Miami Condo Building Co-Opts Apple's iPad Concept

Living in the heart of downtown Miami will cost you. To feel the pulse of the nearby American Airlines Arena, where NBA phenoms the Miami Heat (with their recently acquired superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh) play, and the stellar Arsht Performing Arts Center requires at least $399,000 for the smallest 1,674-square-foot, 2-bedroom unit in the second-highest high-rise in the area, Marquis Residences. But buyers, both local and foreign, are ponying up, nonetheless, thanks to the building's unusual myPad marketing concept.

The myPad idea, billed as "selling a lifestyle rather than just a residence," came to life during a meeting at developer AFI USA's New York offices. "Sitting around at our marketing meeting and looking out the window -- all around us we saw Apple's iPad advertisement, and immediately thought any banner ad we created should play off whatever was going on around us," Lori Levine Ordover, managing director of sales & leasing for AFI USA, told HousingWatch.

The Marquis' modern building is reminiscent of the Apple aesthetic; The Downtown Miami condo also is technologically advanced, boasting the fastest elevator south of New York -- at 1200 fpm (feet per minute). The modern white-on-white look is extended to the unit's interiors, designed by Tui Lifestyle.