To the delight of Apple devotees, speculation over the opening of an Apple retail store in Philadelphia has been circulating through media outlets for months.
The company, however, has kept mum on the Philadelphia location, with no press release in sight.
According to a November Metro article, the store was set to be located at 1607 Walnut St., and design plans would be presented to the city’s Art Commission that month.
“We reviewed the design back in October or November,” Art Commission executive director William Burke said. “We enthusiastically passed it … and couldn’t wait for it to open.”
He explained that Apple received the Art Commission’s approval for signs outwardly facing the street and continued on to other city agencies for further approval.
But since then, he hasn’t “noticed any activity on the site” and could not report on the current status of the project.
Apple currently has six retail stores in Pennsylvania. The location in Ardmore, Pa. is the closest to the University, at around seven miles from campus.
Job listings for the new Walnut Street location were also posted on Apple’s web site in December. Positions include store manager, “genius” and inventory specialist, among others.
College sophomore Nicole Schwartz said an Apple retail store in Philadelphia would be “very helpful.”
Schwartz has experienced various Apple-related problems in the past, from issues with her iPhone to her laptop, and explained that each time, she had to venture to the Ardmore location for service.
In the mean time, there are other, closer alternatives for Mac users at Penn.
As of now, Philadelphia’s Apple-authorized retailers include Springboard Media, located at 2212 Walnut St., and Bundy Computer, at 1809 Chestnut St. The two companies sell and service Apple products, thus helping Mac users to cope despite the absence of an Apple retail store in the city.
A Bundy Computer representative declined to comment on the possible opening. However, Springboard Media President Everett Katzen said he supported it.
“I’m not worried,” Katzen said with regards to business competition. “[The store opening] will raise Mac awareness.”
Springboard, a Mac-only retailer, has been catering to the Philadelphia population since 1996. Because the store sells and services Macs in a city with no Apple retail store, Katzen said the store has been “doing a good job for a long time.”
Springboard offers repairs, student discounts and a policy in which customers can trade in their old Mac computers for credit towards new ones, Katzen said.
“There are more Macs now than there have ever been,” he added.
An Apple spokeswoman did not return multiple requests for comment Wednesday.
