Apple is blaming software issues, not a design flaw, for the winter problems encountered by the newly opened Apple Store in Chicago.
Apple Store Chicago, with a carbon fiber roof inspired by the MacBook Pro, was thought to have overlooked the effects of the city's notoriously brutal winter season, resulting in a dangerous defect.
Apple Store Chicago Winter Problems
Last week, reports and images circulated on an alleged design flaw with the newly opened Apple Store located along the Chicago riverfront.
While the Apple Store drew praise for the aesthetics of pure glass walls and slender steel columns, it appeared that London-based architectural firm Foster + Partners forgot about the Chicago winter. Pictures taken of the Apple Store showed icicles forming along the edges of its roof due to the lack of gutters to catch the water from melting snow.
Caution signs were placed around the Apple Store, with its community areas closed off due to the danger of falling snow and ice.
Apple Blames Software, Not Design
In response to the criticism against the new flagship store in Chicago, Apple said that the snow and ice problems were not caused by a design flaw but rather by a technical malfunction.
Apple spokesperson Nick Leahy explained that the carbon fiber roof of Apple Store Chicago has a built-in warming system. The technology, however, needed fine-tuning and was reprogrammed to restore the heating function, which would prevent ice and snow from forming on the surface.
Leahy also disputed concerns that the melting snow will fall off the sides of the roof and hit pedestrians because there are no gutters. Apple Store Chicago has four internal support columns through which the melting snow is intended to pass through, instead of the traditional gutters.
The Latest Apple Issues
Apple has been accused of prioritizing form over function, and critics thought that the winter issues of Apple Store Chicago were another example. While Apple has explained what happened that resulted in the unsightly décor of dangling icicles, the company is not without troubles early on in 2018.
Apple is currently in the middle of an iPhone battery controversy. While the company has reduced the cost of battery replacements from $79 to $29 throughout 2018 for the iPhone 6 and later models, Apple is still facing several lawsuits in relation to the issue. One of these lawsuits is even seeking nearly $1 trillion in damages.
Apple also entered the new year with a loss in the legal battle against an Italian clothing company that decided to name itself Steve Jobs, after the company's former CEO.
