It’s because of this love of the Apple Store that I’ve decided to rank each of the New York City locations, many of which are, for lack of a better term, random as hell. And yet I love them, each having its own charms and faults — energies entirely their own. What follows is a series of completely subjective qualifications (the beauty of the design, the utility of the location and layout, and, of course, randomness, whether that be where it exists in the city or the lore that surrounds it) that, hopefully, can steer you in the right direction next time you find yourself trying to find out if your AirPods have water damage (they do) or you just want to charge your phone in a climate-controlled environment filled with European tourists. This ranking is not meant to be definitive, but it is correct.
Apple has asked to participate in Google's upcoming U.S. antitrust trial over online search, saying it cannot rely on Google to defend revenue-sharing agreements that send the iPhone maker billions of dollars each year for making Google the default search engine on its Safari browser.
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"Google can no longer adequately represent Apple’s interests: Google must now defend against a broad effort to break up its business units," Apple said.
The development of a search engine would would cost Apple "billions of dollars" and "take many years," and this would divert investment money and employees away from "other growth areas" that the company is focused on.
The search business is "rapidly evolving" due to artificial intelligence, so it would be "economically risky" for Apple to create a search engine.
I don't like to go to Apple Stores. They are crowded. The noise level are typically high. And I have no idea who to talk to.
But if you are just going to stand outside the stores and take a look-see, here's how I will rank the outside of the stores here in Singapore.
At the top of the list, Apple Marina Bay Sands. Even though the store is right in the waters, there are no sea breezes or anything of that sort. If you are there in the afternoon, the outside can be quite hot, and there are no shades. But you get to see the city's skyline, which can be beautiful at times if you are in the right mood.
Next, we have Apple Jewel Changi Airport. It is just another store-in-a-mall, but it is in the shopping mall that is attached to the airport, where there is a giant indoor waterfall in a garden-like surrounding. And if you are tired of the waterfall, or if it is turned off (between midnight and dawn, if I recall correctly), you can always go to the viewing gallery to do some planespotting.
Finally, I will put the Apple Orchard Road store right at the bottom. It's just another store in a street full of shopping malls. Nothing special here.
No glass cubes or glass stairs anywhere, though.
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Thanks for reading.