Apple is going to be at SXSW this year, opening a temporary store in downtown Austin, to provide consumer electronics to festival attendees but also to launch its new iPad 2 device when it goes on sale on March 11.
The Statesman reports that construction workers have already begun work on the 5,000-square-foot space in the Scarborough Building, located on Congress Avenue, providing a short-term home for Apple for just two weeks. According to Rance Wilemon, who worked with an Apple real estate representatives to suggest locations within the city, Apple visited the city on Monday, choosing its location quickly before beginning work.
Whether Apple move to Austin is to profit from its product launch or to get into the spirit of SXSW is unknown. The company will bank on festival-goers deciding to buy the new iPad but will almost certainly use its new store to test the market with a view to rolling out a more permanent fixture in the future.
Apple has neither confirmed or denied the existence of the store, an official stating that he was “unaware of the store”. The company already has two stores in Austin, which contribute $30 million in sales between them.
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