Apple Inc. (AAPL) to Open New Store in ‘2nd Silicon Valley’ Next Week

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has a very large global footprint, not only in terms of its hardware, software and services, but it has also made a huge, transformative impression on retail with its Apple Stores located throughout the world.

But there is one place where an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Store has been mysteriously absent. Why? Because this spot has been called a “second Silicon Valley” for its incubator of startups, researchers, developers, engineers and entrepreneurs in the tech sector. A place that, unlike most places in the world, might just appreciate what is offered inside an Apple retail store.

That seeming oversight is about to be fixed in just a few days. On its retail website, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) revealed that it will open its 11th Apple Store in Germany when the very first store in the country’s capital city, Berlin, opens next Friday, May 3. Apple has had a strong presence in Germany for years – sometimes in a provocative way, as we have documented here several times about Apple being in various German courts battling over patent rights in the smartphone tech sector – with its 10 stores thought the country, including Frankfurt and Munich, but the hub of tech in Germany has not been represented before by an Apple retail store.

This could be a form of competition as an avenue for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to now be in close contact with those in the Berlin incubators, as Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has already established a presence in the city by being aggressive in marketing Windows 8 in the area, and the company has been known in the past for investing in various tech incubators and startups in other countries.

This follows up on a new U.K. store for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) that opened last month.

Give us your thoughts on this expansion by Apple. In the wake of its recent sales numbers, does this reflect an existing need for Apple retail stores, or is the company investing for a prolific future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.