Photo Gallery: Apple’s Sydney store opens for business today

Located on George Street, the store is Apple’s 215th and it’s second largest after the company’s London store in the world .

“We are thrilled to bring the unique Apple retail experience to Australia,” said Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “This breathtaking new store will be the ultimate place for the people of Sydney to shop, learn and be inspired.”

The store consists of three levels. The ground floor houses over 90 Macs, all hooked up to the Internet and free for the public to browse. Level one acts as a showcase for all of Apple’s new products and features over 60 iPods on display.

Although the first floor was not graced by Apple’s new 3G iPhone, Johnson hinted that it could be arriving soon.

“You might find a phone there in a little bit, but we’re not here to talk about that today,” he quipped.

The second and final level consists of Apple’s service centre and home of its largest Genius Bar in the world. The Sydney Genius Bar is large enough to attend to 1,000 appointments a day, providing advice and personal training to troubled Apple users, Johnson said.

Johnson also said over 125 local staff have undergone intensive training in the ways of Apple in order to provide personalised instruction and advice for Apple neophytes.

However, just how intensive this training is remains to be seen. When questioned on the store’s opening hours several Apple store staffers were unaware and simply directed media attendees to the store's website for details.

For your information, Apple's Sydney store will be open from; Monday to Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8am to 8pm; Thursday from 8am to 9pm; and Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

The George Street Apple store will open at 5pm on Thursday, 19 June. The first 2,500 punters through the doors will receive a commemorative Apple t-shirt.