ed tech | design | music
Apple’s retail store bags have been used at Apple Stores beginning in 2001 when the first Apple Store opened. Please refer to 20 Years of Apple Store Bags (2001–2021) for more details.
This example is a blue plastic drawstring bag featuring a white Apple logo. It measures 19.25 inches tall x 16.75 inches wide x 3.75 inches deep.
Apple’s retail store bags have been used at Apple Stores beginning in 2001 when the first Apple Store opened. Please refer to 20 Years of Apple Store Bags (2001–2021) for more details.
This example is a heavy white paper bag featuring a gray Apple logo. It measures 11.25 inches tall x 7.875 inches wide x 5 inches deep. This bag is sized to contain any iPhone model.
Apple’s retail store bags have been used at Apple Stores beginning in 2001 when the first Apple Store opened. Please refer to 20 Years of Apple Store Bags (2001–2021) for more details.
This example is a blue plastic drawstring bag featuring a white Apple logo. It measures 24 inches tall x 24 inches wide x 5 inches deep.
Apple opened its first two retail Apple Store locations on May 19, 2001. The first opened at 10AM (EST) at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Virginia, and the second opened three hours later (at 10AM PST) at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California. Here in Illinois, Woodfield, Apple’s fifth Apple Store, opened in Schaumburg about three months later.
From the very beginning, Apple used their Apple Stores not just as a store, but as a place to showcase the Apple lifestyle. According to the first Apple Store press release:
“At each Apple store, knowledgeable salespeople will be able to demonstrate Macs running innovative applications like iTunes and iMovie, as well as Mac OS X, Apple’s revolutionary new operating system. All of the Macs are connected to the Internet, and several are connected to digital lifestyle products that complement the Mac experience, such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, MP3 players, and handheld organizers.”
In 2021, there are now over 500 stores in 25 countries. I have visited at least 17 Apple Stores—15 in the United States, one in Toronto (Apple Eaton Centre), and one in Berlin (Apple Kurfürstendamm).
This part of my collection highlights Apple’s retail store bags. The designs transitioned through a few different plastic options and are now made from recycled paper.
Apple has also created a few limited edition bags over the years used during product releases, such as a black iPhone bag in 2007. While I have a few of these limited bags, this collection focuses upon the standard, day-to-day bag designs.
In my research for this post, I have found no source that mentions the history of Apple Store bags. Some of the stock photo sites, as well as my own Apple Store photos, show shoppers in Apple Stores carrying the bags of the time.
All Apple Store plastic bags were two-ply, and each layer used a slightly different material. The earliest blue version of the Apple Store bag used a bright blue interior plastic and a translucent clear exterior. This drawstring bag was printed with a white Apple logo and the web address apple.com repeated around the drawstring in the Apple Garamond font. I only have two sizes of this bag, a medium and large (compared to all other bags). I’m not certain if a small bag in this design existed.
The next plastic bag was white with a black Apple logo and the web address apple.com repeated around the drawstring in the Apple Garamond font. I have a small, medium, and large version of this drawstring bag design.
The next two plastic bag styles were white with a silver Apple logo. One style featured a silver Apple logo and the web address apple.com printed once below the logo in the Apple Myriad font. A later design featured only a silver Apple logo. These styles came in three sizes and all used drawstrings, however, the medium sizes were threaded in a manner that the bags could be used as backpacks.
Apple’s current paper bags were awarded a United States Patent (15062993) for a “bag container formed of white solid bleached sulfate paper with at least 60% post-consumer content” along with additional bag innovations outlined in the patent document. Perhaps most interesting, and printed on the bottom of the bag, is a callout for its “circular-knit handle made entirely from paper.” The versions I have are made from 80% post-consumer content.
My collection includes fourteen different bag styles (not including several limited-edition bags). I hope to update this post as I learn more details. The bag “families” are shown in this post. Separate posts in this blog highlight each bag design individually.
Sources: Apple (press release, store list), US Patent and Trademark Office, Getty Images, 9to5mac, Alamy (blue bag, white bag 1, white bag 2)
This computer backpack is embroidered on the front with the Apple Distinguished Educator logo in metallic silver. The backpack is made by Vertex (5387) and a tag indicates that the model is a Viper Computer Backpack.
The backpack has many practical features for travel, including a detatchable “Viewpoint System” to easily remove your laptop during airport screening. It aslo has a carabiner with a bottle opener, a luggage strap to slip over a carry-on handle, and a large center compartment.
I was honored to receive this backpack as part of the Apple Distinguished Educator program. I am part of the ADE Class of 2007.
This computer backpack is embroidered on the front with the Apple Distinguished Educator logo in metallic silver. The backpack is made by Gemline and the model is the Ryder Computer Backpack.
The Gemline website lists some of the features of this backpack, including a zippered wide mouth opening to large main compartment, a padded laptop compartment that fits up to a 17-inch laptop, a front flap pocket with easy access to multi-function organizer, a side pocket for an iPad (up to 10 inches), and dual mesh water bottle pockets. The interior lining and backpack straps feature a map-patterned lining.
I was honored to receive this backpack as part of the Apple Distinguished Educator program. I am part of the ADE Class of 2007.
Source: Gemline
This gray bag features a single white Apple logo on the front center. This bag was distributed at an educational technology conference in the late 2000s. Conferences frequently distribute these types of bags in vendor areas to assist attendees in carrying the printed conference guide, brochures, and tchotchkes such as pens, t-shirts, and other logo-printed items.
This bag is made from polypropylene by Logomark. The product line is SOVRANO (style KT6500). According to the company website, the bag measures 12 inches W x 14 inches H x 8 inches D.
Source: Logomark
This Apple Learning Interchange shirt features a unique style: it is a button-down pique polo with long sleeves, a front pocket, and a pique knit collar. It features three embroidered details—the words and URL “Apple Learning Interchange www.apple.com/ali” over the front pocket, the word “Author” on the left sleeve, and a black Apple logo on the top-center of the back. The shirt is tan and all embroidery is in black.
The Apple Learning Interchange (ALI) program and website are no longer active. Education World described ALI as “an Internet community for K-12 educators with a large and participatory membership. Apple has gathered databases of lesson-planning units, Internet resources, and Internet-based projects. Also included are discussion forums and chat rooms for educators.”
MacRumors reported that the Apple Learning Interchange shut down in 2010, quoting an inactive Apple link: “For years the Apple Learning Interchange (ALI) has served as an important resource for educators to access great education content, share best practices, and learn more about using technology in the context of teaching and learning. Over the last three years, iTunes U in the iTunes Store has grown to be an even larger education resource.”
The shirt is made by VANTAGE in Pakistan of 100% combed cotton. It is size 2X.
This shirt was worn by an Apple Distinguished Educator to educational technology conferences. During this time in the ADE program, members would frequently co-author educational content and present at conferences and other events.
Although I am a member of the Apple Distinguished Educator program (Class of 2007), this shirt predates my involvement in the program.
Sources: Education World, MacRumors
This polo-style shirt is charcoal (dark gray) and features a white Apple logo in the upper-left front. The back of the shirt includes no Apple markings.
The shirt was made by PORT|AUTHORITY in their SIGNATURE collection. It is a size L.
I purchased this shirt from the Apple Company Store at 1 Infinite Loop (Cupertino, CA) in approximately 2010.
This unusual black sweatshirt design features the phrase “i learn, therefore i am.” in white text centered on the front. I have seen no other Apple designs that use the lowercase “i,” presumably to echo the lowercase “i” in many Apple products, in this case, iTunes U. The back of the sweatshirt has a white Apple logo, and the brand iTunes U centered at the top.
Apple launched iTunes U in 2007. Apple describes iTunes U as “a dedicated area within the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top US colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT.”
According to Apple, they plan to discontinue iTunes U at the end of 2021.
This sweatshirt is made by American Apparel. Its tag indicates it was “Made in Downtown LA” and made in USA of 100% combed cotton.
