Fifth Avenue Apple cube being revamped, here it is

Apple announced plans a little while ago to revamp the glass cube that sits on top of New York's iconic Fifth Avenue Apple Store, and Gothamist has the first pictures of the new design, as seen above. As you can tell, it's simpler and cleaner, representing a smooth and sleek entrance that's even more stylish than what's there now.

The change mostly consists of consolidating most of the glass panes currently sitting on the store's entrance, dropping that number from 90 all the way down to 15. There aren't any known issues with the former design; it's possible that Apple's architects & engineers were originally worried about how the glass would perform in a stressful New York environment, but having the structure up over a number of years has probably taught them a lot about how it all goes together. As Steve Jobs told the Cupertino City Council, Apple has plenty of experience in making these giant pieces of glass for architectural purposes.

The reconstruction is set to cost $6.6 million, which is of course pennies to the most valuable company in the world. The new Cube design is supposed to be done by November.