Apple’s Largest Store Opens In Covent Garden

Apple is preparing for the grand opening of its latest and greatest store in London’s Covent Garden. The time is set for 10am on 7 August, and anticipation is already starting to build in the capital.

The store is decked out with steel and glass, with scatterings of small oak tables displaying Apple’s iconic products. Apple promised that the new store – the largest in the world – would stock more iPhones than any other shop, but has not revealed whether the elusive white version of the iPhone 4 will be available, after reported manufacturing difficulties.

According to Apple, workshops and presentations will be held daily in the store’s central courtyard. There will also be a “Start-Up Room”, to help people get going with their new devices, a “Community Room” for in-depth training, and the biggest “Genius Bar” in the world, providing free technical support.

Let the madness begin

Die-hard Apple fans have already begun queuing outside the central London venue, which is expected to take over from Regent Street as the company’s flagship London store. First in the queue is 29-year-old Rose Williams, who is looking forward to a “fun night”. Apple will present the first 4,000 people into the store a T-shirt.

The Covent Garden store is Apple’s 300th retail outlet worldwide. The stores are often the object of pilgrimages by tech fans, particularly during product launches. Earlier this year, hundreds of British Apple fans queued outside the tech giant’s Regent Street store to get their hands on one of the first iPads to be sold in the country. A number of celebrities also attended the launch, including British television presenter and writer, and Apple devotee, Stephen Fry.

For some, the high-profile opening serves as a distraction from the embarrassment surrounding the launch of Apple’s iPhone 4, which has been widely reported as having problems with reception. The company started issuing free silicone cases in July, after it was forced to admit that the phone lost signal if held in a certain way.

Furthermore, Apple is now investigating reports that iPhone 3G users are experiencing a number of problems with their handsets, after upgrading to iOS 4. According to the Wall Street Journal, the most common problem seems to be associated with slow performance after the upgrade to the new operating system. Other complaints have surfaced about shortened battery life and excessive heat.

Despite the endless controversies, however, Apple products remain phenomenally popular. The company generated $15.7 billion in its third fiscal quarter, for a net quarterly profit of $3.25 billion. During the quarter, Apple sold 3.47 million Macs, 3.27 million iPads, 8.4 million iPhones and 9.41 million iPods.