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Apple Michigan Avenue Opens Tomorrow on Chicago's RiverfrontApple (News - Alert)® today previewed Apple Michigan Avenue, its newest and most ambitious store, creating a new connection between North Michigan Avenue, Pioneer Court and the Chicago River. Intended as a gathering place for the local community, the store will host year-round Today at Apple programming, building on Chicago's city-wide initiative to enliven the Riverwalk. To celebrate the opening, Apple Michigan Avenue will host "The Chicago Series," a month-long set of events that will provide attendees with the tools to pursue their passions, from photography and music to coding and app design. "When Apple opened on North Michigan Avenue in 2003, it was our first flagship store, and now we are back in Chicago opening the first in a new generation of Apple's most significant worldwide retail locations," said Angela Ahrendts, Apple's senior vice president of Retail. "Apple Michigan Avenue exemplifies our new vision where everyone is welcome to experience all of our incredible products, services and inspiring educational programs in the heart of their city. We can't wait to welcome the community for opening weekend, and to launch 'The Chicago Series' with our incredible local partners on Monday." Chicago's connection to its river runs deep and Apple Michigan Avenue adds new access to the riverfront from Pioneer Court. The two are now linked by granite staircases on both sides of the transparent store, opening up views from the plaza to the river and beyond. Apple worked closely with the City of Chicago and referenced historical records to develop a store design specifically for the site on which it sits. "Apple Michigan Avenue is about removing boundaries between inside and outside, reviving important urban connections within the city," said Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer. "It unites a historic city plaza that had been cut off from the water, giving Chicago a dynamic new arena that flows effortlessly down to the river." Every design feature serves to minimize the boundary between the city and the Chicago River. Even the building's 111-by-98 foot carbon-fiber roof was designed to be as thin as possible, and the entire structure is supported by four interior pillars that allow the 32-foot glass facades to remain unobscured. Apple's first location on North Mihigan Avenue welcomed more than 23 million visitors since opening in 2003, and the number of employees has grown from 58 to 250 today. Across the Chicagoland area, Apple's nine stores are home to 1,300 employees including new Creative Pros, the liberal arts equivalent of Apple's technical Geniuses, who deliver free daily Today at Apple sessions. On Monday, the store will launch the "The Chicago Series," a set of five programs, each with a different area of focus at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, hosted over the course of four weeks. Each program is co-created with local non-profits and creative organizations, and focuses on a theme or project designed to make a positive impact in the community.
"The Chicago Series" builds on the existing Today at Apple programming, which includes free daily sessions across photography, music creation, art and design, coding and entrepreneurship. This month, Apple will launch a dozen new Today at Apple sessions including Kid's Hour: Book Club, Street-Style Photography and Teacher Tuesday: Coding with Swift (News - Alert). Today at Apple programming is available in all Apple Stores around the world. Apple Michigan Avenue opens Friday, October 20 at 5 p.m. Registration for "The Chicago Series" and Today at Apple events is available at apple.com/Today. Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone (News - Alert), iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple's four software platforms - iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS - provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple's more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it. NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple's PR website (www.apple.com/newsroom), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042. © 2017 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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