apple places

Brand loyalty

Apple aficionados wait in line around the Apple Store in anticipation of a new product.
"The scenes I witnessed at the opening of the new Apple store in London's Covent Garden were more like an evangelical prayer meeting than a chance to buy a phone or a laptop."

—Alex Riley, writing for the BBC[261]
Apple's high level of brand loyalty is considered unusual for any product. Apple evangelists were actively engaged by the company at one time, but this was after the phenomenon had already been firmly established. Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki has called the brand fanaticism "something that was stumbled upon,"[262] while Ive explained in 2014 that "People have an incredibly personal relationship" with Apple's products.[64] Apple Store openings can draw crowds of thousands, with some waiting in line as much as a day before the opening or flying in from other countries for the event.[263] The opening of New York City's Fifth Avenue "Cube" store had a line half a mile long; a few Mac fans used the setting to propose marriage.[264] The line for the Ginza opening in Tokyo was estimated to include thousands of people and exceeded eight city blocks.[265] The high level of brand loyalty has been criticized and ridiculed, applying the epithet "Apple fanboy" and mocking the lengthy lines before a product launch.[266] An internal memo leaked in 2015 suggested the company planned to discourage long lines and direct customers to purchase its products on its website.[267]

Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2012.[268][269][270][271][272] On September 30, 2013, Apple surpassed Coca-Cola to become the world's most valuable brand in the Omnicom Group's "Best Global Brands" report.[273] Boston Consulting Group has ranked Apple as the world's most innovative brand every year since 2005.[274]

John Sculley told The Guardian newspaper in 1997: "People talk about technology, but Apple was a marketing company. It was the marketing company of the decade."[275] Research in 2002 by NetRatings indicate that the average Apple consumer was usually more affluent and better educated than other PC company consumers. The research indicated that this correlation could stem from the fact that on average Apple Inc. products were more expensive than other PC products.[276][277]

In response to a query about the devotion of loyal Apple consumers, Jonathan Ive responded:

What people are responding to is much bigger than the object. They are responding to something rare—a group of people who do more than simply make something work, they make the very best products they possibly can. It’s a demonstration against thoughtlessness and carelessness.[64]

Home page
The Apple website home page has been used to commemorate, or pay tribute to, milestones and events outside of Apple's product offerings:

2016: Muhammad Ali[278]
2016: Bill Campbell (board member and friend)
2014: Robin Williams[279]
2013: Nelson Mandela[280]
2011: Steve Jobs[281]
2010: Jerome B. York (board member)[282]
2007: Al Gore (board member in honor of his Nobel Peace Prize)[283]
2005: Rosa Parks[284]
2003: Gregory Hines[285]
2001: George Harrison[286]
Headquarters
Main article: Apple Campus
Apple Inc.'s world corporate headquarters are located in the middle of Silicon Valley, at 1–6 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California. This Apple campus has six buildings that total 850,000 square feet (79,000 m2) and was built in 1993 by Sobrato Development Cos.[287]

Apple has a satellite campus in neighboring Sunnyvale, California, where it houses a testing and research laboratory.[288] AppleInsider published article in March 2014 claiming that Apple has a tucked away a top-secret facility where is developing the SG5 electric vehicle project codenamed "Titan" under the shell company name SixtyEight Research.[289]

In 2006, Apple announced its intention to build a second campus in Cupertino about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the current campus and next to Interstate 280.[290] The new campus building will be designed by Norman Foster.[291] The Cupertino City Council approved the proposed "spaceship" design campus on October 15, 2013, after a 2011 presentation by Jobs detailing the architectural design of the new building and its environs. The new campus is planned to house up to 13,000 employees in one central, four-storied, circular building surrounded by extensive landscape. It will feature a café with room for 3,000 sitting people and parking underground as well as in a parking structure. The 2.8 million square foot facility will also include Jobs's original designs for a fitness center and a corporate auditorium.[292]

Apple's headquarters for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are located in Cork in the south of Ireland.[293][294][295][296][297][298][299] The facility, which opened in 1980, was Apple's first location outside of the United States.[300] Apple Sales International, which deals with all of Apple's international sales outside of the USA, is located at Apple's campus in Cork[301] along with Apple Distribution International, which similarly deals with Apple's international distribution network.[302] On April 20, 2012, Apple added 500 new jobs at its European headquarters, increasing the total workforce from around 2,800 to 3,300 employees.[292][294][303] The company will build a new office block on its Hollyhill Campus to accommodate the additional staff.[304] Its United Kingdom headquarters is at Stockley Park on the outskirts of London.[305]

In February 2015, Apple opened their new 180,000-square-foot headquarters in Herzliya, Israel, which will accommodate approximately 800 employees. This opening was Apple's third office located within Israel; the first, also in Herzliya, was obtained as part of the Anobit acquisition, and the other is a research center in Haifa.[306][307]

Stores
Apple has 478 retail stores (as of March 2016) in seventeen countries[1] and an online store available in 39 countries.[308] Each store is designed to suit the needs of the location and regulatory authorities. Apple has received numerous architectural awards for its store designs, particularly its midtown Manhattan location on Fifth Avenue.[309][310]

The Apple Store in Regent Street, London, was the first to open in Europe in November 2004, and is the most profitable shop in London with the highest sales per square foot, taking £60,000,000 pa, or £2,000 per square foot.[311] The Regent Street store was surpassed in size by the nearby Apple Store in Covent Garden, which was surpassed in size by the Grand Central Terminal Apple Store, New York City, in December 2011.

Of the 43,000 Apple employees in the United States 30,000 work at Apple Stores. Apple Store employees make above average pay for retail employees and are offered money toward college as well as gym memberships, 401k plans, healthcare plans, product discounts, and reduced price on purchase of stock.[312]

Fifth Avenue, New York City

Sydney

Hong Kong

Paris

Barcelona

London