When I saw that [Apple was going to hold their Sept. 9 event](https://loopinsight.com/2014/08/28/apple-announces-special-event-for-sept-9/) at the Flint Center for Performing Arts, I thought I would take a drive over and see if anything was happening. To be honest, I didn’t expect much because all of the work would be going on inside—I was wrong.
Apple is constructing its own building on the Flint Center grounds as part of the event. It seems to me that this could be the hands-on area that Apple typically has for attendees after the event.
Here are a few pictures. As you can imagine, security is very tight around the construction.
I’m assuming it’s where the hand-on will be after the event?
oops, sorry missed it in the article.
That’s what the second paragraph says.
Yea, disqus doesn’t allow deletes!
iHome
How does the size of this building compare with usual hands on area? Bigger, smaller, about the same?
Where is this in relation to the building?
That’s a long drive from Canada.
They need a 3 storey building as hands-on area? :O
Yerba Buena: 750 seats
Moscone West: 1,500 seats
Flint Center: 2,300 seats, and they’re building more space?
It all points to something big.
Is that a new building or a current building covered up for security?
HomeKit
Steve Jobs unveiled the original Macintosh at the same place 30 years ago.
The return of HyperCard! YES!
It’s a warehouse for the going-out-of-business sale. Everything must go.
They are likely just building more space for the “hands-on area” as mentioned, not adding more seats.
It’s a new building. I was able to view the same perspective in Apple Maps and that big white box is located on what looks like a sunken plaza behind the Center.
http://cl.ly/image/2A190B24291J
Could be 3 stories high, and not actually 3 levels.
It would be just like Samsung to try and cut in on Apple’s big moment.
They need a big building for the giant iClock reveal.
FLAVOR FLAV!!!
That’s not a building, it’s a church!
Hey, Jim. You should stop by the TWiT building with Rene Ritchie after the event!
so i hear U2 is gonna play?
It’s an ICU for treating collapsed Android / Samsung pundits after the event.
It’s on the south end of the building, there was previously some rectangles of grass and fountains. Would post a pic of the map but can’t
I guess the rumours of a bigger iPhone might be accurate then.
Agree with majgr. It’s probably a full-scale demo of HomeKit in a mocked-up house. Maybe with some next-gen Apple TV set-top box as the hub.
Especially for residents of the Maritimes. 🙂
I second ya! May be a model home to demo the HomeKit!
Hmmmm – That does sound interesting/plausible.
Yea boyyyyy
Obviously, they’re building a giant multi-level obstacle course/fitness center for people to run around in, to test the activity monitoring features of the iWatch.
Might be new Apple Store models?
I could see them just building a full-size Apple Store glass building.
Seems awfully coincidental for Jim to have been in Cupertino and to have decided to just take a drive over and see what was happening. Normally Apple doesn’t start decorating their keynote venues until 2-3 days before the event. Why would he have expected to see anything happening nearly 2 weeks in advance? In light of Mark Gurman’s 9-part post today, I have to wonder if Jim was given a nudge by someone inside Apple PR…
Yes! Hypertalk that automatically writes its own Swift and compiles to machine code and runs like the wind!
I think it’s a giant bank vault for Apple to store the billions they are going to make until their mothership office is done. 😛
I’m so sorry I have to maket his joke but don’t you think it might be an area with fainting couches for all the Apple Fanboys who touch the new heavenly iDevices?
;-D
This comment cannot be upvoted enough. FTW.
You win the internet, young man
Dalrymple has been in California for months, so, as is so often the case, Gurman gets his facts wrong. Shame he didn’t bother to simply ask Jim before he wrote that fluff. But God – facts are just SO inconvenient. Much easier to go with assumptions and BS pulled out of his butt.
Is this unprecedented? Has Apple done nothing like this before at one of their expos?
Apple has never built an entire “structure” before. They always had their booth covered in black cloth before a Macworld Expo opened.
I wasn’t at the event. What was the structure ultimately used for (surely not to show off the Apple watch)?
It was the demo space for the products announced at the event.
There was no need for it to be so tall. It was just Apple screwing with us. 🙂