Apple's Urban Design Not As Popular As Its Computer Design

Apple's new downtown San Francisco store has only lived up to expectations on the inside.

1 minute read

April 16, 2004, 11:00 AM PDT

Columnist John King explains his disappointment in the new downtown San Francisco Apple store. "The computer chain that for years urged us to "think different" now imposes order from above: its outposts are interchangeable by design, with details repeated from store to store." He suggests that dealmaking with Willie Brown's city hall has allowed Apple to tarnish a historic district and destroy the existing sense of place. How much should a store change to fit in?

Thanks to Ratna Amin

FULL STORY: Apple prides itself on innovation. Creativity. Right. So what's with the heavy steel box downtown?

Thursday, April 15, 2004 in The San Francisco Chronicle

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