Apple is putting fresh energy into two established U.S. retail markets, unveiling an all-new Apple The Promenade Shops at Briargate in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a redesigned Apple Briarwood in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The move is less about planting flags in entirely new cities than improving the kind of in-person experience Apple believes still matters, even as more buying and support moves online.
The announcement arrived in a short August 4 message from Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail, who described the locations as new opportunities to serve customers in the Colorado Springs and Ann Arbor communities. The wording is characteristically Apple, but the practical meaning is clearer: these are bigger, more modern physical touchpoints for buying devices, getting technical help, learning how products work, and speaking with real people before or after making an expensive purchase.
At Briarwood, the change is especially notable because Apple is not new to Ann Arbor. The store has served the community since 2007, but its latest iteration represents a relocation and significant refresh within Briarwood Mall. The new store opened on July 31 in a larger space positioned near The Lawn, the mall’s newer outdoor gathering area…