What you need to know
- Apple's first-ever retail stores opened 20 years ago today, May 19, 2001.
- To celebrate you can now visit Apple Tysons Corner in AR.
Apple fans can now experience Apple's first-ever store in augmented reality in celebration of the store's 20 year anniversary.
From 9to5Mac:
On May 19, 2001, Apple opened its first two retail stores in Tysons Corner, Virginia and Glendale, California. Now you can revisit the world's first Apple Store exactly as it appeared twenty years ago on grand opening day through an interactive augmented reality experience... The augmented reality model below represents a painstaking reconstruction of that original store, from the number and color of Macs on each table to the third-party software titles on the shelves. Artwork on the walls and window displays are true to the era. The model is designed to be as accurate as possible within the parameters of available information.
The experience is an AR reconstruction of the store as it was when it was first opened, and can be viewed through the link on Safari on either iPhone or iPad.
🎈🥳 Today marks 20 years of Apple Retail Stores. Step back in time and revisit the world’s first Apple Store exactly as it appeared on opening day in 2001 with this augmented reality experience: https://t.co/FsDkP06DaF pic.twitter.com/c1QEV3pdDJ🎈🥳 Today marks 20 years of Apple Retail Stores. Step back in time and revisit the world’s first Apple Store exactly as it appeared on opening day in 2001 with this augmented reality experience: https://t.co/FsDkP06DaF pic.twitter.com/c1QEV3pdDJ— Michael Steeber (@MichaelSteeber) May 19, 2021May 19, 2021
As the report notes, there is some disagreement about which Apple store was technically the first Apple store:
There is some disagreement in the Apple community about which Apple Store is the true "first" store. Many consider Apple Tysons Corner the first Apple Store because it opened three hours before Apple Glendale Galleria due to time zone differences. It's also the location Steve Jobs chose to tour and host a media preview at before opening. Others consider Apple Glendale Galleria the first Apple Store because it bears the rollout number R001, indicating that it was the first project planned internally. For the purposes of this article and the author's sanity, Apple Tysons Corner is referred to as the first Apple Store.
Around 99% of Apple's retail stores have now reopened after more than a year of COVID disruption, with many still operating on an appointment basis with measures like social distancing and mask-wearing still in place. Often situated in iconic city locations and sporting a wide range of distinctive designs, Apple's stores have previously been touted internally as its most important product.
