Every reporter: Huang Hai Wang Jing Every editor: Zhang Haini
Today (March 21) at 7 o'clock in the evening, located in Shanghai Jing'an District Nanjing West Road No. 1699 Apple "Jing'an Store" officially opened, this is Apple's largest flagship store in Greater China, retail store level will be second only to New York's Fifth Avenue global Apple flagship store, after the news of the opening of the store, the discussion on the Apple Jing'an store on social platforms has been high recently.
Before the opening, the "Daily Economic News" reporter arrived at the scene and saw that the Apple Jing'an store had been surrounded by consumers, and the sidewalk about 1.5 meters wide was occupied by onlookers, and every two meters, you could see that there were police at the scene to maintain order.
Image source: Photo by reporter Huang Hai
The reporter learned from the scene that most of the onlookers were consumers of Apple products, and near 7 o'clock in the evening, the flow of people in the vicinity surged, and shouts and countdowns were heard at the scene. Unable to see the scene up close, some people chose to shoot with mobile phones and other devices at high places in the nearby business district.
Image source: Photo by reporter Huang Hai
The reporter randomly interviewed a number of consumers, some of whom said that they came with the mentality of watching the excitement. "Just passing by, I don't know what's going on here, so let's take a look" "I thought it was a celebrity's shooting scene". There are also some consumers who are here to meet Apple CEO Tim Cook.
There is also a "fruit fan" who has been queuing for more than ten hours to tell reporters, "Mainly for feelings, and this is the second largest store in the world, so I want to come and see it." He also said that he saw Cook in the store while queuing.
It is reported that on the opening day of the Apple Jing'an store, the first batch of consumers who arrive at the store will receive a limited opening gift box, including: an apple magnolia canvas bag, a magnolia-themed apple badge and a magnolia sticker. On an e-commerce platform, the opening gift box is sold at 288-499 yuan. A consumer holding an apple souvenir told reporters: "I bought it from someone else for 300 yuan. ”
Surprisingly, Apple's Jing'an store opened in less than an hour, closing early without warning. A police officer in charge of policing at the scene said that no one was allowed to enter.
Image source: Photo by reporter Huang Hai
Subsequently, the reporter transferred the Jing'an store employee through Apple's customer service to try to further verify the situation, but the phone has not been answered. However, Apple's customer service said that the estimated business hours of the Jing'an store tonight were originally scheduled to be 7 to 10 p.m.
At a time when iPhone sales are slowing in China, Cook visited Shanghai on March 20, his first visit to China this year. Yesterday (March 20) afternoon, Apple and three suppliers - Changying Precision, Lens Technology and BYD held a small sharing session in the Shanghai office, focusing on its latest achievements and progress in intelligent manufacturing, green manufacturing and talent training. At the meeting, Chen Xiaoshuo, general manager of Changying Precision, Zhou Qunfei, chairman of Lens Technology, and Wang Chuanfu, chairman of BYD, all attended the scene.
EPI showcased the metal middle frame and other components it supplies for Apple's Vision pro, Lens Technology showcased its protective panels for Vision pro, and BYD showcased glass, structural parts and assembly for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and other product lines.
When talking about "what progress has been made in AI on the iPhone", Cook responded in an interview with the media yesterday that AI has been used in all aspects of Apple products, such as the Apple Watch's fall detection and iPhone's predictive text input and other functions, all of which are driven by AI. He also reiterated that "Apple's generative AI will be announced in the news later this year".
National Business Daily