How much do Apple enthusiasts love the new Apple store in Manhattan? A heck of a lot, evidently. Steve Jobs went out on quite a limb by designing an I.M. Pei-inspired cube around the subterranean store's entrance at the base of the GM building on 5th Avenue and 59th Street. Apple fans are already lining up, waiting for the

Today the cube came into view and press was invited to tour the fabu new location. Forbes says, "Apple appears to have met the challenge of creating a flagship store worthy of the distinction." Venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson (who uploaded this photo to his flickr account) says, "The design reminds me of an x-ray of the original NeXT Cube... part of the cubist design leitmotif." Scott McNulty from TUAW is "obsessed." Just check out the many fan photos elsewhere on flickr for an indication of the cult of the cube.

The store opens tomorrow night at 6 p.m. and could be the very symbol of a company for whom the retail strategy actually works. After what I've read today, I have to conclude: this is one of the few pieces of Manhattan real estate that were really worth the money.

[Photo John Brockman]

A photo of the Apple Manhattan store a day ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 18 May 2006 19:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.