Oh, I forgot a final point. The security staff (not the original ones who were gentlemen but the new ones ( those who have visited recently will know exactly what I mean)) make a point at leering at females (young females in particular) and generally acting in a less than professional manner. Yes I’ve noticed. Yes others have noticed.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Only Store in Northern Ireland Relocating Later This Month
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yeah, who knows how long ago they had to start planning this move
You do realise the Island of Ireland consists of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland?
That's just the ever-present cloud cover.
Can't see this changing much, it's just getting out of the grotty Victoria Square which, when it launched, was all fancy but malls don't last.
Cornmarket is usually heaving with people and I am betting Apple has also paid the council to sweeten up the Cornmarket area as well - as they do with other places.
I was there at the launch of the last one in 2008, it was a big deal for Belfast to get one but then we hadn't had a reseller for years.
There's none there because the EU HQ is there. Having a retail presence would have caused problems for their tax affairs. However, since the EU wasn't having any of Apple's tax arrangements, they may as well open a store.
Possibly more insidious than that.
The Resellers in Ireland are pretty powerful and would be actively lobbying against it.
We didn’t have a reseller at all in NI so it made sense. Traditionally NI has been strongly Apple with them selling hand over fist.
Agreed. What's the latest with the flat owners/residents who apparently had to move out? It was all over the news at one point, then just kinda went quiet; or maybe it's all resolved now and everything is good again and the residents are back into their homes?
Last edited:
So I got there today and I was very underwhelmed. Victoria Sq store should have been revamped. Far superior location. The new store feels claustrophobic and ordinary. Low head height and very ordinary sized windows. Sad to say this as I have visited loads of the Apple flagship stores all over the globe and many are magical. A downgrade for Belfast and the wrong location. Whoever made the decision should hang their head.
The stores went to pot when Ahrendts was hired. I used to like hanging out in the stores but actively avoid them now.
Sad because the Apple Store has done their best to kill off any competition for Apple service in the area.
Thank goodness for independents. Always offering better service than Apple
So, I got to visit the new Store on opening day (see previous post). Thoroughly enjoyed it. Nice decor. Clean and warm feel to it.
Best of all, I got to try out Vision Pro. Totally blew my mind. I knew AR/VR could be quite good but this was way beyond all expectations! Pity it’s so expensive. I’d buy one in an instant otherwise. Especially for watching films (which is a passion of mine) and creating Keynotes (mostly for quizzes).
Looking forward to returning on a quieter day to enjoy the Store experience to the full.
😎🇮🇪☘️
Best of all, I got to try out Vision Pro. Totally blew my mind. I knew AR/VR could be quite good but this was way beyond all expectations! Pity it’s so expensive. I’d buy one in an instant otherwise. Especially for watching films (which is a passion of mine) and creating Keynotes (mostly for quizzes).
Looking forward to returning on a quieter day to enjoy the Store experience to the full.
😎🇮🇪☘️