Shanghai: Wish my Apple Store looked like this

I must be an Apple Store snob. Last year, when I lived in New York City, I had the benefit of having two really beautiful retail locations near me. I’d strut in, feeling so cool and hip (except for the fact that I use words like “cool” and “hip”), like I was one of the savvy elite.

Fast forward: Now, my closest Apple Store (in New Hampshire) is located in a mall. I guess it’s not so bad — it’s got the trademark white interior and stock uniforms donned by the “geniuses” manning the shop. But it just doesn’t give me that same sense of excitement.

Why couldn’t it look like this?

Welcome to the futuristic marvel of architecture called the Apple Store, location: IFC center in Pudong (Shanghai). It had a grand preview last week. Here are some crazy facts about this brand-new store, the company’s second retail outlet in China:

• This is one of the largest Apple Stores ever, featuring one of the biggest Genius Bars
• The cylinder is 40 feet high and features the world’s largest curved glass panels
• Though iPhone 4s or iPads haven’t hit the floor yet, it still boasts more hands-on demo gadgets than any other Apple retailer
• There is a MOAT outside!

A couple more pics from the interior follows. (BTW, I like that spiral transparent staircase. It’s as though it leads up to tech heaven or something.)

Via: TUAW, ComputerSolutions.cn