For anyone that has suffered a cracked iPhone or iPad screen owing to a “small” drop or fall, justice was delivered yesterday as New York city clean-up crews using snowblowers shattered one of the fifteen monolithic glass panels that comprise the 32-foot glass cube that is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Fifth Avenue Apple store.
Yesterday, internet denizens took to Instagram and Facebook to post pictures of one of the area’s most photographed buildings and sure enough, there was a lot of damage done to the iconic landmark.
Apple employee confirms..
An Apple Store employee confirmed to AppleInsider that a single pane positioned in the southeast corner of the cube was badly cracked, but said the store has remained open since the incident and will continue to operate as normal. Not unlike a few other locations, the Fifth Avenue Apple Store is open 24 hours a day each day of the week.
The damage was done in part by a huge snowstorm that struck the area forcing crews to clear the sidewalk post-haste. That necessity perhaps led to carelessness as the sidewalks were cleared. Perhaps, it was simply a freak accident.
History of the cube
The cube, rumored to have been designed by Steve Jobs, opened in May of 2006 and hasn’t closed since with a couple of exceptions.
In 2011, the structure was revamped with the 90 sheets of glass that originally made up the structure replaced by the present 15 large panes. Several reports have put the cost of the revamp upwards of $6.7 million. That figure includes the renovation of the surrounding area along with the replacement of the panes.
This is the second time that Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue has had a run-in with in-climate weather. Last May, the store flooded due to drainage issues and a huge thunderstorm. Despite this the store remained open then just as today.
