October 27, 2009 4:38 AM PDT

Apple set to raise curtain on 4th Manhattan store

The image of a red curtain hides the construction of Apple's latest store.

(Credit: David Carnoy/CNET)

While it was confirmed several months ago that Apple would open a fourth Manhattan retail store on the Upper West Side, the company appears to be just days away from taking the wraps off the somewhat secretive project.

Located on the northwest corner of Broadway and 67th Street just up from Lincoln Center and The Juilliard School, the new Apple Store, after over a year of construction, was recently embellished with an Apple logo and the words, "Opening soon." In dramatic fashion, Apple also has an image of a giant red curtain covering the entire front of the structure, which is made of glass and covered in plastic.

Ifoapplestore.com, a site dedicated to Apple's retail endeavors, predicts that the new store will "mimic some of (Apple's) Fifth Avenue glass cube and basement retail space," as well some of the George Street storefront in Sydney, Australia. The site reports that the glass is 54 feet tall, 75 feet wide, and 30 feet deep and that when the plastic film is peeled off, the storefront will "present a blue-green, filtered view into the store, which building permits indicate will be one level above ground, and two below ground." A circular glass staircase will link the street level to the first basement level, while the sub-basement will house back-of-house operations, tipsters said.

While it may not do as much business as the Fifth Avenue location, the new store is perfectly situated in a densely populated area that's filled with legions of Apple fans, so it could do extremely well.

As for a Manhattan Microsoft store, rumor has it the company is looking to possibly set up shop in Times Square.

Comments?

Here is a speculative rendering of what Apple's Upper West Side retail store may look like.

(Credit: Ifoapplestore.com)

Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel. E-mail David. Follow David on Twitter.