Apple has often been praised for the sleek design of its retail stores. But with its sharp edges and perfectly clean plate glass facades, the stores may also be unsafe for older shoppers or customers with poor eyesight.
The front door blends in with the glass that forms the front wall, and the opening was difficult for one 83-year-old Florida customer to see.
The woman says she ran into the glass and injured her nose, and is now suing Apple Computers for $1 million with the help of a personal injury and car accident lawyer in Deerfield Beach, alleging that the design is dangerous.
She says that Apple could easily avoid the hazard by marking the glass in a way that is visible to customers with poor eyesight.
The woman says that although she generally sees well, the glass was not visible to her this past winter when she went into a store to return an iPhone. Apple has recently installed warning strips on the glass at the store where the accident happened.
Most people would assume that because many of Apple’s customers are young, that the stores don’t need to be designed with older or disabled customers in mind. However, property owners have an obligation to keep their space reasonably safe for any visitor regardless of age or disability status.