Claim: Tiktoker claims Apple store is shaped like a Macbook

Question

According to an anonymous tiktoker, they claim that someone told them the Apple Store on Michican Avenue in Chicago looks like a Macbook. They also claimed that the entire store looks like a cracked open Macbook.

Answer 1

The claim that the "Apple store is shaped like a Macbook" is accurate, and while it does indeed look like a Macbook, making this claim accurate, it was not intentionally designed to appear that way. According to the reliable source of an Apple Newsroom press release article, which announced the opening of this Michigan Avenue store alongside Chicago's riverfront back in October of 2017 - it addresses the structure of the store's roof, but fails to mention the design reflecting a Macbook from above, nor does the article acknowledge this design. For instance, the press release only mentions the roof in this regard - "every design feature serves to minimize the boundary between the city and the Chicago River. Even the building’s 111-by-98 foot carbon-fiber roof was designed to be as thin as possible, and the entire structure is supported by four interior pillars that allow the 32-foot glass facades to remain unobscured", however, not once is it mentioned on the Apple Newsroom Site itself that the roof was purposefully designed to appear as a Macbook would from the sky. Due to the fact that the Apple Newsroom Press Release fails to talk about it, makes it more evident that the roof was not intentionally designed to look like a Macbook, as the article expressed more concern for the structure of the roof itself. 

While other sources mention how the roof symbolizes a Macbook, it has been said that this was not in Apple's original plan. For instance, it is said that "Apple has added a white Apple logo that wasn't in the original plans...The roof is made from a material that resembles the silver aluminum of the MacBook and MacBook Pro, with rounded edges and the same rectangular shape. When complete, it will sit atop all-glass walls, making for a unique floating MacBook-style design". Articles continue to bring up how the roof looks like a Macbook, but it was not intentionally designed this way. Another source suggests "The store, which is topped with a Macbook-shaped roof (apparently inadvertently)", again suggests how the design was unintentional. 

Furthermore, it is specifically mentioned that "the construction crew placed Apple's iconic logo in the middle of the overhead silver structure before rolling it up just an hour later. That short time, however, was all it took to reveal the eye-grabbing laptop roof, which, as reported by DNA Chicago, wasn't detailed in the original plan outline provided in 2015". 

With all research considered, this claim is TRUE that the roof does in fact look like a Macbook, but, it was unintentional. On the other hand, though, the claim of "the entire store looks like a cracked open Macbook" remains unknown and not mentioned in any research I conducted. I could not find any sources that mentioned this claim, which leads me to think it is a personal perspective this TikToker had of the store. While the thought of it makes sense considering the roof's (unintentional) design, no sources were able to confirm this thought, leaving that claim to be unable to be true or false/no available information. 

Works Cited/Sources

“Apple Michigan Avenue Opens Tomorrow on Chicago’s Riverfront.” Apple Newsroom, https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/10/apple-michigan-avenue-opens-tomorrow-on-chicagos-riverfront/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.

Apple Store with Macbook-Shaped Roof Opens. https://www.theb1m.com/video/apple-store-with-macbook-shaped-roof-opens-in-chicago#:~:text=Measuring%20111%20by%2098%20feet,by%20four%20slender%20steel%20columns. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.

“Upcoming Apple Store in Chicago Features MacBook Roof Design.” MacRumors, 22 June 2017, https://www.macrumors.com/2017/06/22/apple-store-chicago-macbook-design/.

Comments

Your explanation give evidence to support why the Apple store is shaped like a Macbook, but is very clear in demonstrating and discussing how it is unintentional. So the claim is true, coincidentally.

Answer 2

Although personal opinion exists to say the building looks like a macbook, the structure is simply a coincidence that it resembles a macbook to most people. 

From the TikTok provided, we can see that it does look like an open macbook on Apple Maps, but the real structure does not resemble an open macbook. The roof, however, is led to believe that it is designed to resemble a macbook, but this is false because the architect simply states that it is a coincidence. The architect says, "it's a coincidental result of using apple's product design principles to remove boundaries on the building, so we focus on the Chicago River and the products." (https://www.architecture.org/learn/resources/buildings-of-chicago/building/apple-michigan-avenue/) 

Although most view the building to resemble an open macbook or even the rooftop to be a macbook, the intended goal of the design was not to resemble a macbook, rendering this false, although one can state it looks like a macbook out of opinion. 

I would mark this post false, but also opinion, if I could.

Comments

Your explanation and fact-check is clear and makes sense. I can see why you believe the claim to be false. I guess the claim would be absolutely false if worded as "TikToker claims Apple store is *intentionally* shaped like a Macbook."

Answer 3

According to Norman Foster of Foster + Partners there is no clear statement that the Apple store in Chicago is supposed to look like a Macbook. Stefan Behling, Head of Studio at Foster + Partners describes the idea behind the project. “We fundamentally believe in great urban life, creating new gathering places, and connecting people in an analog way within an increasingly digital world. The design of Apple Michigan Avenue embodies this in its structure and materiality with a glass wall that dissolves into the background, revealing the only visible element of the building – its floating carbon fiber roof,” said Behling. Source

The original design that was submitted without the logo on top which would make it look like a Macbook, though the original renderings of the design did not share the logo on top without us. So it's not clear if that was a late add on or intended from the start. Since the architecture or the architecture firm itself has not explicitly said that it was meant to be a Macbook, it can not be considered true. This is more based on opinion.

Other Sources used to determine answer:

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170622/downtown/apple-store-looks-like-laptop-macbook/

https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/22/15857424/chicago-apple-store-macbook-roof