Over the past few weeks, I have heard a number of people say that Apple AirPods are hands down the best wireless headphones on the market. 

Yes, they look like mini hair dryers. But everyone kept telling me that they are simply indispensable if you talk on the phone a lot and/or you’re tired of accidentally unplugging your headphones at the gym.

I have a wireless headset for my landline at the office and I absolutely love it. I don’t know how I ever worked without one.

I also fumble over and yank on my headphone cable so often at the gym that my Urbanears are now cutting in and out. I’m not sure if it’s the headphones or my phone’s jack. 

So I got myself some AirPods. 

I’m probably late to this party, but they are indeed awesome. They instantly pair with your phone as soon as you take them out of their recharging case and put them into your ears. Want to pause what you’re listening to? Just take one of them out of your ears. It’s all seamless.

They’re also a game changer if you pair them with the new Apple Watch Series 3. Now you don’t even need your phone to make and take calls.

Word of mouth: More effective than even Apple’s own superlatives.

I have two quick announcements to make regarding Yonge + St. Clair in midtown Toronto.

The first is that Slate has just unveiled a new “ravine bench” at the northeast corner of the intersection. 

Here’s a photo:

And here’s another photo with people sitting in it. #SitTO

Designed by Gensler (the same firm behind the renovation of 2 St. Clair Ave East), the design is all about celebrating both the sidewalk/public realm and the extraordinary ravines that cut through the area. Some people may not even be aware of these natural features, so perhaps this bench will help with that.

The second announcement is the launch of our Yonge + St. Clair Pop-up Store at 1470 Yonge Street. I know this is short notice, but the launch party is on Thursday, September 21 from 6 - 10pm (drop in whenever). That’s tonight if you’re reading this post via email subscription.

At the party we’ll be introducing 8 exclusive t-shirt designs from Toronto artist, Lucas Young. All of the tees will be screen-printed for you right on the spot and 50% of all proceeds from the opening night will be going to The Canadian Cancer Society. 

Wine, beer, and snacks will be available. If you come find me at the party, I’ll give you some drink tickets. So if you’re around on Thursday night, come by for some drinks, a Toronto tee, and to check out the new ravine bench on Yonge Street.

Earlier this week, Apple let us know that it is now calling its stores “town squares.” Not surprisingly, this elicited more than a few reactions. The Verge called it a “pretentious farce.” Others called it arrogant. Who is Apple to think that its stores could ever come close to a real town square?

It also raised important questions around the actual “publicness” of the spaces within our cities. Traditionally, town squares have indeed been public. But our cities are now also filled with many privately owned public spaces (POPS). Most of the time you don’t know the difference. Though sometimes you do. 

The reality is that there is a longstanding tradition of private retail-oriented spaces trying to simulate the experience of a town square, and certainly of a gathering space. The creator of the modern mall, Victor Gruen, always thought of his “garden courts” as a kind of substitute for traditional urban spaces. This was him trying to nobly urbanize the suburbs.

What is perhaps unique about Apple’s town square nomenclature is that – beyond simply wanting to be a Starbucks-esque “third place” – they seem to be telling us that they want to usurp the public nucleus away from the proverbial “garden court” and place it in their individual stores. 

And the reactions we have seen are because that feels far fetched.

However this plays out, this is a very clear acknowledgement by Apple that in today’s world being a store simply isn’t enough. That’s no longer interesting. Consumers have far easier options at their disposable. You need to give us more of a reason to visit you in your store or, dare I say, your town square.