Apple's 5th Avenue Store Opens Friday

Apple will open its highly anticipated Fifth Avenue store in New York City on Friday evening, and has plans to operate it 24 hours a day year round. The store, which is located near to popular shopping destinations FAO Schwartz and Bergdorf Goodman, is Apple's second in New York.

The centerpiece of the store is a 32-foot glass cube that serves as the entrance to the store itself. It has been widely rumored that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was behind the design of the store's visually stunning entrance, however the company has never confirmed it.

"We opened our first New York store in SoHo in 2002, and it has been successful beyond our dreams," Jobs said in a statement. "With outstanding service and an amazing location open 24 hours a day, we think the Apple Store Fifth Avenue is going to be a favorite destination for New Yorkers and people around the world."

With the addition of the Fifth Avenue location, Apple operates 147 stores worldwide, including six in Japan, six in the U.K. and two in Canada. It is believed that more international locations would open throughout the rest of the year as the company's retail business model has proven to be extremely successful.

During 2005, over 147 million people visited Apple Stores, generating a billion dollars in revenue and contributing to Apple's rebirth as a serious player in the electronics industry.

All of the store's services, including it's "Specialists," "Geniuses" and "Creatives" would be available continuously, marking the first time that the company will attempt to run a store 24 hours a day. To accomplish this, nearly 300 employees will staff the location.

Other features of the Fifth Avenue location include 100 Macs and 200 iPods for customers to try, the largest selection of iPod accessories of any store, and a 45-foot combined Genius Bar, iPod Bar and Studio for technical support.

Apple is stepping into uncharted territory, and at least one source says there was considerable disagreement within the company over the store's features. Apple enthusiast site Think Secret reported Thursday that there is "a great deal of disagreement" within Apple over how the store should be run.

A source told the site that some in the company believe the 24/7/365 business model could end up being set aside if the stores revenues don't support it. Additionally, sources said the company had to complete "unprecedentedly-extensive training" in order to bring the staff up to speed.

However, analysts have swooned over the new store. "The selling space is actually below ground and when I walked down the floating glass staircase I felt I should be wearing a flowing evening gown and tiara; I could virtually hear the sweeping epic music playing in the background," JupiterResearch senior analyst Patti Evans said.

"The store space is spare but open in design so the customer can see the full product assortment and service areas in one broad view; an achievement for a retail space," she continued.

Evans added that the location would reportedly have 96 people staffing the Genius Bar, which she said was a testament to the company's customer service strategy.