The New York Times used their hallowed Op Ed page on Sunday to endorse the new Apple Store planned for the mezzanine in Grand Central Station.  Some have been concerned about the crowds, and about locating such a brazenly commercial endeavor in the grand old station.  In fact the Station is already terribly crowded, and already filled with shops, including Duane Reade, Starbucks, and an excellent food court and food market.

The Times wonders why both Apple and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) are being so cagey about the store’s design, and asks them to release plans.  Apple has always been secretive about new product and store designs.  And this time, I suspect, they don’t want to face a flood of ridicule similar the one they faced earlier this year, when Steve Jobs attended a City Council meeting in Cupertino, California and presented a rendering for a ludicrously-designed new Apple headquarters building there.  The huge, glowing glass donut, set down in lush gardens, looks like some hippie’s (or some six-year-old’s) idea of what a high-tech corporate campus is.  As with the Grand Central Station store, and their new products, I’m sure Apple has a seamless, sophisticated design that they’re holding in reserve.  It’s a way that the brand builds drama, and it’s entirely successful.