Apple's Glass Cube To Return When Expanded Fifth Avenue Store Reopens In 2018

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Apple's Fifth Avenue flagship store will return in late 2018 complete with with its iconic glass cube entrance, Senior Vice President of Retail Angela Ahrendts said during Tuesday's Apple special event.

The completely renovated store — which Apple is now calling a "town square" — will feature an expanded basement space and more natural light, Ahrendts said Tuesday. Renderings of the new store also show that Apple will not occupy the entire side of the street on Fifth Avenue between East 58th and 59th Street.

"We're opening up the plaza to allow natural sunlight to come in to a greatly expanded space below," Ahrendts said. "And you can see, the glass cube will return when we reopen late next year."

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The announcement drew a round of applause from the crowd inside the newly-christened Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.

The Fifth Avenue flagship store will be part of Apple's retail transformation from "stores" to "town halls." The new retail spaces will feature more meeting spaces, a revamped technical support area and a "forum" for events and tech classes.

Apple has decided to call its stores "town squares" because "they're gathering places for the 500 million people who visit us every year."

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