\nValued at around $5 billion, it was described as a \u201cspaceship campus,\u201d and it looked incredible when the gates were finally opened. But there were a few slight hiccups in that first week. The kind of hiccups that made Apple pray that first impressions would only last so long in the hearts of the public. In that first week, people were started walking straight into glass walls – and they never saw them coming.
\n[post_page_title]The big Apple[\/post_page_title]
\nApple is one of the most powerful and influential companies in the entire world, and for good reason. Among the frontrunners of some of the greatest technology this world has ever seen, and the innovators behind user friendly devices such as the iPad and iPhone, there aren\u2019t many negative things people can say about Apple. But very recently there have been a few unfortunate \u201crun ins\u201d with Apple – and that phrase works two-fold in this scenario.
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![](\"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.net\/image\/upload\/w_1280,f_auto,q_auto,fl_lossy\/wp-cms\/uploads\/2018\/02\/p-1-a-first-look-inside-apple-park-1.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Baller campus[\/post_page_title]
\nIt all started when Apple decided to build their new park, a $5 billion spaceship campus where Apple employees could work, located in the crux of Cupertino, California. This would also be the new hotspot for not just Apple employees, but for any friend of the company who wishes to visit their inner quadrants. Similar to the likes of Google, Apple is said to be not only one of the coolest places to work, but also one of the coolest attractions to visit.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19143626\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.36.13-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Tech savvy display[\/post_page_title]
\nThe reason Apple Park, and other Apple buildings are so cool to visit is because of all the interesting technology one might find inside. Considering the fact that they hold the keys to some of the most coveted technological secrets of the world today, it goes without saying that they\u2019d want to display some of these advancements at their new park. Any young rising engineer would consider visiting Apple headquarters to be something of a dream come true.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19143703\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.36.42-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Artsy at heart[\/post_page_title]
\nBut it\u2019s not just technology that makes Apple such an amazing company, right? The thing that separates them from the pack was their profound affinity for the creative arts. It was never just about technology, and this goes hand in hand with the vision of the late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and former CEO. He had a strong understanding of the aesthetic needs of a user, and it was this understanding that allowed him to spearhand genius operations such as the Apple 2, or even the iPod.
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![](\"http:\/\/cdn.osxdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/apple-campus-steve-jobs-portrait.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Strange headlines[\/post_page_title]
\nApple has been through their share of ups and downs, but for the most part, people perceive them to be practically untouchable. And for all intents and purposes, they are. Except that there was a recent turn of events that made us all wonder what was going on within Apple headquarters. It wasn\u2019t necessarily tragic, but it also wasn\u2019t funny either. It was just\u2026 a little bit strange. Wherever anyone looked, the headlines they would see would raise a few eyebrows.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19143904\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.38.46-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Emergency[\/post_page_title]
\n“1 Apple Park, Cupertino.” This is the address of the aforementioned Apple Park, and it was also the sited location of a number of emergency 911 calls during the first week of 2018. These calls were taking place because a handful of Apple employees were getting injured, and they needed immediate medical attention. These occurrences were unfortunate, and quite strange, to say the least. And it certainly threw a number of people off guard.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19144002\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.39.50-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Shift in perception[\/post_page_title]
\nWhen these events started taking place, they started making headlines, and it goes without saying that they weren\u2019t exactly the type of headlines that Apple authorities were hoping for when they first opened the massive infrastructure. Sure, people were in absolute awe of the monumental work of art – but the moment people started getting injured seriously, the overall perception changed. At that moment, it was clear to Apple that they needed to do some damage control.
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![](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/RnZHQZ9W5fnd-wWmPm54HkhraKk=\/0x0:4032x3024\/1200x675\/filters:focal(1694x1190:2338x1834)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/56638043\/applepark5.0.jpeg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Cook\u2019s speech[\/post_page_title]
\nAt a corporate wide kickoff event which reflected the opening of Apple Park at the start of 2018, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about his hopes and dreams for the new spot. \u201cApple Park has been built to reflect Apple\u2019s values, for both technology and the environment.\u201d It was clear what Cook was referring to, given that the outdoor environment of Apple Park had a very grassroots, eco-friendly feel to it. The issue was what was going on indoors\u2026
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19144145\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.41.33-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Unlikely cause[\/post_page_title]
\nA CBS News report who covered the report of these mysterious injuries said that the environment inside the spaceship campus may have been less than employee friendly. The report stated that \u201calmost immediately after the campus opened in January, people started getting hurt by accidentally walking into the building\u2019s glass walls.\u201d It may sound like a silly way to get hurt, but there were a series of pretty bad injuries that occurred in this exact manner.
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![](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/I5uTRlYZK8g9BLQroP9tNcIWev8=\/0x0:4896x3264\/1200x675\/filters:focal(2057x2200:2839x2982)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/57984637\/DSCF2956.0.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]A few examples[\/post_page_title]
\nOn January 2nd, 2018, there was one individual who ran into a glass wall and seriously injured their head. They were reported to have a \u201csmall cut,\u201d and that they were \u201cbleeding\u201d and \u201cslightly disoriented.\u201d On January 4th, another person claimed to have walked right into a solid door when he’d been trying to go outside. He acknowledged that the whole thing was really silly.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19144308\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.42.56-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Damage control[\/post_page_title]
\nIt became clear right off the bat that this was a problem that needed to be fixed drastically. Apple was immensely sorry for the pain it had caused their employees, for they obviously never intended to do any such thing. But as sorry as they were, they understood that the best possible thing they could would be to take action. So in light of these injuries, they got in contact with Albert Salvadore, a building inspector from the city of Cupertino.
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![](\"http:\/\/california.need.estate\/images\/NEWS\/real-estate\/commercial\/2018-01\/Apple-Park_23.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Potential solution[\/post_page_title]
\nWith the advice of Salvadore, Apple figured out what they should do. Instead of making it so that all of the walls were completely see through, they added a small, yet visible grey strip onto every wall. This way, people would know which walls were actually walls, and which walls were essentially\u2026 nothing. They weren\u2019t sure if this plan would work, but they knew they had to try. They needed to fix the issue before it got truly out of hand.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19144416\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.43.57-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Problem solved?[\/post_page_title]
\nIt would seem that the solution that Apple came up with would eventually do wonders for their company, and of course their employees. A few weeks into the new experiment, there were no reports of anybody walking into glass walls, and Apple sighed with relief. But a few weeks wasn\u2019t that long a period of time\u2026 this plan needed to be tested over time. Would these strips of grey hold over months, and eventually years?
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![](\"http:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/image\/9465246-3x2-700x467.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]It seems that way[\/post_page_title]
\nWell\u2026 we cannot predict the future, but it seems that these life-saving grey strips have managed to prevent a plethora of head injuries since they were first installed. It\u2019s been over seven months since the solution was introduced, and Apple is proud to say that their employees are injury free. Or at least, not from hitting their heads on glass walls, that is. That being said, there could be another reason why no one\u2019s hitting their head anymore.
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![](\"https:\/\/cnet4.cbsistatic.com\/img\/DhXhFyS57CqDAYgHhWXeWY3u-zw=\/724x407\/2017\/11\/17\/8a5e85f0-2442-45f2-a753-7f68608277a7\/17apple-visitor-center-open.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Another possibility[\/post_page_title]
\nWe can\u2019t help but wonder what would have happened if Apple had never installed those tiny grey strips. Would people have continued to walk into the glass walls? Or would they have found another way to stop? Something tells us that after hearing about others getting injured by the walls, many people were more on their guard. In addition to the strips, we have a feeling that they were a lot more perceptive about the possibility of \u201cmagical walls.\u201d
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![](\"https:\/\/www.siliconvalley.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/sjm-l-applevisit-1117-045.jpg?w=620\")
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\n[post_page_title]Cooler ain\u2019t always better[\/post_page_title]
\nSo what have we learned from this story? Well, one of the things we\u2019ve learned is that Apple is good at thinking on their feet. But another thing that crossed our mind is the idea that something \u201ccooler\u201d isn\u2019t always \u201cbetter.\u201d Just because something is see through, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s more practical. The proof is in the pudding in this case, for we\u2019re betting that Apple is wishing they had never made their walls see through in the first place.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19144828\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.48.08-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Coffee table parallel[\/post_page_title]
\nThis type of thinking that something looking cooler doesn\u2019t always make it better can extend into all arenas of life. Consider a newlywed couple who has just bought a sparkling, shiny, sharp new coffee table. The way it moves in an innovative fashion is truly eye-popping, but they might feel differently when they have their first baby. All of the sudden, their \u201cshiny new coffee table\u201d is not practical around the baby, given the fact that it has extremely sharp corners.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19144923\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.49.13-PM.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Smartphone issue[\/post_page_title]
\nYou can make that argument about smartphones too. There are so many applications on our smartphone that help us get through our day to day life. The question is, are they helping us become smarter as people? What could is it to use artificial intelligent GPS if it\u2019s making us less capable of navigating when the GPS is gone? What about instant spell check? One could make the argument that we have become reliant on it, not even attempting to spell words right anymore.
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![](\"https:\/\/imageserver-bisnow1.netdna-ssl.com\/h59wyT2KW_wP55c5caW1EFbGrMw=\/0x0\/publisher\/82053_1450132450_78997_1443805795_notanotherboxcom-large.png\")
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\n[post_page_title]Reconciliation[\/post_page_title]
\nWith all of that being said, we can all agree that technology is still pretty darn cool, and even though we should be weary of the potential pitfalls (like potentially walking into see through walls), it is still helping us make the world a better place. Apple Park is currently attracting visitors from all around the world, who excitedly drop by to see their lovely campus. Whether you\u2019re an employee or a visitor, being there is a recipe for having a good time.
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![](\"https:\/\/i.pinimg.com\/736x\/1c\/b8\/72\/1cb872fcd322d9e4018658eb2d273219.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Beauty of the campus[\/post_page_title]
\nSometimes the beauty of hanging out at Apple Park can\u2019t even be put into words. Just check out the picture of the room you see here. It\u2019s stark beauty is breathtaking in pretty much every way, and although it\u2019s ironic that all the walls here are see through, you can\u2019t deny that working there would be pretty cool. But even though visitors love hanging out at Apple Park, Apple chief designer Jonathan Ive said something bold that may catch you off guard.
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![](\"https:\/\/static.dezeen.com\/uploads\/2017\/12\/apple-park-jony-ive-dezeen-hero-852x480.jpg\")
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\n[post_page_title]Rocking our worlds[\/post_page_title]
\nAbout a month before Apple Park was intended to open, there were a number of odd criticisms regarding the design of the structure. Ive\u2019s response to those naysayers was that they \u201cdidn\u2019t make Apple Park for other people.\u201d This was Ive\u2019s way of letting people know that if they took issue with Apple, then it was their problem – not Apple\u2019s. The historically iconic tech company has always marched to the beat of their own drum, and that\u2019s how they constantly rock our worlds.
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![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/19145055\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-19-at-5.47.55-PM.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"