Considering the hoopla that normally surrounds the opening of an Apple Inc. retail store, it was a little surprising that more was not being made about the opening of the newest store at The Summit besides the buzz in the local blogosphere (especially Jeremy). Well, doubts have been laid to rest with the release this morning of a press release officially announcing the opening, scheduled for this Saturday, April 14. Accredited journalists will be allowed to preview the new store beginning at 9 a.m., with the new business opening to the general public at 10 a.m. The first 1,000 people who visit the new store will receive an Apple T-shirt and all that visit the store before 4 p.m. Sunday will be able to enter the Grand Opening Sweepstakes, with the grand prize including a black 12 inch 2.0GHz Intel Duo MacBook, one-year membership to ProCare and a 4GB silver iPod nano among other things. Contest details are available by clicking here.

The retail stores are considered great testing grounds for potential Apple customers to try out some of the latest innovations from the company, including Apple TV and the upcoming release of the iPhone. The announcement has already caused great anticipation and excitement among Mac users in metro Birmingham. It may also be having an effect on the Apple Store at Lennox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia. The store has announced plans to downsize. There are some that may believe that this would be in response to the pending opening here in Birmingham. The size of the crowds at the store on Saturday, especially as word continues to get out, will be a great indicator for the sustained success of the business, especially as Apple prepares to allow other major retailers to sell their machines, notably Best Buy and Circuit City locally.