The famed Fifth Avenue glass Apple Cube is no more, at least for the foreseeable future. Though the cube existed just yesterday, this morning tipster Josh Weiner spotted a gaping chasm by the GM Building where the monument to interminable lines for the Genius Bar once stood. Though it is a sad day for single-pane glass, the good news is, it'll allegedly be back once Apple's done with some renovations on the flagship store, though one should always be skeptical of locations that are "closed for renovations." RIP HUNAN BALCONY.
Apple apparently spent $2 million to take down the cube to help facilitate its massive expansion at the 767 Fifth Avenue space—the store plans to swell from 32,000 to 77,000 square feet in order to accommodate more tourists and their unending questions about iPads. Apple has temporarily taken up residence at the former FAO Schwarz space inside the GM Building, so instead of being full of expensive toys for children, it is now full of expensive toys for adults, and also children.
The Apple Cube initially wowed New Yorkers when the Apple Store first opened in 2006, and then again in 2011 when they replaced the 90 glass panels with 15 larger, seamless glass panels (which, if you're curious, were not shatterproof). The Fifth Avenue cube will allegedly return "late next year," whereupon Apple will move out of FAO Schwarz and Under Armour will move in, which is pretty depressing, honestly. Anyway, if you miss the cube, you can visit the less cube-y Apple Cube on the Upper West Side, or you can find some kind of hobby.
