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| Cupertino, California |
While I was driving home today, I happened to be listening to KQED, and a segment about Apple's new headquarters caught my attention. (That broadcast can be found at the Marketplace website*, by the way!) The new facility will be called "Apple Campus 2," and it is to be shaped like a huge circle with apple orchards and walkways running through the center of it. The untraditional structuring of the building has led to many people suggesting that the designs make the building look like a UFO or circular click wheel on an iPod/iPad. Moreover, because the walls will be mostly constructed out of curved glass, it has received the attention of many modern architects and architecture students throughout the country. By having such a unique "home base"amongst the many gloomy office parks in Silicon Valley, Apple hopes to inspire creativity, ingenuity, and innovation amongst employees.
So... if plans for building this new complex were first revealed in 2011, why is this relevant now? Well, according to this recent article, the 2015 opening of the building has been pushed back a year, and speculation that the building costs will be 2 billion dollars over budget seem to have plagued the internet and tech-junkie community. Apple hasn't openly said anything to suggest that budgets have become unmanageable, so perhaps the construction is just slightly delayed, and people need to calm down over the news. However, because Apple has been recently struggling in the stock market, the hopes to expand and make this new workspace become a reality may be difficult for other reasons. On a more optimistic note, Apple's latest quarterly report projected that the company managed to earn 43.6 billion dollars, which was actually higher than Wall Street's projected 42.3 billion dollars (source). Could things maybe be looking up? The development of the new building and new products may have to wait until the second quarter's earnings have been released.
All of this being said, do you guys think having a new headquarters will prove to be an asset to Apple in the future? What sorts of tours or features do you think could benefit the company at this new space? Could Apple's success possibly play an even more prominent role in the United States's economy?
*To listen to the correct broadcast, make sure that the date is set to today, April 23, 2013.
6 comments:
Hey look something new! Someone is wasting money again! Oh wait, it's just Apple doing their normal money wasting plans. I mean at this point, it is a known fact (at least within the computer realm) that Apple products have a price tag with very little return. so, what am I trying to imply with this big "home base"?
I'm pretty much saying, Apple is doing their same stupid stunt and have no point in doing this. They're wasting money and trying to get some small fame. This big rues of making a new base isn't going to make Apple a bigger force in our economy. All they did was make a few more jobs for some construction workers for a few years.
Personally, I think Apple is just being stupid attention-whores. Of course, I am biased against Apple and think almost everything they make is bad. I even own an Ipod and wish I had a Zune. It's nothing big, it is Apple being Apple.
The upcoming Apple headquarters seem to be a brilliant addition to the greatness of the company, but I can't help but think that it serves no other purpose than vanity. Constructing a massive new building that looks different than all the other office buildings in Silicon Valley provides uniqueness and nothing much else. But, this may be the point of Apple, as their slogan is (or was?) "Think different." I think the new HQ will play a vital role in US economics, since Apple is one of the major tech companies in the world. Having a good looking building shows the power of Apple, and can attract more business to the company, and the US.
Apple certainly has a lot to compete with. Both Google and Facebook headquarters are pretty amazing.But please... I could definitely think of more useful things that could be done with that much money... I agree with Marvin that this new building could help strengthen their status and image in the world, but this seems a bit too excessive.
The part about most of Silicon Valley being gloomy made me laugh because it is so true. Having this brand new facility would certainly spruce up the neighborhood, but like Sam said Google, Facebook and even Yahoo have some pretty impressive facilities. Apple has the money and image to make this possible, but again is it worth it? I say no because yes there are many other things they could be spending their money on. Everyone knows or at least heard about Apple and Apple knows this. They don't need to go and build a giants facility to prove this already known fact.
A lot of people, like Bruce, hate everything about Apple and I don't understand why. Nobody can question that Apple is the face of innovation, and they are showing it through this building. If a multi-billion dollar company wants to "waste" its money stimulating the economy by creating something like this... I'm all for it.
"Well, all right, starchild
Citizens of the universe, recording angels
We have returned to claim the pyramids
Partying on the mothership
I am the mothership connection"
Free your mind to this funky journalism: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/11/AR2010041103996.html
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