Apple's new Berlin store

Apple's new Berlin store: fans' ardour remains undimmed

Despite suggestions that Apple is losing its cool factor, those fans at the opening of its new Berlin store were as enthusiastic as ever, writes Jeevan Vasagar

As thousands of fans queued around the block, with the most diehard sleeping on the pavement for a chance to be the first inside its new store in Berlin, Apple appeared to have lost none of its retail magic at its latest opening yesterday.

“I was here at 9pm last night,” said Jan Teuner, 46, a civil servant. “It was cold and the ground was hard. But I wanted to be first because I love Apple and the products are perfect.”

Opening in a listed building which formerly housed a cinema, the new store is Apple’s biggest outlet in Germany, where it has 10 other shops. The façade of the building on Kurfuerstendamm, Berlin’s main shopping street, is styled like a Greek temple. Inside, iPhones, iPads and MacBooks were on display on tables made of German oak.

The crowd queuing outside was youthful, largely male, and united in its adoration.

“Apple’s prices may be high but they are worth it,” said Adrian Post, 22, a hospital worker who had travelled in from nearby Potsdam. “I’ve just come to look. I’m not going to buy anything today, but I’d like one of those very flat laptops.”