On Friday, Google opened a new Android store with Androidland in Melbourne, a place to hawk Android tablets and phones made by various manufacturers. So how’s it stand up against the Apple Store? Let’s see! (click to enlarge)
Apple Store (left) — Brightly lit, thronged with customers, tastefully designed with the finest materials and well-staffed with bright, enthusiastic employees at the top of their field who are constantly moving to help people with questions.
Androidland (right) — Dark and dimly lit, with a design more evocative of an early 90s Chuck E. Cheese arcade pit than a high-end retail store. Staffed by two disengaged lunkheads, who expertly manage not only to ignore the only customer on the floor, but to be at least fifty feet away from him.
Amazing.
Don’t miss Apple Store vs. Microsoft Store. It’s just as funny.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
50 responses to “Apple Store vs. Android Store [Photo]”
Why does it say that are both left?
You have put Apple Store (left)Androidland (left) —
Think you mean You have put Apple Store (left)Androidland (right) —
Honestly, I like the Androidland set up better. It looks more fun. The Applestore looks drab and boring.
I guess it’s pretty representative of what both platforms aim to be. Apple the clean, organised and user-friendly experience – while Android is about fun, and finding things for yourself.
thanks 9y old fandroid for you precious opinion.
lol , drunk writer.
Androidland, designed for mindless 9y old sheepdroids.
FYI, Androidland was opened up by the Aussie telco, Telstra and Google.
Suck Android Store few people than many people in Apple Store ;) because still support Apple Store
I love apple just as much as the next fanboy, but I can’t help but notice how biased this article is. Did you actually talk to the two “lunkheads” and come to that conclusion or are you simply assuming that because they are selling android?
Apple is very clean and crisp. But if the android store was the same way, people would start pointing fingers and say they are ripping apple’s design.
I personally like that google is going unconventional with their interior design. It’s fun and inviting. I’d really like to read about the products offered, pricing, and a legit review of employee interaction.
I can sum up the two photos:
Left: Design
Right: Decoration
Great choice of picture for the Android store. No really. And as always, such an insightful and informative article. Pat on the back, Brownlee.
Stop being so nice.
the apple store is so full because everyone needs to go in to speak to the apple geniuses about they faulty OS
This is probably the most unbalanced piece of journalism I’ve ever read. Brownlee – send your CV to the Daily Mail, they’d love you.
“tastefully designed with the finest materials and well-staffed with
bright, enthusiastic employees at the top of their field who are
constantly moving to help people with questions.”
I know Apple stores are great, I’ve been in a few. But are you honestly saying you see all that in the image to the left? I for one can make out a single employee and if I could I don’t I could judge their experience in the field, their helpfulness or if they are bright or enthusiastic by looking at them.
As for materials, what we see is glass and a bunch of plastic framing the entrance, don’t know if that’s what I’d call finest material, just you know, common material if not even standard.
I love Apple but wow just look at this article, sometimes it’s good to be at least a little bit objective…
(Pretty spot on with the image to the right though. The busy wallpapers and those ugly plastic “Androids” are so ugly. Why doesn’t the Android logo look anything like an android anyway?)
Nah, just a bad writer :p
That Android store is just tacky. Flat-out tacky.
You might be slightly retarded.
I swear, CoM and Today’s iPhone have to be the most biased pieces of crap I’ve ever read…
Look through my history and you’ll see which side of the table I sit on, but I enjoy the Android store as well. It IS more fun looking. I’d probably get sick of it soon, but I’d definitely enjoy visiting it a few times.
This **IS** “Cult of Mac”, but the article (and Brownlee) is far more guilty of idiotic zealotry than Brian LePore is. Even your “stick it to ’em” response is rife with zealotry. Why don’t you take it easy?
Brownlee’d again!
You criticize when it’s similar to an Apple Store, and you criticize when it’s different from an Apple Store.
Is there any way to make you happy?
No, he just doesn’t know the difference. Haven’t you noticed?
That’s two articles in two days by Brownlee (the one yesterday was about some comments Woz made) that are extremely biased and in the case of yesterday’s article, taken completely out of context.
I’m a big Apple fan but also an Android user. I read the CoM blog because there’s a lot of good stuff posted, but this is getting a little bit ridiculous.
what’re you whinning about >?
R.E.T.A.R.D
hehe I’m “whinning” about your indignant response to a completely acceptable comment.
Well, this isn’t similiar to an Apple store. At all. The MS store is more similar, except for the customers.
It’s funny because you’re obviously a biased fanboy
It’s funny because you’re an intolerant wank stain.
I think the store is ugly…and I’m an Android fan.
who were replied to you in 1st place ?
:Rolleyes:
whatever makes you feel happy, now go suck larrypage cock
Uhhh… YOU replied to me first.
But, reading through your poor grammar, I guess what you’re asking is why I replied to you. It’s because I don’t like seeing zealous comments, no matter which side of the argument they’re on.
oh my.. blindfolded, see that again yourself i didn’t replied to you(i replied to Brian LePore) or you have 2 or more accounts to troll bullsh!t at the same time.
idiotic tardroid grammar nazi.
Well if you don’t like it, you do have a choice. I see you chose to troll. Sad. If you don’t like what you’re reading, then move on. I honestly think these articles are meant to get the trolls in a tiz and bring them out of the woodwork, thus exposing how many fandroids actually come here just to troll (like yourself). Pathetic really.
I read this article and thought, meh……. Not interested. Funny to read though, how many of you took offence and couldn’t help yourselves and just couldn’t reach for the keyboard quick enough. Sad people. If you’re looking for pro fandroid articles, you won’t find them here. Don’t come here and fain anger when you’re looking for something to take offence to in the first place.
fanboy, not doubt
Now every electronics retailer is trying to follow Apple’s lead mostly by imitating; first there was the app store, & now the retail store.. Doing it RIGHT is the only way anyone would be happy!
I know this is a fanboy site, but damn, you are a wanker… or actually, you’re a genius. To be able to see the Apple employees are “constantly moving to help people” in a still photo, I’m impressed!
People like this editor make me ashamed to have just switched from Android to iPhone…
And as you can see from looking at Brownlee’s picture above there is no-one home.
I mean are you P O’d that Woz called you on one of your fluff pieces yesterday ?
Geez CoM, get some real writers here fast. This stuff is an embarrassment to anyone who has ever hit the keyboard of a Mac.
ah brownlee… why don’t you stick to what you’re good at… nothing
What?
I doubt anyone commending has actually been to Androidland. I have and I’ll tell you it is not dimly lit. It is as bright or brighter than Apple stores. And aside from that one corner of the store shown in the photograph, the rest looks a lot like an Apple store. Large wood tables with devices on them for people to play with.
Also, there were about 15 staff and around 30 customers. The staff were engaging the customers. What you see in this picture is about 1/4th of the upper floor, or about 1/8th of the entire store.
It’s funny coz the one on the left just reminds me of this: http://www.examiner.com/images…
Regardless, Telstra != Android and Apple != Android and Apple != Telstra. You’re literally comparing Apple to oranges.”Androidland” is on the second floor of a downtown building, inside/above the parent store: Telstra (Telecommunications), which is pretty much universally hated by the general public for it’s terrible customer service, overpriced plans and general monopolising of the population for the larger part of it’s history.
Great informed piece of blogging though bro.
“Amazing.”
fanboy
that photo doesn’t really do the android any justice.
http://resources3.news.com.au/…
Do they have an Android Whizkid bar where users can root their devices? ;)
I have to say going to the Apple Store in London wasn’t as good an experience as many Apple fanboys would have liked. I own apple products amongst which are a MacBook Pro and an iPod touch but the service there was slow and my appointment at the genius bar was delayed by over an hour.
I saw Apple employees standing around talking to eachother as opposed to actively seeking to help customers.
I’d like to point out they weren’t rude at all. In fact they were very kind and helpful (after the delay at the genius bar) but I don’t think we should shoot down the Android Store so soon.
At least I’ll hold back from giving my opinion until I visit one!
Androidland looks more like a part in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! Androiders need a place to call home and this is fine with us Apple enthusiast. Better for us cause its less of they’re kind intruding in our space! lol.. Good Rid-ins! :)