You probably would have heard the big news that came out of Apple Singapore last week – the first Apple Store along Orchard Road is almost ready to open its doors.
For the best part of last year, fans have been hot on the ‘will they or won’t they’ debate train, when a huge retail space in Knightsbridge was suddenly boarded up.
Now that the most of the barricades are down, we got a good look at the still-covered glass facade, which bears a huge red Apple logo, a heart, and a red dot.
Their “Apple Loves the Little Red Dot” campaign features 15 Singaporeans – the Red Dot Heroes – who are part of the local community of creatives. Let’s go down the list of those who have been featured.
1. Aik Beng Chia, Photographer
“I’m searching for the essence of being a Singaporean – our constant identity. I make a visual record of the everyday scenes that years from now will be a part of history.”
2. Anthony Chen, Filmmaker
“I am always amazed that one can turn a small seed of an idea or vision into something as tangible and visceral as a film.”
3. Boo Junfeng, Filmmaker
“Singapore is an interesting society. With different people from different places. With diverse cultures and opinions. It’s a fascinating and dynamic place to be telling stories.”
4. Quek Siu Rui, Marcus Tan, Lucas Ngoo (Carousell), App Developers
“By re-imagining the way people buy and sell online, we hope to inspire them to fill their lives with more meaningful things.”
5. Claire Jedrek, Fitness Enthusiast & Race Car Driver
“There are no excuses. It’s about finding the time and making the change. Everything is about facing your challenge and always moving forwards.”
6. Edwin Low (Supermama), Entrepreneur
“I’m not just in the business of selling porcelain. It’s about connecting people. When you give, you and the receiver should feel happy.”
7. Ernest Goh, Artist
“My passion has always been wildlife and the environment. I want to reach people who feel the environment isn’t worth saving and create a connection to nature for them.”
8. Hon Cheng Muh (BuUuk), App Developer
“It’s crazy that what I’m doing now did not exist 10 years ago. It took a lot of patience getting past the steep learning curve. But change is possible when there’s passion.”
9. Joel Tan (Gentle Bones), Musician, Singer, & Songwriter
“To reach out to people and find a connection. That embodies how I approach songwriting.”
10. Kristal Melson, Illustrator
“I’ve always tried to picture energy and its movement. Trying to Capture something dynamic in a still format is quite exciting.”
11. Marc Hardy (Runsocial), App Developer
“Innovation is at the heart of what we do. It is cool and exciting, but there’s also the scary element of the unknown. All adventures have that, don’t they?”
12. Sezairi Sezali, Musician, Singer, & Songwriter
“I write melodies in my head, flipping them around until the words and the melody are intertwined. There’s no plan, it just comes to me.”
Eagerly Awaiting The Big Day
Unfortunately, there’s still no news on when the Apple store will be ready to welcome the Apple faithful in Singapore.
The good news is that now, we know the individuals who will be gracing the store as part of the Today at Apple programme here, which lets customers get hands-on experience using Apple products and software for a range of topics, from photo and video editing, to even coding.
These sessions will cover everything from the basics to professional-level programs, and will be taught by world-class artists, photographers and musicians and other experts in their field.
So you will not only be learning new skills right there in the Apple store, but you will also have the opportunity to get up close and personal with these talented individuals.
Until then, stay tuned for more updates!