what to expect in the forums. People will criticize Apple over the most ridiculous things and rarely is anyone happy.
I worked in that store from 2010-2011. Even back then, the traffic and crowding was unbelievable. Each week, the FDNY would send a fire inspector to see if there were more people than was safe, in case a fire broke out. And each week, they were far over the legal limit. Apple didn't give a ****; they paid the fine each week.
I know Wall Street and the myriad Apple-haterz continue to claim Apple is going out of business quite soon but these sort of things Apple is doing isn't quite indicative of a company going out of business. A company wouldn't keep renovating old stores and adding new stores at this rate. You can tell how Sears, J.C. Penney and Macys are having a financial crisis as they sell off stores and dump employees. Where is that happening at Apple. It's true I don't really know if Apple is having a financial crisis but spending more money on expansion wouldn't make any sense if they did have a crisis. So what is it that Wall Street knows that I don't? Of course, I also don't understand why Yahoo's share price continues to rise while the company's fundamentals are quite crappy. Yahoo has an EPS of -5.1 and yet the stock has risen over 25% this past year. Apple has an EPS of about 8.3 and the stock has risen just 3% in 2016. I just don't get it. There are so many mixed signals with Apple so it's hard to tell who's telling the truth about the company. If Apple were in financial trouble they shouldn't be doing any renovations or expansion.
Apple isn't going out of business, nor are they anywhere even remotely close to what it would take for them to shut down. That is something said by the 1-5% of the tech population that come on these sites and forums because they are angry the MacBook, iMac or iPhone didn't have the feature or specs they wanted or because they prefer another brand product and want to make Apple seem like they are in trouble. On a general consumer level, Apple is doing just fine.
"Apple’s Fifth Avenue emporium probably has annual sales of more than $350 million, said Jeffrey Roseman, executive vice president of real- estate broker Newmark Knight Frank Retail. The location is 10,000 square feet, putting its sales per square foot at a minimum of $35,000, based on Roseman’s estimate.
Those sales trump tony jewelry sellers along the famed street — currently earning about twice as much: Tiffany & Co. rakes in just $18,000 per square foot, Harry Winston between $12,000 – $13,000."
Abercrombie pays annual rent of $12.5 million for a 25,000 square foot shop on Fifth Avenue. Apple probably pays more per square foot for its more prime location but regardless they are turning a serious profit in a location with incredible marketing value.
