Photos: See Apple's glass palace

The 10,000-square-foot Apple store on Fifth Avenue will have the largest staff of any Apple store, with nearly 300 employees on hand. The glass entrance bears a resemblance to the exterior of the Louvre Museum, which is marked by a glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei.

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A spiral staircase leads down to the main floor of the Fifth Avenue store, which was designed by a team that included Steve Jobs; Ron Johnson, senior vice president of retail for Apple; and Peter Bohlin of the architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

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Apple's new retail store will feature a combined 45-foot Genius Bar, iPod Bar and The Studio, where customers can get face-to-face support, free advice and work on creative projects at any hour of the day or night.

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The new Apple store offers more than 100 Macs and nearly 200 iPods for customers to try before they buy.

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The Fifth Avenue store is Apple's second New York retail shop. The first opened in the city's SoHo district in 2002.

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In April, the cube-shaped structure that would become the entrance to the latest Apple store was still under construction in Manhattan.

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Employees of the new Apple store on Fifth Avenue practice their best "May I help you?" stance.

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Staff will be on hand at the "iPod Bar" to serve up answers to questions about the music players.

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At "The Studio," one of the help desks in Apple retail stores, customers can get product answers and advice.

Click here to watch a video of Apple's Ron Johnson talking to the media about the new store.

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