'Wanna buy an iPod, guv?': London becomes big Apple

Apple's first UK store will open this Saturday on London's Regent Street - and silicon.com got to take a sneaky peek before the doors open to punters.

Apple's 99th store - with its largest single retail space to date - takes up two floors in the heart of W1, with 15 cash registers, a 64-seat theatre and 138 staff who speak 24 languages. The technology for consumers to play with in store will also be available in numbers - 60 Macs and 77 iPods, including the most recent additions, the iPod Photo and U2 iPod, will be connected up in store.

As well as flogging Apple's own wares, the store will offer all sorts of Mac and iPod accessories and third party products - some 500 software titles and over 150 iPod goodies will be on offer.

Don't bet your house on getting your hands on the iPod of your choice, though. The newest iPods have yet to arrive but are promised to turn up before Saturday. The mini may be more of a problem - senior VP of retail Ron Johnson said: "We can't predict if it will keep in stock but we'll do our darndest... We hope to have enough iPods in stock but we can't guarantee [it]."

Hardened Mac fans and new converts alike will also be able to swot up at the London shop. Free workshops will be run in the theatre on a daily basis and for anyone wanting to "go deep", as Johnson put it, there are special classes on a variety of subjects in the Studio Training Centres - from getting started on the Mac to advanced DVD and video editing.

Click the 'next page' link below for more on Apple's London store and exclusive pics.

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