Crowds gathered in the hot sunshine for the opening of the new Apple store in Bangkok, on Friday (July 31).<br /><br />The tech giant unveiled its second store in the capital city amid strong hopes for the Southeast Asia market, despite the ongoing economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.<br /><br />Long queues of shoppers, many holding umbrellas to provide shade from the hot sun, waited for the grand opening.<br /><br />Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted: ''It’s our pleasure to introduce Apple Central World. In December, I visited the team in Bangkok as construction was underway, and I know they can’t wait to help our customers and to share this special space with the whole community.''<br /><br />The store next to the CentralWorld shopping mall is only the second in the country. The first opened in November 2018 at the IconSiam outlet.<br /><br />Demand for the devices has soared - with long queues at weekends to get into the first Apple store. The new shop uses a black, circular design and has the full name of Bangkok - Krungthep Mahanakhon - written around the side of building in the native language. <br /><br />The inside of the building has product tables arranged in a ring shape around a centralised staircase.<br /><br />Analysts said that the unveiling of the new store highlights Apple's confidence in the Thai market despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has stopped international tourists.<br /><br />Apple's promotional statement on the new store says customers ''will be led to experience new possibilities that can spark desire for gaining knowledge and top up imagination.''<br /><br />The US. tech firm said the store will enable customers to ''exchange knowledge, learn and engage in all of their interests with the aim of translating them into reality.''
