Rumours are currently flying that Apple, the pioneering company responsible for the Ipad and Iphone, is about to announce the opening of a store in Harrods.

London’s world famous department store already resells some of the American company’s products but the new store is thought to be a fully functioning extension of their flagship Covent Garden premises.

There is also further speculation that the new store would coincide with the release of the much anticipated Ipad 3.

If the rumours are true then it would be safe to assume that the store would use similar shop fittings and interior design to that of the Covent Garden outlet.

The Covent Garden store is currently the largest Apple store anywhere in the world.

Apple’s unique approach to retail displays always garners a huge buzz of excitement and opening days are often flooded by eager fans.

Opened 163 years ago, Harrods boasts a staggering 5 acres of floor space in which a large number of top retailers trade.

Some 300,000 people can pass through the doors of the Brompton Road building over the course of a working day.

At Displaysense we’ve recently seen a 16% increase in demand for our larger designs of mannequins.

Able to display items of clothing designed for women size 12 and above, this range of mannequins was one of fastest selling products over the start of 2012.

This growing interest in curvier mannequin designs seems to coincide with some high profile incidents involving celebrities such as Adele.

The recent in which Karl Lagerfeld reportedly called the ‘Rolling in the Deep’ singer “a little too fat” has seemingly reignited the debate on the portrayal of women in the fashion industry.

Displaysense spokesman Jim Moody said: “Curves are back and set to stay this spring/summer. We believe the trend is partly due to vintage fashions being back in style, particularly from the 40s and 50s, which suit the hourglass figure. Window displays must reflect this to appeal to all of their customers. As a result our sales of size 12-14 mannequins have risen by 16% this year.”

He concluded: “Lagerfeld may want size 0 on his catwalk but the commercial viability of the growing plus-size clothing market is being seized by high street chains and independent retailers alike. Staying relevant to your audience is essential and our order books show that sales of larger sized and bigger breasted mannequins, wider coat hangers for heavier garments and other ‘plus-size display products are undoubtedly on the rise in 2012.”

Research from last year, revealed that around one in five people in the currently wear ‘plus-size’ clothing.

It estimated that the plus-size women’s wear market increased in value by 47% over five years. In the same period plus-size men’s wear market has grown by 7%.

The Magna Carta, the famous English charter dating from 1215, has recently seen an upgrade to its display case.

Engineers in the United States have crafted a display cabinet that is specifically designed to preserve it and keep it in a viewable condition for future generations.

Filled with the inert gas Argon for increased preservation, the incredibly high quality display cabinet is made from aircraft quality metal

It is also resistant against damaging ultraviolet rays and designed to reduce glare from nearby lighting.

The new and improved cabinet will replace the old one that was used to display the 700 year old document after it was bought for $20 million in an auction at Sotheby’s in 2008.

Despite being an English historical document, the Magna Carta is also important to American history and law after it inspired later constitutional documents including the United States Constitution.

David Rubenstein, the owner of this copy of the Magna Carta was quoted as saying “it is my privilege as an American to be able to give this back to the Archives and let them preserve it, as they have done, and to let them display it as they are going to do.”

There are just 17 copies of the document in existence. The version used in this case is the only one in private hands.

A Tokyo department store has recently unveiled an unusual shop window display.

The store window of Takashimaya, situated in the Shinjuku entertainment district, is now home to an incredibly realistic mannequin robot.

This mannequin android is currently being used to highlight the stores Valentines Day special offers.

Built by renowned inventor Dr Hiroshi Ishiguro, the robotic mannequin is able to achieve up to 60 realistic facial expressions as well as smiling, blinking and even yawning.

Dr Ishiguro is already well known for his work at Osaka University’s Robotic laboratory and the creation of the ‘Geminoid’ robots.

However, his work displayed in the window of Takashimaya is a potentially important development in the future of mannequin displays.

Japan Trends quoted Dr. Ishiguro saying: “I see this as the future of shop displays. We have tried to make it more lifelike through not programming her to react to every shopper in sudden movements but in a more natural way and arranged her in a pose as if waiting for someone”.

Could this remarkable piece of technology usher in a new dawn of moving, interactive shop fittings and window displays?

Only time will tell, and with Japan far and away the leaders in robotic research and technology it could be some time before we see such displays hitting the streets of Europe.

In a ceremony marking just 6 months until the 2012 Olympic games commence, organisers have officially taken control of the accommodation for the athletes.

The Olympic Village features more than 2,800 flats designed to hold 16,000 participants in the international sporting event.

It has been revealed that an incredible 170,000 clothes hangers will be needed to meet the demands of the athletes and officials residing in the village.

This incredible amount of coat hangers is mentioned alongside a large list of furniture and accessories including 64,000 bed sheets, 11,000 sofas and 5,000 toilet brushes.

Talking to the BBC, John Nicholson from the ODA said “The idea is to try and ensure that we’re combining the requirements of the athletes during the Games with the requirements of the local community in the legacy after the Games”

The ‘Village Plaza’ will serve as the main social hub of the games.

This plaza will feature shops and services for the athletes including cafes, general stores, a bank, internet and wi-fi areas and more.

The Olympic village is planned to be turned into part-affordable after the conclusion of the games.