Michael is a Creative Editor who covered Apple Retail and design on 9to5Mac. His stories highlighted the work of talented artists, designers, and customers through a unique lens of architecture, creativity, and community.
Contact Michael on Twitter to share Apple Retail, design, and history stories: @MichaelSteeber
Apple SoNo Collection opened today in South Norwalk, Connecticut. The space is Apple’s first new store completed in 2020 and the finishing touch for The SoNo Collection mall, which opened last October. The new Apple Store replaces a previous location at the nearby Stamford Town Center.
It’s no secret that iPhones have become incredibly powerful mobile filmmaking tools. Countless stunning videos have been produced with little more than an iPhone and a spark of creativity. But you’ve probably never seen a shot on iPhone film quite like Glacier from Vallée Duhamel studio.
From the beginning, Adobe XD was built to make designing experiences more accessible through intuitive, easy-to-use tools. Today, the prototyping app is taking another major leap forward in accessibility by adding support for macOS Voice Control.
Adobe today has updated Lightroom for Mac, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom for iPhone and iPad with new features based on customer requests and feedback. The Lightroom team is also sharing a preview of what’s in store for customers across 2020.
Photo: Black Girl Festival
At Apple Regent Street in London, groups of young women are gathering together to equip themselves with creativity and confidence. These women are part of Black Girl Fest Academy, a new program developed in association with Today at Apple and supported by mayor of London Sadiq Khan. The academy kicked off in late January and runs for seven months.
Today at Apple’s collaboration with top Apple Music artists is returning with new creative music events at Apple Stores across the world. The first for 2020 is a Music Lab: Remix session featuring Khalid.
Beginning January 29, Apple Store visitors can register to get hands-on with Khalid X Disclosure’s upcoming single “Know Your Worth,” and learn how to create their own remix using GarageBand on iPhone. Like all Today at Apple events, Music Lab: Remix Khalid is free to attend.
Starting February 1, select Apple Stores across the US will celebrate Black History Month with a special lineup of more than 40 Today at Apple sessions. This year’s lineup highlights creators shaping new cultural narratives through visual arts, photography, poetry, dance, film, and other mediums.
Adobe today announced Productions, a new feature set coming soon to Premiere Pro. The tools were previewed at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and are targeted for production teams in search of improved project management.
Apple Arcade is leveling up in Apple Stores across the world with eye-catching new displays and a sharper focus on accessories to enhance the gaming experience. The new merchandising designs began appearing today at Apple’s latest stores in countries where Apple Arcade is available.
“I totally forgot that Rihanna was used as the track for an iPad 2 guided tour. What a weird year.” Sam Henri Gold was giving me a progress update on what would eventually become The Apple Archive. He had just made it to 2011. Compiled from hundreds of videos and images spanning Apple’s near 44-year history, the collection is believed to be one of the largest of its kind ever made available. It launches today.
Apple has announced that its retail store in Stamford, Connecticut will be closing in order to facilitate a move to a new space at Norwalk’s SoNo Collection mall. The new store is set to open on February 15 at 10:00 a.m. Easels were placed inside the Stamford location this week to alert customers.
Apple’s next retail store in Italy is coming soon to Via del Corso, the famous shopping street in the heart of Rome. The restored storefront will be Apple’s first to open in the country since Milan’s Apple Piazza Liberty in 2018.
Apple is offering new opportunities for illustrators through Today at Apple that combine the creative potential of iPads with popular Apple TV+ shows. A run of exclusive sessions at top Apple Stores will celebrate the craft of poster design.
2019 was a flourishing year for Today at Apple, the program of creative sessions held every day at every Apple Store. New and upgraded stores brought the best Today at Apple experience to more customers than ever before. Artist collaborations and immersive new sessions drove awareness of Apple’s best free resource. And at the heart of it all was a team of Creative Pros inspiring a global community of creators.
Just over four years ago, Apple began rolling out a new generation of retail stores across the world. The idea was straightforward but challenging: Apple Stores should be spaces conducive to creative experiences — spaces for communities to gather. Over 200 redesigned stores later, Apple has learned how to express its values through architecture. Each new space builds on the last with refined ideas, designs, materials, and fixtures.
Apple has spent the past year fine-tuning its fleet of retail stores across the world. A massive upgrade project brought the latest experience to dozens of locations. Creative sessions tightened focus and deepened their goals. New initiatives sought to amplify the unique strengths only Apple Stores can offer.
Adobe is rolling out an update to Photoshop on iPad starting today that brings features and improvements outlined earlier in fall just in time for the end of the year. The update should be available soon in the App Store for all Photoshop on iPad customers.
Apple has officially announced the arrival of a new retail store at The SoNo Collection, a newly opened mall in Norwalk, Connecticut. “A brand new Apple Store is coming soon” reads signage posted inside the mall. No grand opening date has been listed at this time, and there is no webpage for the store online.
Lead image courtesy of Yota Suzuki.
Apple today opened its 10th store in Japan to impressively long lines of customers gathering at Lazona Kawasaki Plaza. Early visitors through the doors of Apple Kawasaki have followed the rollout of a major retail expansion in Japan over the past two years.
Lead image via Gizmodo.
Apple’s 2019 wouldn’t be complete without the promised opening of one more retail store in Japan — Apple Kawasaki. Six-color mosaic decorations wrapping the store’s windows have been cleared away, offering a glimpse inside the space that customers in Japan have excitedly waited for.
Last month, Adobe previewed a highly-requested feature coming to Lightroom on iOS and iPadOS: direct photo import. Beginning today, the update is rolling out to customers along with several other new features in Adobe’s December Photography Releases.
New Today at Apple sessions celebrating the holiday season aim to offer activities the whole family can enjoy. From December 9 through January 2, Apple Stores around the world are featuring a collection called “Family Fun for the Holidays.”
Apple released a major update to the Apple Store app today with a redesigned Shop tab that completely overhauls the online shopping experience. Products are now presented with richer visuals, featured recommendations, and more.
Apple’s holiday gift for the Bay Area is a brand-new store. The relocated and redesigned Apple Hillsdale reopened this weekend in San Mateo, California, replacing its existing location at Hillsdale Shopping Center.