Google and Apple have for years been poles apart, and yet, two sides of the same coin. The two tech giants have often come up with related products and services, which, at the same time, are usually different in their key features. And now, history repeats itself, as Google Inc. has come up with its first store (known quite simply as Google Store), which is very much the anti-Apple.
An Immersive Museum
For starters, the Store, which is can be found on the ground floor of the firm’s headquarters in New York, will have its customers purchasing furst-party Google products, including Nest and Pixel. Repair services and how-to sessions will also be provided.
But that’s not all that Google Store has in store, says Vice President of Hardware Design, Ivy Ross, who believes that the store is the “physical expression of what Google stands for,” in a report by Fast Company.
The main difference that the 5,000 square feet Store has with Apple Stores is that is much more interactive and immersive, while also keeping its cool through a natural aesthetic, opening users up to a whole new world of purchasing. For the unversed, Apple likes to keep its stores futuristic, but at the same time, highly minimalistic.
Ross says that the decision to have a design that doesn’t “stand out” was taken keeping in mind the company’s philosophy of integrating technology into the users’ lives, adding that they wanted the space to feel “human”, staying true to their belief that tech is a tool to bolster our human capabilities.
Discovery Boxes and Translate
Fast Company says that the make of Google Store is much different from your everyday retail stores, and instead, is like an “interactive museum or exploratorium”, with its walls full of plaques and name plates featuring its products.
In fact, designers have also tried to keep it akin to a house, complete with different rooms. Another feature is “Discovery boxes”, which bring in 3D animations to provide information on the firm’s product offerings, as well as “Sandbox” rooms, which will provide users with a hands-on experience on Google’s hardwares.
One of the best features, however, is near the centre of the store, where users can fully immerse themselves in the Google software. On inauguration, the focus will be on Translate.
Meanwhile, Ross has also called out “some brands” (read, Apple), for “having trouble making the leap toward experiential retail.”
