Bethesda Row Apple Store ready for iPhone 15 launch day (Photos)

The illuminated Apple logo outside the Bethesda Row Apple Store has been dark at night in recent months. But not last night, as elves scurried about inside, preparing for today's launch of the iPhone 15. Unlike some years ago, no one was camped out the night before. But reports from around the world indicate there is still enough excitement in countries like India and Australia to keep Apple fans outdoors all night to get their iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, the new Apple Watch SE, and AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging (USB-C). 

Bethesda Row Apple Store gets an exterior touch-up

An after-hours effort to spruce up the front facade of the Apple Store at 4860 Bethesda Avenue was underway last night at Bethesda Row. Workers from building maintenance firm Stuart Dean were on scaffolding out front, leading upward to the store's iconic illuminated logo. Apple, as always, is meticulous about every detail when it comes to design and aesthetics. It has contracted with Stuart Dean for over a decade to prep its stores for grand openings, and to handle routine maintenance like this. Stuart Dean specializes in upkeep of some of the trademark materials Apple employs in its retail store design.

No lines for iPhone 8? Now that's #FakeNews (Photos)

The mainstream press wanted America to know that "No one cares about the iPhone 8." Never underestimate how much Apple fans in Bethesda care! There was indeed a line at the Bethesda Row Apple Store on Launch Day for the iPhone 8, which hit the streets more than a month before the ridiculously-expensive but coveted iPhone X. Also on display Friday was the next Apple Watch. Strangely, the iPhones were not connected to the internet, preventing a thorough test.

Experimac opens in Bethesda (Photos)

Experimac, a new shop that specializes in service and sales of pre-owned Apple computers, tablets and phones, has opened in the ground floor of the Bainbridge Bethesda luxury apartment tower. They also carry Apple and Mac accessories, and can upgrade your existing Apple computer, as well. Experimac is located at 4915 Fairmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda.

iPhone 6s, 6s Plus buyers still willing to wait in line at Bethesda Row (Photos)

Apple fans were still lining up for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus last evening at the Bethesda Row Apple Store. The new phones are expected to generate major sales numbers for the company this fall into the holidays.

Not all Apple products are as popular these days. The humbled and nearly-forgotten iPod has been relegated to the back of the store.

BETHESDA ROW APPLE STORE BLACK FRIDAY DEALS REVEALED!

Apple has finally announced its deals for Black Friday, which are supposed to be the same online as they will be in Apple Stores today.

IPad $41 off
iPad 2 $31 off
MacBook Air/MacBook Pro $101 off

There will be extended hours today at the Bethesda Row Apple Store.

iPad MINI GENERATES MINI-MAL EXCITEMENT AT BETHESDA ROW APPLE STORE

THE PASSION'S

GONE!

Tim Cook did his best Fake Steve Jobs impression, and the new Apple iPad Mini was announced.  Last night, Bethesda's response was "ZZZZZZZZZ."

Mid-evening Thursday night, not a single person was in line, despite Apple signs announcing the release on Bethesda Avenue.  Such a lackluster response would have been unthinkable previously.  It seems Apple will need to introduce a product to restore the magic.  But can they do it without Steve Jobs?

HANDS-ON iPhone 5 REVIEW AT BETHESDA ROW APPLE STORE (PHOTOS)

iPhone 5 sales may have been high this past weekend, but unlike some earlier launches, there was no line outside the Apple Store at Bethesda Row the next evening.

The phone may not be as earth shattering as Apple would have you believe, but it still has the organic intuitiveness you expect - and almost always get - from an Apple product.

Are you following this guy
@BethesdaRow on Twitter?

The 4" screen is just about as impressive as the latest iPad's.  But after the Samsung Galaxy S III, going from 4.7" to 4" is like going from a giant flatscreen TV to a 1970s Trinitron.  For video in particular, that .7 is a world of difference.

Hey, it's the Piano Guy at
American Tap Room!

 I don't think the Apple Maps are as terrible as advertised, but it's quite different using them in a store, rather than navigating on the road.  There's a neat feature where photos (from Yelp?) pop up for a particular restaurant, for example.  But it is hard to to compete with Google without a Street View feature.

Where Apple continues to dominate, is not just in the interface, but in the tools provided (or downloadable) for video and audio recording and editing.  And they continue to hold a slight edge in the apps department, as there are still a few apps exclusive to Apple (The Drybar was a recent example, much to the chagrin of Android-using ladies at Bethesda Row), and still some tricks you can't make your Android do with a trip to Google Play.

Panorama?  The Galaxy S III can do that too.  Front facing camera?  Ditto.  And the "new" Siri seems mostly just an upgrade to catch up with the app-launching S-Voice.

Which gives one the sense that with Google, Apple, and - almost unbelieveably - Microsoft, Amazon and maybe even Facebook hunched over their workbenches, and more competitive than ever, the next generation of phones after this will be truly exciting.

CAMPING OUT AT BETHESDA ROW APPLE STORE - IN LINE FOR iPhone 5 [PHOTOS]

BETHESDA LINE

PALES AGAINST NYC

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive

While New York's iPhone fanatics waited outside every night for the last week, ahead of today's iPhone release, Bethesda Row's Apple sidewalk was dead, dead, dead.

You may be forced to relinquish your Hipster Cards, Bethesda, should Forbes and the other "Top 10 Towns for ________" curators get wind of this Apple Apostasy.

Fortunately, by last night at 7 PM, a contingent of 6 brave souls had stepped forward to save us from an international embarrassment.  Yes, 6 people who realized that blankety-blank percent of life is just showing up, finally showed up.  As the hours passed, more joined them, to spend the night in the warm glow of the Apple logo, with promises of nothing more than a few slices of pizza.  Maybe.

If it seemed that there were more reporters asking questions than actual iPhone buyers in line, well, it wasn't just your night-before giddiness getting the best of you.  That Mix 107.3 van out front?  Uh, actually, they were across the street for the dog event on Bethesda Lane at Redwood.  Arf!

Personally, I think the new iPhone is a worthy competitor that does get trumped in several categories by the Samsung Galaxy S III.  There should be a good turnout throughout the morning, but it's too late to put the genie back in the bottle:  the fact is, the excitement level just wasn't there.  We know that, because the live bodies weren't there lined up all week outside the store.

iPhone 5 is anything but a failure.  But the response here in Bethesda is a warning to Apple:  the quality is there, but the magic is gone.  What's needed in an iPhone 6, is a feature, a concept, a revolution that brings the magic back.  What that is, has never been up to us, the consumer; Steve Jobs gave us products and features we never imagined or thought we needed.  The problem now is that Steve Jobs is gone.  Let's face it, the Google Glass presentation blew away any of the post-Jobs Apple product reveals.

Jobs/Apple fans like me will always have a nostalgia and affinity for the brand.  But it takes more than that to excite the masses.

After finding 6 people outside the Apple Store T-minus 12 hours before iPhone 5, I do know what Apple needs to address.  "Help Wanted:  Visionary."

BETHESDA ROW APPLE STORE REOPENS, AND I AM SHOCKED...SHOCKED!

RENOVATIONS REVEALED AFTER

FIVE DAY CLOSURE

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Saturday morning on Bethesda Avenue, the matte black window and door coverings were meticulously removed.  The sun shone through the glass storefront at Bethesda Row for the first time in almost a week.

The new Bethesda Row Apple Store was revealed!

But the opening was a bit anticlimatic for followers of this blog.

That's because the renovations were pretty much the exact ones I had predicted last week when it closed.

New Startup Bays?

Check.

New and improved Genius Bar?

There it is.

New, large video displays?

You betcha.

And that is pretty much it.  Of course, as I noted last week, with no permits issued, and only 5 days to work, you couldn't really expect all that much.

But now the Bethesda Row store is one of the growing number that have the new Startup Bays.  In fact, the new startup service was being touted on the home page of machines on display, announcing it is now available at this store.

I think the new video screens are nice, and in general, the changes are all about improving customer service.  Most people in Bethesda are just glad to be able to take their devices in for advice or service, now that the store is open again.

Online rumors suggest the changes - and the video displays in particular - come in response to the hi-tech experience offered at some of the new Microsoft stores.

But, in my opinion, I doubt Steve Jobs ever spent a minute worrying about a Microsoft product.  I remember trying a Mac in a computer store when I was in 7th or 8th grade, and the machine pretty much sold itself.  No salesman necessary.  Unfortunately, I left empty-handed that day.  But Apple products still have that intuitive ability; we'll find out in a few years if Jobs took the magic with him.

Welcome back, Bethesda Row Apple Store!

BETHESDA ROW APPLE STORE CLOSED: EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS!

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

As was first and exclusively reported on this blog, the Bethesda Row Apple Store is currently closed for secret "renovations."  

In these exclusive pics taken Monday, you will notice the classic matte black storefront coverings that are an Apple trademark.

Monday evening, I saw contractors carrying plywood into the front door.  Inside, I could see plastic coverings over everything.  The big question, of course, is what are they doing in there?  Yesterday, I suggested some of the possibilities based on recent closures of this length at other Apple stores.

The most intriguing fact so far?  I checked the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services records, and there are no permits applied for, or issued to, the Apple Store's Bethesda Avenue address.  So, unless they're getting special privacy treatment from the MoCo government (which would raise questions itself), the renovations do not involve anything the county requires a permit for.  Hmm.  Is that even possible?  I guess we'll find out this weekend.

Apple isn't talking.  The company is known for its secrecy as much as for its incredible products.

The store reopens Saturday.

BETHESDA ROW APPLE STORE CLOSURE IGNITES SPECULATION

What Will the Mystery "Renovations" Be? 

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!! 

The message was posted by the Bethesda Row Apple store without fanfare.  But in perhaps the most iPhone and iPad-obsessed town in the Mid-Atlantic, the reaction is one of shock.

As reported right here on this blog Sunday morning, the beloved Bethesda Row Apple store will indeed be closed today through Friday, for "renovation."

You have to understand, the Apple store is not simply a retail and repair shop for residents of downtown Bethesda.  It is a landmark!  People pose for pictures in front of it, as the luminescent Apple logo glows overhead.  The Apple store is arguably the anchor of the Bethesda Row development, and certainly the epitome of its aspirational character.

Once the surprise subsided, what does a town of iPhone toting, iPad clutching, iPod listening humans do but start speculating just what's going to be revealed on Bethesda Avenue this weekend?

I'm in the same boat as you, readers.  Although you can be sure the old, corporate media will get hold of this story by this afternoon, can their credential badges really get information out of the famously secretive Apple Corporation?

In fact, here's what I can tell you:  other Apple stores around the country - and as far away as Dubai - are closing for the same mystery renovations at the same time.   And folks in those cities are just as puzzled as we are.

It can only be so big of a renovation in only 5 days.  A Seattle Apple store that closed for about the same number of days last year reopened with a bigger Genius Bar, a new configuration of the product displays, and two Startup Bays, each outfitted with 55" monitors.  Startup Bays are the physical embodiment of Apple's shift from "Personal Setup" to "Startup Sessions."  

Rumors floating around the internet include more impressive, giant wall screens, new loudspeaker systems, new store security features and renovations of "Employee Only" areas, where repairs are made and coffee breaks are taken.

No new Apple product is being released this weekend, so it can't be that.

It's likely to be more iPad "smart sign" and furniture shuffling than a planet-shifting event.

But from what we've come to expect from the late Steve Jobs and Apple, it's likely the mystery results will please customers.  And any improvements will be as practical as they are stylish.

And a week of "Why is the Apple store closed?!" and speculation will give way to a weekend of, "Have you heard about the _______ at the Bethesda Row Apple store?"

What do you think is happening at the Apple store?  Feel free to post your speculation, or inside information, in the comments below!

Maybe Siri has the answer...

BETHESDA ROW APPLE STORE TO CLOSE FOR RENOVATIONS THIS WEEK

Bethesda Row's famous Apple store will be closed Monday, April 23 through Friday, April 27 for renovations.

I can hear you screaming.  Calm down, it's just five days.

On the store's web site, Apple suggests you go to the Clarendon Apple store during the closure.  Clarendon is fun, and I wouldn't complain about going there, but can I offer my own advice?

There is another Apple store in Bethesda - at Westfield Montgomery Mall.