I also think it’s a completely different kind of ugly to the rest of Fed Square, but I’d guess the architects have quite different views. I’d love to know more about the design and how they think it relates to its environment.
Somehow I expect Apple simply had the design on plans before they even thought about where it was going…
I do think it is bad that it’s encroaching on public space, unless part of their agreement is that they will actually be contributing to the local events either in the remaining outside spaces, or even within the building. I’m not sure how that fits with Apple’s usual approach to their flagship stores.
http://fedsquare.com/news/refined-designs-of-apple-global-flagship-store-to-benefit-fed-square
Well done, protestors. You still have a retail store in Federation Square but it’s now a floating grey box instead of a unique architectural design.
This is the worst of both worlds. Neither side won here.
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Not as good a result as retaining the existing precinct untouched but a HUGE improvement over the original proposal.
I’ll take ‘bland grey box’ over ‘barf inducing monstrosity’ any day 
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To be honest the building Apple proposed looked better suited to Matsudo not Melbourne. However, the modernist grey box isn’t much better either. Apple does better when they’re bestowed a space to renovate rather than creating a space of their own.
It also doesn’t flow with the rest of the postmodernist look of Fed Square when you’re on the ground and particularly the SBS building. Nor do its consumers I suppose either.
The new design is MUCH better IMHO. I actually like it quite a lot. So glad they listened to feedback on this!! (Given how rare it is for Apple to admit they were wrong!)
The new design is a boring monstrosity, but it’s totally in character with Federation Square, boring and ugly.
At least the original design had some character, but now you get what Melbourne apparently wants, blandness.
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You know ‘that face has character’ is another way of saying ‘ugly’… right?
I liked the original design too. Federation Square at its core was about juxtaposition and the original design continued that, which is probably why the Square’s designer was on board with it. The new design has basically taken a grey box that could be any building in the city and marched it across the street, plopping it on Federation Square. It’s less of a juxtaposition and more of an encroachment of the city into the Square.
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You probably like discordant music too don’t you?
Despite many many years of classical music training I STILL can’t abide it.
And the original building caused the same gut dislike with me.
Probably the design Apple wanted all along, its more consistent with their other standalone stores. They just played the public space gatekeepers who like controversy to bloviate about at their dinner parties with a ‘controversal’ design, so they would approve a retail store there.
Then Apple just waited for the unwashed to complain enough in order to get up the design they really wanted for their already approved retail activity.
Well played.
OI! I had a shower this morning you servant of chaos 
Meanwhile I predict that Debenhams in St Collins Lane Basement (where the Apple Store should have been, IMHO) will close it’s doors before the Apple Store even opens. What a pointless ridiculous waste of space that place is.
I don’t support this but happy to share it:
Interesting, but not surprising if you’ve been up to the 7th floor at Myer Melbourne, which is basically a death zone. I’m surprised it took this long.
Of course, if Myer and Apple were clever, they would use that entire space on 6 and 7 to build a temporary Apple Store (a proper one, with Genius Bar and all the normal Apple Store facilities). Myer would give Apple free rent, in exchange foot traffic through the store to get up there would skyrocket, until a proper Apple Store is built (Fed Square or otherwise).
I think Myer is on borrowed time, especially in the CBD
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Not just Myer, department stores in general are in serious trouble.
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I was of the understanding that Myer on the Gold Coast had an official Apple Store inside… So not unheard of.
Word I’ve heard on the grapevine is that Myer is indeed after high margin products with fast sell-thru - wouldn’t be words that go well with iMac / etc. (Grapevine being the sales manager at my work - Myer’s become our biggest customer over the past 12 months.)