This virtual museum lets you experience Apple’s most iconic store openings

Jackson Chen July 29, 2022 Tech Relive that early aughts nostalgia or visit an Apple Store that you haven’t been to yet. Michael Steeber

Thanks to writer and designer, Michael Steeber , we can go back in time to virtually visit four Apple Stores on their opening days without any of the crowds. Steeber’s passion project, dubbed the Apple Store Time Machine , lets us roam through some of the most iconic Apple Stores and revisit all those tiny little details. Michael Steeber

Steeber even included little history lessons just before you enter each of the four storefronts. Michael Steeber

This interactive experience includes “painstaking detail and historical accuracy,” according to Steeber. He’s not kidding; just look at this walk-through that’s practically identical to the original. Michael Steeber

Blast from the past

The first Apple Store ever — located at Tysons Center in Virginia — is a real trip down memory lane. Check out the old chunky iMacs with their funky color schemes. We’ve come so far since then. Michael Steeber

Apple experimented with “mini stores,” like the one in the Stanford Shopping Center. This tiny store design eventually fell by the wayside, but Steeber accurately preserves this moment in time. Just look at those colorful shelves full of software and games. Michael Steeber

The famous glass cube

Now we jump to quite possibly the best-designed Apple Store. Every Apple stan knows of the Fifth Avenue location in New York City with the glass cube. If you’ve never been, you can virtually walk down the spiral staircase into one of the more experiential Apple Stores on the list. Michael Steeber

The final stop is the Apple Infinite Loop location within the company’s campus in Cupertino, California. We get to see some of the exclusive merch that Apple offers at this location. Michael Steeber

The Apple Store Time Machine is free to download and runs best on Macs with Apple silicon or more recent Intel-equipped ones. Steeber recently added a graphics settings slider so those with older Macs can still enjoy the experience. Michael Steeber

Thanks for reading, head home for more!

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head home for more!