A second Apple store in Austin. Big whoop right? Heck, these places have become pretty common with the mall landscape across the US and gradually with Canada, Japan and Western Europe. I’ll grant that. However, this one is much, much closer to my house at this new upscale mall called The Domain. How upscale? There really isn’t any place to eat at it that is casual or resembles a food court. It’s also one of these newer developments with apartments. If you have to ask how much, then you probably can’t afford it. I’ll ask another day because I’m still curious. There will be a grocery store opening within it soon yet living at the Mall seems like a dream come true if I were a teenager or Jenna Bush.
This newer Apple Store is much better too. The first one we got is way south at Barton Creek Mall, not a casual nor short trip from Pflugerville or Wells Branch Parkway, especially when there’s traffic on MoPac. It is also spacious and probably the largest one I’ve been in (out of five). The majority of the ones I have seen were only 30-feet wide in a standard mall which gives them a rather crowded, overpacked feeling. The Domain is open, “airy” and deep. The Genius Bar is in the back where it should be too, prevents a bottleneck in the middle of the store with all those customers hovering to wait their turn with the Genius. Lastly, it contained the coolest and biggest selection of Mac-based games I have seen in years. There were even titles I never thoougt would ever be ported to Mac OS X like The Movies.