When Apple opened its first Portland store in 2005, the company had just 100 others worldwide. The iPhone was two years away, there was no iPad and the tiny shop in the basement of Pioneer Place was almost a novelty.

The intervening nine years rendered that original Portland store obsolete, and much too small, as Apple grew into the world's most valuable company and one of its most coveted brands. Friday afternoon, the space was packed with people every few feet – 42 in all – some pressed so tightly together there was barely room to pass.

And that was just the employees.

Dozens of shoppers packed in, too, peering at the company's gadgets or crowding against the Genius Bar at the back of the store, where employees diagnose problems with Apple devices and offer solutions.

A look at Apple's new Portland store, by the numbers:

Employees: 160, up from 18 when the first Portland location opened in 2005.

Size: Apple says it's three times bigger than the former location inside Pioneer Place. The company won't disclose the square footage, but planning documents indicate it's more than 23,000 square feet, fronted by a 4,300-square-foot outdoor plaza.

Customers: Apple says 5.5 million people passed through its old Portland store, or about 1,700 a day. It expects the pace to pick up in the new store, with room to accommodate five times as many seeking help or service.

Genius Bar: 37 feet long, with room for customers on each side.

Glass walls: 240 feet long, the longest linear storefront of any Apple location.

Portland retail analyst Jennifer Black said a flagship store like that is likely to have a ripple effect.

"A showcase like that, I think it's going to do wonders for all the retailers downtown," Black said. "People go to just see it."

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699