Page 223 - The Apple Experience

CHAPTER 15

Eliminate the Clutter

Get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good
xstuff.

—Steve Jobs

Walk into an AT&T retail store in North America and you will notice that

the stores have an open feel: uncluttered and spacious. Visit a Tesla electric

car dealership and you will notice a similar store layout—uncluttered glass

windows, simple furniture, interactive displays, and plenty of space to

wander. Both brands copied Apple and are proud of it. Steve Jobs would pick

up the phone and call AT&T’s head of retail to offer advice on store design,

and Tesla’s vice president of sales and the “ownership experience,” George

Blankenship, sat four offices from Steve Jobs in Cupertino, California, while

he worked in the retail division of Apple. There’s a reason why Tesla

dealerships look like Apple, feel like Apple, and are located in malls like

Apple instead of traditional car lots off the beaten path. Blankenship wanted

it that way. It worked for Apple and he believes it will work for Tesla because

both brands must get people to “think differently” about the product—Tesla

in the electric car category and Apple in 2001 when its market share was only

3 percent.
Apple changed the face of retail with its minimalist store design, open

spaces, simple display tables, and large glass entrances. In doing so, it

inspired other retailers including its competitor, Microsoft. As of this