Sunday evening at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store is a popular hang

After dinner I headed uptown to the new Apple venue that's open 24/7. Some kind of pulsing beat and winding tune is playing — way too loud to called "background music." It's the accompaniment for some 250 visitors at this moment in the evening.

According to Andrew, one of the staff members looking around to keep order at the demo machines, this is quiet time. However, quiet that may be, there are still kids sitting on mushroom chairs playing educational games. At the same time, about 95 others are checking out Web sites on the Apple products.

I note that all of the registers are full and there's a line of over a half dozen folks waiting to pay for their purchases. And there are consultations happening at the Genius Bar.

And then there's the iPhones. A solid group are fondling the merchandise. Amazing.

This photo is taken with Apple's Photo Booth app on a black MacBook demonstration machine here looking up at the staircase that circles down into the store.