Apple Store Grand Central

APPLE EXPRESS: Today is the grand opening of the Apple Store Grand Central, the company’s fifth store in Manhattan. Apple has toned down its sleek design aesthetic to conform to the 140-year-old train station’s landmark status, notes the N.Y. Daily News. The white Apple logo adorns just a few spots along the east balcony, where the store sprawls out over 23,000 square feet, making it one of the retailer’s largest shops. Much of the store, dotted with Apple’s simple, white tables, is open to the building’s iconic star-studded dome and looks out over the busy main concourse. Catering to customers in a hurry, the store will be the first to offer 15-minute express tutorials on Apple products. Time-crunched shoppers can also scan and pay for a product using an iPhone without even talking to one of the store’s 315 employees. The building’s owner, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said Apple is paying $180 per square foot over its 10-year lease. That includes $5 million to buy the prior tenant, Metrazur, out of its lease, $1.1 million yearly rent, and $2.5 million for construction. Unlike most Grand Central tenants, Apple won’t have to share its revenues. (12/9a)