Birth Of An Apple Store

Today's the Big Day

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:04:00 +0000

Lots of stuff going on - and a lot of other sources covering the big day.

Here's some links to today's coverage, along with some pics.

http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/boylston_street/index.html
http://www.techsuperpowers.com/files/AppleStore/index.html
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/boylston_street/photo5/index.html

In short: it's an amazing looking store. Congratulations Apple on opening the biggest store yet in Boston!

It's Official: Opening Day is Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Sun, 11 May 2008 12:44:00 +0000

According to the Boston Globe - the opening day is Thursday, May 15th. Time is still unknown, but our guess is likely 6PM, like other Apple Store openings. Coincidentally, there's a little blurb about our little company in there too. ;)

That also happens to be an off-day for the Red Sox, so some people have been throwing around the theory that there might even be more of a tie-in with the Apple Store and the Red Sox beyond the Green Monster. I guess we'll just have to wait and see on that one.

For our part, we'd like to welcome the Apple Store and its 165 employees to Boston (it's the first one in Boston proper). Over the past year of coverage, we've met some great people, from the construction workers onsite to the folks in Cupertino in charge of the store's construction (who by the way have been using our webcam to make sure that things have been going according to plan).

We can wait for the opening on Thursday. It will mean a new chapter for our company (hopefully a good one), and even we have a couple things in store for opening day.

Green Monster unveiled

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:21:00 +0000

As many people have already mentioned, the front of the store has been uncovered to show a Green Monster-themed graphic.

In the back, the curbs in the alleyway have been replaced, back sidewalk has been poured, much of the debris has been cleared, and the crane that was used to hoist the large stone panels on the back of the store drove away on Saturday, after being parked there for what seemed like months. It definitely seems that the work is focusing more on the interiors now, as we've seen steel cages (reportedly for inventory) being taken in one piece at a time through the back door.

And in other Red-Sox/Apple Store related news, rumor has it a that a Tech Superpowers t-shirt is buried in the foundation of the Apple Store...

Construction winding down, Anticipation winding up!

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:12:00 +0000

Well, if the looks of the outside are any indication, the inside should be coming along as well. Today, it looks like they're looking to complete the back facade of the building - and onlookers report that the glass of the front facade is going in as well.

As construction nears what looks like the final stages, the mood at TSP is one of anxiety and anticipation: What will happen when the doors open? Will we get no more walk-in service customers? Will we get a boat-load of referrals from the Apple Store business consultants looking for a Mac professional services firm? Will the Genius Bar help us rent more laptops to people that have their machines in for service? Will this city block become "Apple Central" for Boston and New England?

Probably a little bit of everything.

TSP has been working on a two-year strategy to position ourselves as the perfect complement to a flagship Apple Store: a Mac-only professional services shop with hardware service, onsite, and remote support capabilities. And it looks like we're just weeks away from seeing if that strategy will work. That work has included some fundamental changes to our business and making some bets on where we think the Apple Store will take us - so while the future of our business probably doesn't depend on this store, it's highly swayed by its existence.

Here's just a peek at some of our new services, hopefully they will help Apple succeed not just with their Apple Store, but with getting Macs into brownstones and businesses all over Boston:

- Our Managed Macs managed services suite to support pro and business Mac users for a flat monthly charge
- Increased staffing of our onsite consultants, who are pros at Leopard Server and large deployments
- Increased focus on Data Recovery and Customer Backup services
- Hard drive upgrades for older Laptops and Desktops
- Beefing up our Mac-Friendly Hosting Services, perfect for small to medium-sized Mac businesses, and running on Xserves!
- Providing Offsite Backups for Mac Servers
- A larger Rental Pool of laptops for Apple Store repair customers
- And much much more...

Tell us what you think! Will we succeed or fail? Should we pack up and get out of Dodge, or brace for the massive influx of customers? Time will tell, but one thing is for certain: Apple doesn't keep us bored!

Grand Opening... still waiting for word

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:58:00 +0000

As usual, the mothership is quite quiet about the progress on the Apple Store. Even as an Apple Reseller, we have no idea when the store will open. Based on the progress being made on the outside and inside of the store, we're guessing it's still a couple months away, even though the apple logo has obviously been installed.

So while we're all waiting for word, we have been wondering - what could we do to make this Apple Store Opening grander than the rest?

At Tech Superpowers, we've been throwing around a new slogan: "We start where the Apple Store stops..." That applies to our hosting, consulting, even our repair services - there are just so many things that the Apple Store doesn't do - even with all that they do so well. But can we make it apply to the grand opening as well?

So what could we do to make it bigger and cooler than the rest? Overnight stays have been done. Grab bags. T-shirts. V-casting, Podcasting. Blogging while in line. C'mon - those were all being done back when they were selling Powerbook G4s in the Apple Store.

It's time for something as new and refreshing as the MacBook Air. What do you think? What would make it truly worth leaving the comfort of your own house for?

Should we bring out the Geek My Ride Lexus? Do some guerilla WiFi? Project the TSP logo on the glass using lasers? Got an idea - tell us!

Something big on Saturday?

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:55:00 +0000

We've been told by the construction guys to clear out our parking lot on Saturday, from 7AM to 4PM (ET), to make way for a crane - it must be a BIG one. They've been using a crane that sits in the alleyway to do some lifting over the past few weeks, but I guess this one must need a lot more space – our parking lot can hold 4 cars (2 x 2).

If anyone has nothing to do on a lazy Saturday, keep the site up and watch the crane do its thing...

Storefront Construction

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 03:03:00 +0000

Our Webcam is pointed towards the back of the future Boylston Street store, but this flickr photo shows the front of the building, with scaffolding going up to help erect the complex, 3-story glass storefront.

Webcam moving soon...

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:17:00 +0000

We're going to moving the webcam up a story soon to see if we can get a better view of what's up top, since the current view is now, well, boring. We'll be making that move at Friday around 9AM ET.

X-bracing, opening potential and roof garden

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony Frausto-Robledo) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:58:00 +0000

I suppose it is about time I start contributing some knowledge to this excellent blog. From the September 22 photos there is an excellent shot of the new Apple Store from the Pru. It appears that there is a two story high rear section above the store roof. All the structural bays (excepting the middle one) have diagonal steel bracing (x-bracing, that's not what it is called but what it looks like). This pretty much rules out any fenestration (windows) along those faces. This rear area is most likely the mechanical area for housing heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC). But I will say the one open bay has me thinking....

Could Apple possibly have a conference room up there, with a large window over-looking a nice roof garden (a la, the Chicago Store)?

I personally think Apple needs to insert nice conference-presentation-teaching facilities into their flagship stores. This will enable them to put on "business-class" events in a setting that has privacy and treats professionals like professionals. Some of the architecture related events that have taken place in the past in smaller stores are forced to use the "theaters" and Studio spaces, which lack seating potential for larger numbers.

Parade Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 16:25:00 +0000

It might be the Apple Store that everyone on this webcam is waiting for, but just on the other side of the building, the crowds are collecting to wait for the winners of this week's 2007 World Series. Boylston street is one of the main roads going from Fenway towards the Boston Common - and the Red Sox parade route goes right by the location of the Apple Store, proving once again that location is everything.

Maybe next year, the Apple Store employees can watch them go by again. :)

Concrete Pour On Floors

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 12:43:00 +0000

I'm catching up with the time-lapse videos, and noticed that the concrete floor pour began on Sept. 25th. The winter sun has moved into position to create some glare in the Webcam lens. But you can catch glimpses of the boom arm of the concrete pump in the back alley. Looking at several days, you can also now tell that the floors are all smooth and dark gray, rather than the corrugated steel that was visible previously. Otherwise it's difficult to see what work is being performed each day. Plumbing and electrical work are obviously being done, but you can't really see that.

Time-Lapse Archive Narrowed

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 06:04:00 +0000

Thanks to Mark for some dramatic alternate views of the store that show more than our 24-hour Webcam, including a front view, and a dramatic overhead photo in the shadow of the Prudential Building, showing how the store fits into the neighborhood, and the location of reseller Tech Superpowers behind the future store. By the way, I've done some housekeeping on the daily time-lapse videos. Videos now available for viewing are now only June through the current day (using the standard link http://ifostore.cachefly.net/boston/xxxyy.mov, where x=month in three letters and y=date in one or two digits). Also available is day one, day two, Feb. 26-28, and the recent Week of Steel showing the steel going up.

Up, Up and Away

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:56:00 +0000

The future Apple store is going up, up, up! In fact, it practically took off over a two-week period, right out of camera range. So we've re-adjusted the camera upward a bit to provide a better overall view of the construction, which is still continuing at a fast pace. What you now see at the very bottom of the frame is the sidewalk-level floor (ground floor?). You're looking slightly down at the second level, and you're looking directly across at the third-level floor beams. I have no idea why the upper floor steel is silver-colored and the lower floors a dark red. We can some concrete pouring for the floors, electrical and plumbing work, and eventually the walls of the building will go up. At that point, we'll have to switch to the live satellite view! I've extended the "house raising" time-lapse through Sept. 4th, but will return to daily videos on Wednesday the 5th.

Steel Raising Time-Lapse

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 23:07:00 +0000

A truck arrived at 5 a.m. on August 19th with steel to construct a platform at the front of the lot to position a crane that would be used for subsequent work. Over the past week much of the structural steel has been put in place, clearly outlining the form of the future store. This week some of the base steel flooring has been installed, and it's usually topped with a layer of concrete. Watch a complete time-lapse video of construction from Aug. 20-30th here. Also notice the Shawmut Construction Co. banner that appeared at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. [I've not posted individual, daily movies for Aug. 20-30th.]

Steel City

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 22:54:00 +0000

Well, those men in hats aren't messing around this week. Most of what you see now, the steel structure, (as of 8/24) was built in one day, on the 19th. I'm sure Gary will get those time lapse movies up soon, but if you've only been checking once a week, you missed all the action.

It looks like the top floor of what you can see now is the 2nd floor of the space, since the foundation work that was being done is what will be the basement (and customers will not be able to go there). Rumor has it that there will be 3 floors - and while there was talk of a garden roofdeck, I think that was just wishful thinking by Geniuses. Anyway, they wouldn't have time to enjoy it anyway, since they'll be spending all of their time answering iPod questions at the Genius Bar.

Meanwhile, the Tech Superpowers folks on break will be lobbing water balloons at our uniformed Apple Store companions from our roof deck garden from above (our offices go up to a 5th floor). "You can take our business, but you'll never get our tomatoes!" will be our motto in 2008. Unless Steve asks, in which case, he can have one. OK, two.

While you wait for more work to be done, you can always check out my latest post on if Mac Users are Smarter...

Concrete Walls Forming Up

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:02:00 +0000

The red walls going up around the perimeter of the lot are forms for pouring the concrete walls that will become the outside walls of the future Apple store. Some of these forms are also visible within the perimeter, apparently interior walls. Remember that the level you're now seeing will become the basement of the store, since the sidewalk at the far end of the lot is about 15 feet above the work that is now going on.

Concrete & Rebar

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 03:04:00 +0000

Last week was busy for the future Boylston Street Apple store site, including deliveries of concrete and steel rebar for the foundation. On Monday the 23rd they poured concrete on the rear half of the space, and then on Tuesday the 24th they poured on the front half. Large piles of steel reinforcing bars were delivered during the week, and you can barely seem some of them being put into postion where vertical supports will eventually be installed. In the near-right corner of the lot there is work that appears to be for an elevator shaft, but otherwise the site is still amorphous.

Concrete Being Poured

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 11:48:00 +0000

On June 20th the first concrete pumping trucks arrived and began pouring the first parts of the foundation, according to the time-lapse video of the site. After demolition, all of the work has really been about the foundation, which is necessary because of the backbay location of the store. It's not as simple as just driving some piles into the ground, or laying down a concrete slab. The constant ground water requires a pretty complex foundation. But the arrival of concrete means they are making some progress!

No iPhones Here

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:32:00 +0000

Well, the rich and super-rich of Back Bay will have to travel outside of the confines of their cozy home territory to find an iPhone. The flagship Apple Store won't be open until next year (by the looks of the webcam) and Apple isn't letting us - Apple Resellers - sell the iPhone!

WIth the exception of the AT&T wireless store on Boylston street, it looks like the Apple Store at the Cambridgeside Galleria will be the place to get your iPhone in Boston.

Shots Fired!

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:12:00 +0000

3:05PM - TSP employees were startled today by the distinct sound of gunfire - and we looked back at the Apple Store to find puffs of smoke drifting away from the construction site.

It looks like they are using something that sounds like shotgun rounds for underground work. Two were fired today and apparently our staff heard three shots yesterday. We're not talking about .22s that are sometimes used for nail guns. This was some serious caliber stuff.

We'll report more as we find out more. Let's just hope that they don't leave any of those lying around the construction site.

It's All Happening Underground

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 02:06:00 +0000

Well, I can say that I've never been involved in the construction of such a large building, but I'm surprised at the amount of time that they spend just digging into the ground. Ok, not really digging, but if you saw what we did everyday up close, it's obvious that there's a lot of stuff going on, but it's just not resulting in very gripping webcam footage.

If you notice, there's little green columns that are appearing on the right side of the lot in the front (closer to the top of the picture). Obviously, this has to do with laying down foundation into the landfill that is the Back Bay - to make sure that the Apple Store doesn't collapse, sending the Geniuses to a horrible death (imagine the headlines - it's bad enough with someone gets stuck in the 5th Ave Elevator). What you can't see is what these green things really are. Basically, it's a green pipe (looks like a large PVC pipe of sorts) pushed vertically into the ground with rebar located dead center surrounded by concrete.

Today, I took a closer look and on one of these - incomplete - they have a hose going into the ground, which drains the water into a nearby storm drain.

The Apple Store will easily be twice the height of the building that was there before and I'm sure that this requires a substantially stronger foundation than the building that was there before - not to mention the weight of all those Macs (how much will 1000 iPods and 1000 iPhones weigh - plus a 100 Mac Pros?). So in the process of placing these reinforced columns, it makes sense that controlling that water is pretty important.

So here's my theory: Just as the cooling of the exothermic process of forming concrete defined how rapidly the Hoover Dam could be built, the foundation work may be rate limited by the amount of water that they can pump out. Build too quickly on wet ground and the entire building might not stay up as you want. Maybe Apple's stock will hit $160, but they STILL can't bend the laws of physics.

Any large-building construction experts out there that can validate my theory?

Time-Lapse Movies On-Line

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Tue, 29 May 2007 03:52:00 +0000

A reminder that we're compiling daily time-lapse movies of the construction activities at the future Boylston Street store site, and posting them on-line, even though there are no posted links. The Webcam captures one frame every minute. For the time-lapse movies, we're grabbing one frame every five minutes, taken Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to about 9 p.m. I manually render and convert the still photos using Final Cut Express at two frames per-second, ending up with a 90-second clip. I try to do the rendering every night. However, sometimes I'm a little late with the process--be patient. The link for specific daily videos is:

http://ifostore.cachefly.net/boston/mmmdd.mov

The "mmm" is the first three letters of the month, and the "dd" is the one or two-digit day of the month. For example, the filename for the June 7th time-lapse would be "jun7.mov".

Not Much To Look At...

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Wed, 16 May 2007 19:55:00 +0000

Well, all the foundation work isn't giving us much to look at, although the noises are quite a bit louder than what the images make it seem.

Anyway, I'll take this visual break to bring up a new topic of discussion: the Apple Store vs. your local Apple shop. As you see, the webcam is brought to you by the folks at Tech Superpowers, which conveniently enough, is located right across the back alley from the Apple Store. Traditionally, this has been very bad news for an "Apple Specialist" like us - the Apple Store produces a giant sucking sound as your customers go running over to the mothership.

We're hoping we're different - mainly because we're not a retail store. You can walk in and get a repair done (and you don't have to wait for a genius) and we have one of the country's only all-Mac Internet Cafés - but we don't sell iPods by the cartload. So we won't lose that business. But we still have a lot to lose - even our service business could suffer by the Apple Store being so close (even though most Apple Stores don't have the time to do in-house laptop repairs).

So the question for our readers: What do you prefer? Do you care where you buy your Mac from? Where you get it repaired? Do you feel better if the person that you're dealing with has an official Apple shirt vs. a Tech Superpowers shirt? Where have you gotten your best experiences?

All those questions... but we're curious to know what our future will hold.

Mike

Boston Marathon Day

noreply@blogger.com (Tech Superpowers) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:36:00 +0000

While there isn't much going on with construction on this rainy day, it is Patriot's Day in Boston, which means the running of the Boston Marathon.

The Marathon does travel down Boylston street, which is the street in the upper part of the picture. (Unfortunately it is mostly hidden by the canvas) If you're watching live, you can see the heads of the runners every once in a while. (If you looked close enough earlier in the day, you might have seen Robert Cheruiyot run by first, with a finish time of 2:14:13) Makes you wonder what the Apple Store will do on Marathon Day, as it could be one of the best places to watch the runners go by with the front glass structure looking right out onto the street.

The Finish Line is about two blocks to the left of this picture.

More coverage of today's big event at http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/.

The Big Guns Arrive

noreply@blogger.com (Gary) — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 07:36:00 +0000

Construction of the Apple store took a giant leap with the arrival on Monday of a heavy-duty crane and pile-driving equipment to sink supports for the future three-story store. The equipment from G. Donaldson Construction Company includes the crane, three containers of equipment, what appears to be a giant steam boiler for a piledriver, and a drilling rig. As you'll recall, the store site is built on fill material that requires some specific foundation requirements. Over the next weeks we'll be able to see (but not hear) the heavy foundation work that will eventually lead to steel I-beams going up. [glossary] [timelapse: Monday / Tuesday]