by , 3:30 PM EDT, April 22nd, 2007

Apple opened its fifth retail location in Colorado on Saturday, April 21 at 9:30 a.m. The Park Meadows Apple Store is the second in the Littleton area, and despite its proximity to the Aspen Grove store, it still drew a large crowd for its grand opening.

The Park Meadows Apple Store (Click the thumbnail for a larger image)

Enthusiastic customers started lining up at 7 in the morning, but only because they couldn't get in the mall any earlier. By 8:30 a.m., the line had grown all the way back to the mall entrance, and shortly after started building up outside as well.

Shoppers began lining up at 7:00 AM (Click the thumbnail for a larger image)

The pre-opening line stretched through the mall and outside. (Click the thumbnail for a larger image)

Since the store's free AirPort network was already up and running, people in line took advantage of the signal to check email and surf the Web.

Surfing the Web before the store opens.

The Park Meadows Apple Store sports many features derived from New York's Fifth Ave including steel wall panels, blonde wood display counters and an open feel. Checkout counters are conspicuously missing from this store, and all employees manage transactions from the handheld scanners that began appearing in stores about a year ago.

Apple employees welcome the first customers. (Click the thumbnail for a larger image)

Apple continues to refine its store layouts. (Click the thumbnail for a larger image)

iPod and Apple TV displays dominated the store entrance, and that seemed to be exactly what customers wanted. iPods, speaker systems and Apple TV units were selling quickly. Mac laptop sales seemed to be doing well, too. MacBooks were popular items throughout the morning.

Apple TV was selling well. (Click the thumbnail for a larger image)

Colorado wasn't the only state to see a new Apple Store opening on the 21st. The Galleria Apple Store in Ft Lauderdale, Florida opened, and the Millenia store in Orlando Florida held its official re-opening after remodeling.