Apple opens a first brick-and-mortar Store in Turkey on April 5 2014, even if the country currently faces social media bans (specifically Twitter and YouTube) and key local elections.
The store is located at Istanbul's Gezi Center mall, on the European side of the city. It features two Genius Bars, two floors holding product stock, a dedicated "Family Room" floor and a sales floor.
Rumours suggest a second Apple Store will open on the Asian side of the city later this year.
However the outlet is not opening at the happiest of times-- according to 9to5Mac Apple has instructed employees (all hailing from the US and other regions, apparently) to remain indoors during election days.
Either way, Apple has been slowly but surely taking on the Turkish market. October 2013 saw the opening of the Turkish online Apple store before CEO Tim Cook met with Turkish president Abdullah Gül on February 2014. Reportedly the two discussed potential investments, tax incentives, a localisation of the Siri virtual assistant, a Turkish verion of the iOS keyboard and the boosting of in App Store content.
Back then Cook confirmed the opening of the Istanbul Apple Store, and described it as a "unique store."
Go Apple's Official Retail Store Will be Opened in Istambul in April (webrazzi.com)
Go It's Official: Apple's First Store in Turkey to Open in Istambul (9to5Mac.com)
