Apple Stores outside of Greater China now look unlikely to reopen on March 28 after Apple on Tuesday updated its notices to read “closed until further notice.”
A banner displayed at the top of the company’s website makes it clear to visitors that its retail locations are out of action for now. Apple insists, however, that it remains “committed to providing exceptional service to our customers.”
Apple is extending product return policies after it made the decision to close all retail stores outside of Greater China amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In its updated Temporary Retail Store Closures document, the company says customers will be able to return items for up to 14 days after stores reopen.
Many Apple Stores across the United States are closed to consumers, but a select number are being staffed to handle pre-existing orders and already-scheduled repair pickups, according to social media posts, calls to selected stores and physical visits.
Cult of Mac was able to confirm 22 stores across the U.S. were manning their locations Saturday with a skeleton staff to finish fulfilling existing orders and repair jobs. Some stores and online agents said locations will be staffed into Sunday and as far out as March 16.
In an unprecedented move, Apple said late Friday it will immediately close all its retail stores outside Greater China in an effort to battle the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The stores will remain closed through March 27.
CEO Tim Cook revealed Apple’s decision to close hundreds of stores late Friday in an open letter-style press release titled “Apple’s COVID-19 response.” He wrote, “This global effort — to protect the most vulnerable, to study this virus, and to care for the sick — requires all of our care, and all of our participation.”
Apple has told its retail store employees worldwide not to recommend customers physically try on an Apple Watch or in-ear AirPods, in an effort to cut down on the spread of coronavirus.
Customers can still ask to try on the products, but employees have been told not to offer the opportunity, according to a published report Wednesday.
Apple is reportedly introducing new measures at Apple Stores designed to help avoid the spread of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus.
According to a report by Apple Insider, Apple Stores will be limiting the number of customers who can enter its retail stores at any one time. It is also reducing customer seating by half, and introducing “social distancing” protocols in which employees are asked to stay three feet away from customers and each other.
Apple hosted shareholders for an annual meeting Wednesday, and it was seemingly business as usual. CEO Tim Cook said the company will open its first Apple Store in India this year. He explained why Apple’s streaming service passed on a Friends reunion. He defended Apple’s role in FBI investigations when asked to retrieve iPhone data.
But the tech giant finds itself at an unusual moment in its history with a deadly coronavirus in China that halted business travel, crippled manufacturing, closed all 42 Apple Stores in the country and forced Cupertino to pull back on its March-quarter revenue protections.
Wisconsin police are on the hunt for three thieves who stole $17,000 of merchandise from Apple Stores.
Two robberies took place January 30, within half an hour of each other, at Apple Stores in Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa and Bayshore Town Center in Glendale. Those locations are approximately 20 minutes’ drive from one another.
Apple retail stores in Beijing are taking customers’ temperatures and requiring them to wear surgical masks as the area tries to normalize amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Five Apple stores in Beijing reopened their doors with limited hours today after being closed since last month. CNBC senior correspondent Eunice Yoon posted a video from one of the newly reopened stores and the inside is shockingly empty.
Take a look at the entrance process:
Should Apple have to pay retail employees during mandatory bag and iPhone searches at the end of their shifts? Yes, says California’s Supreme Court.
The battle over off-the-clock work has been raging since 2013. Apple previously won at the trial level in District Court for the Northern District of California. However, a new ruling says that Apple broke the law by not paying workers for this time.
Apple will reopen five of its retail stores in Beijing tomorrow, although only for limited hours. The stores will open between 11am and 6pm local time, compared with the usual 10am through 10pm 12-hour opening hours.
Apple made the decision to close all 42 of its Apple Stores in China as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus. Originally, it planned to reopen them on February 10. However, retail chief Deidre O’Brien later revealed that this reopening time was being pushed back further.
Some Macs ordered today from the Apple Store with any set of features beyond the base configuration won’t arrive for over a month. For example, the wait for a made-to-order 16-inch MacBook Pro stretches into mid-March.
Order AirPods Pro today from Apple.com and they won‘t arrive before March 3. And other online retailers are also out of stock. Apple has struggled to meet demand for these wireless earbuds since they launched, and there’s no sign it’s catching up.
That said, there’s a way many people can get AirPods Pro without a wait.
If you have a broken Apple product and you can’t make it to the Genius Bar, you might be able to ask Apple to come to you. The company is now offering at-home repairs in select cities throughout the United States.
You can schedule a visit from Go Tech Services, an Apple Authorized Service Provider, through the Apple website.
Apple’s first retail store in India reportedly won‘t open in time for the launch of the 2020 iPhone. And even online sales allegedly won’t begin until the second half of this year.
There have supposedly been problems in Apple’s efforts to begin selling iPhones and other devices directly to consumers in India.
The Scoshe BaseLynx modular charging system just became an Apple Store exclusive. This can wirelessly power an iPhone and an Apple Watch, and it has slots to hold several iPads or iPhones while they charge.
It not the only such multi-device charger that Apple offers to customers in the wake of its botched attempt to create its own AirPower charger.
The holiday shopping season is behind us, but demand for AirPods Pro still exceeds supply. Orders placed on Apple.com won‘t ship before early February.
But those who live in a large metropolitan area have an option that could get them Apple’s new in-ear headphones much sooner.
Apple is now offering customers free two-hour delivery on eligible hardware “in most major metros.”
The offer is available until 4 p.m. local time today, December 24. It’s ideal for picking up last-minute gifts … if you don’t mind splashing out.
A former Apple Store Genius is suing Apple for not providing legally obligated adequate facilities to allow him to work with his disability.
Robert Shaw says he was promised that the store he worked at would be fitted with automatic doors and a special table to accommodate his wheelchair. However, this did not happen to the degree allegedly promised.
Tim Cook is on a business trip to Japan right now — and, as part of his travels, he paid a visit to the first Apple Store the company opened outside of the United States.
That store is located in Ginza, a trendy shopping district in Tokyo. “Our very first store outside of the US, Apple Ginza is always such a special place,” Cook tweeted. “Thanks for a wonderful visit!”
Apple Card customers can enjoy 6% daily cash back on Apple purchases over the holidays.
Apple’s newest promotion arrives just in time for the all-new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, which go on sale today. But it applies to any Apple Store purchases — online and in-store — made through December 31.
Apple’s townsquare-style store at Scottsdale Fashion Square in Arizona nabbed the best of design award for retail and mixed-use space from The Architect’s Newspaper.
The Scottsdale Apple store beat out a Christian Dior store in Chicago’s high fashion shopping district and a retail center in Springfield, Missouri. Boasting design features like a cantilevered roof for shading, the store looks unlike most other Apple stores you usually see.
Check out the view from the inside:
Apple Store logos around the world have started turning red to highlight Apple’s commitment to raising awareness of World AIDS Day. Red is the color associated with World AIDS Day, dating back to the introduction of its red ribbons introduced in 1991.
World AIDS Day officially takes place this Sunday, December 1. However, Apple Stores are making the symbolic change a few days early.
The new AirPods Pro are shaping up to be one of the most asked for items on peoples’ Christmas lists this season, there’s just one small problem: shipping times on Apple.com are showing units won’t arrive until after Santa Claus comes to town.
For select purchases made using Apple Pay over the next week, Apple will donate $1 to (RED). The charity, which Apple has long had a partnership with, raises funds for HIV/AIDs program in sub-Saharan Africa.