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Apple Retail

1,470 'Apple Retail' stories September 2010 - August 2015
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Apple operates more than 500 retail stores across the globe.

iphone 16 pro max apple store

Apple operates more than 500 retail stores in 22 countries. Under the direction of Deirdre O’Brien, Apple Stores are staffed by more than 70,000 team members and 3,000 Creative Pros. Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Retail including COVID-19 status, new store openings, and the latest news.

Table of contents

COVID-19: Changes to the Apple Store experience

Wondering about the status of your local Apple Store? Check out our COVID-19 Reopening Tracker, which includes a full map of open stores, health and safety procedures, and all the information you need to know before your visit.

Apple Stores: What makes them unique?

Beyond their award-winning architecture and landmark designs, Apple Stores are known for their focus on education and creativity. Over 250,000 free Today at Apple sessions were offered to the community each quarter prior to the pandemic. New stores are designed with a Video Wall and gathering area for Today at Apple known as the Forum. Older “classic” locations are being upgraded to accommodate the same experience.

Hours and locations: Where can I find details about my local Apple Store?

Apple’s website has a great tool for finding nearby locations and store hours; just type in your address or zip code to get started. You can learn more about the design and details of Apple Stores at The Apple Store Glossary.

Apple Store appointments: How can get I help?

If you’re having a problem with your device or want to shop with a knowledgeable Specialist, take the time to make an appointment before your Apple Store visit. If you need to make a Genius Bar appointment or contact Apple Support, visit Apple’s website. To schedule a shopping session, visit this link or open the Apple Store app.

The latest store openings and upgrades

Share your experience

If you attend a store opening, spot something interesting, or attend a great Today at Apple session, we’d love to see and share your photos.

Apple Stores speed up Apple Watch try-on process, drop appointment requirement

Avatar for Mark Gurman Aug 17 2015 - 2:55 pm PT
20 Comments

Just over four months since the Apple Watch began its Apple Retail Store debut for try-ons, Apple has started to tweak the process this week, according to Apple Retail employees. Until this week, a customer who walked into an Apple Store seeking to try on Apple Watch was required to make an appointment and provide details such as their name and Apple ID to an Apple Store employees.


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Internal Apple memo on third-party packaging reveals that ‘consistent product shot photo angles’ are part of the spec

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Aug 13 2015 - 4:32 am PT
2 Comments

We first revealed last month that Apple is requiring a number of third-party accessory suppliers to revamp the packaging of products sold in the company’s retail stores to provide a more Apple-like appearance. We knew then that the detailed spec included mostly white packaging, simpler fonts, new photography, higher-quality materials, and more consistent compatibility labeling.

A copy of an internal memo obtained by Business Insider reveals that the requirement for new photography extends as far as “consistent product shot photo angles.”

The new designs bring an elevated look and feel to our third-party bags and cases while creating consistency across the brands to make our Accessory walls more visually appealing and easier to navigate.

In quoting from the memo, BI says that it has slightly rephrased it to protect its source after learning that Apple has begun issuing slight variations to internal communications issued to different groups of people, to help it identify sources of media leaks.

We got our first look at the new packaging a few days after we first learned of it.

Apple reportedly planning NYC cube-like structure for new Chicago River store

Avatar for Jeremy Horwitz Aug 12 2015 - 9:03 am PT
11 Comments

Apple plans to relocate its main Chicago, Illinois retail store from its current location at 679 North Michigan Avenue to a newer flagship space at the edge of the Chicago River, reports Crain’s Chicago Business. According to the report, Apple will likely build “a new glass structure” in front of a 35-story office building as an entry to the Apple Store, with most of the store “below ground” in a design resembling the iconic Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City.
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Apple Store app finally updated with the option to use gift cards at checkout

Avatar for Mike Beasley Aug 11 2015 - 1:27 pm PT
2 Comments

The Apple Store app for iOS has finally gained the ability to checkout using gift cards. The feature has been inexplicably missing since the app debuted, but with the latest version users will now be able to import new Apple Store gift cards using their device’s camera or pull in existing cards from Passbook. The new option can be found at checkout and requires first entering the gift card’s PIN.

The feature also drops the old shopping cart icon and terminology in favor of the new “shopping bag” introduced with the recent overhaul of Apple’s website and online store.

The Apple Store app is available for free on the App Store.

AppleCare+ gets simplified for international iPhone/iPad purchases, expansion to Brazil, Turkey, Spain coming

Avatar for Mark Gurman Aug 5 2015 - 12:29 pm PT
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In a video this week to retail store employees, AppleCare chief Tara Bunch has outlined some changes coming to the company’s AppleCare+ program for the iPhone and iPad. In the video, Bunch and an associate in charge of AppleCare+ say that the service will now become simpler to add for international customers. For example, if a Hong Kong resident travels to the United States, purchases an iPhone or iPad, and adds AppleCare+ to their purchase, their new device will become automatically registered with AppleCare+ in their home country…


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Tim Cook thanks ‘thousands of Hong Kong customers’ who attended Canton Road store opening

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jul 30 2015 - 7:36 am PT
3 Comments
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Tim Cook tweeted his thanks today to the “thousands of Hong Kong customers” who attended the opening of the company’s fourth Apple Store in Hong Kong.

Plans for the store were first announced in 2013, with construction photos first seen in February. Apple announced the opening date on its website a couple of weeks ago. The additional store is part of Apple’s ambitious expansion program in China, having so far opened six of the 25 new stores it plans to open within two years.

Photos of the new store can be seen below … 
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Apple’s retail expansion in India underway, 100+ of 500 resellers reportedly selected

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jul 27 2015 - 5:23 am PT
1 Comment

Apple’s plan to establish 500 mobile-focused reseller stores in India is reportedly well underway, with NDTV Gadgets reporting that more than 100 of the partners for its Authorised Mobility Resellers (AMR) program have already been signed-up.

Apple seems to have already identified the cities, and indeed the areas within these cities where it wants to open the new stores, as a job listing on Apple’s website says the responsibility of Program Manager – AMR is to select store locations “within identified micro markets within a city” (emphasis ours).

An Apple-appointed contractor is building the stores’ interiors to ensure that they conform to Apple’s design and size requirements, before handing them back to the third-party resellers to operate. The partners are reportedly being selected by Apple on the basis of their track-record in selling Apple products.

Apple is said to be focusing on building market share in the company, and will, unusually, allow AMRs to discount iPhones below the official retail price.

Apple’s 2015 Back to School deal: free Beats Solo2 headphones with Mac purchase

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jul 23 2015 - 6:40 am PT
32 Comments
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Apple is today launching its Back to School promotion for 2015. This year, it will give away a free pair of Beats Solo2 headphones with the purchase of an eligible Mac.  Customers must either purchase an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac Pro with education pricing to qualify, including build-to-order configurations. The Mac mini does not participate in the deal.

Alternatively, customers can upgrade for an additional $100 to a pair of wireless Beats Solo2 headphones, rather than the usual $299 price. The announcement is not yet being advertised on Apple.com apart from a small mention on its rebates page. It is surprising that there appears to be no Back to School promotion for iPads this year, despite Apple pushing the tablet into education markets.


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PSA: Apple Watch’s sapphire display cracks just like iPhone screens

Avatar for Zac Hall Jul 17 2015 - 8:18 am PT
59 Comments
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Yep, that’s a cracked Apple Watch display. Nope, it’s not actually an Edition, just plated, but the $549 and up steel model uses the same sapphire display as Apple’s $10,000 and up watch. And yes, the Apple Watch’s sapphire display reacts to accidental drops against hard surfaces just like iPhones.

In describing the craftsmanship of the Apple Watch, Apple calls sapphire “the second-hardest transparent substance after diamond,” adding that “that’s why we chose it to cover the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition faces,” but it still sells a $79 AppleCare+ warranty to cover accidental damage because sapphire is clearly not invincible.

Here’s what to expect if you accidentally break your Apple Watch display and what I learned about how easily it can happen…
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Apple Watch release date for New Zealand scheduled for July 31st

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jul 15 2015 - 1:24 pm PT
9 Comments
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After its initial launch in nine countries in April, followed by seven more late last month and a handful of other countries launching later this week, Apple Watch will arrive for customers in New Zealand for the first time on July 31st. Apple has quietly made the announcement on an updated product page within its Apple Store iOS app, as pictured above.
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First look: Apple designed packaging for third-party accessories arriving at Apple Stores (Gallery)

Avatar for Dom Esposito Jul 9 2015 - 12:03 pm PT
26 Comments

Recently, we discovered that Apple was in the process of revamping its third-party accessory packaging within retail stores. As reported by our own Mark Gurman, Apple has been working on this co-designed packaging with accessory makers for the past six months and now it’s finally hitting store shelves…


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Apple announces that its first Apple Store in Queens, New York opens this Saturday

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jul 7 2015 - 6:12 am PT
1 Comment
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Apple has announced on its website that its first retail store in Queens will open on Saturday 11th July at 1oam. We exclusively revealed that the store was on the way back in February, with the first construction shots seen later the same month and signage appearing in May.

The new store is located on the second floor of the Queens Center mall in Elmhurst and will be one of the largest of the eight Apple Stores in New York … 
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All Apple Stores revamping third-party accessory selection with Apple designed boxes

Avatar for Mark Gurman Jul 6 2015 - 1:31 pm PT
11 Comments
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Apple-designed packaging for the Mophie Juice Pack and Logitech iPad Keyboard

Apple is looking to own yet another aspect of its product experience. The company is gearing up to revamp its third-party accessory selection across all of its retail stores by next week by reducing the amount of accessories available in stores to ones sold in packaging co-designed by Apple. Apple has been working with select third-party accessory makers over the past six months to redesign boxes so that the experience more closely matches the boxes of Apple’s own products…


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Rapper claims he recorded entire album on display Macs in an Apple Store

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jul 6 2015 - 6:52 am PT
18 Comments

Rapper Prince Harvey claims that when his first computer died and his second was stolen, he recorded his entire album in the SoHo Apple Store in Manhattan. The Daily Beast reports that he visited the store every weekday for four consecutive months.

After a second computer failure left him without a means to record his album and no money to buy a replacement, Prince finished recording the vocals and backing instrumental tracks for his new album entirely in that one Apple Store.

We’re not saying it didn’t happen, and that this is just an attempt by an unknown artist to create a cool-sounding story as a publicity stunt, but we do note that it’s been tried before and the attempt didn’t last very long …

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqCCkYNHZOA]

Apple Pay expected to go live in the U.K. on July 14th, £20+ transactions starting this fall

Avatar for Mark Gurman Jul 4 2015 - 10:30 am PT
51 Comments
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Apple appears to be planning to enable its Apple Pay iPhone mobile payments service in the United Kingdom on July 14th, according to sources at multiple retailers. Apple has informed some Apple Retail employees in the U.K. that Apple Pay support will go live on that Tuesday, while an internal memos for supermarket Waitrose plus an additional retail partner indicate the same date…


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Apple Stores to begin selling select Apple Watches as soon as this week with surprise collectible bags

Avatar for Zac Hall Jun 16 2015 - 9:18 am PT
31 Comments
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Some Apple Watch models shipping as soon as 1-3 days ahead of Apple Store availability

Apple said at the beginning of the month that it would fulfill all May Apple Watch orders with the exception of Space Black Link Bracelets by the middle of the month, then begin selling some models in retail stores for the first time. We’re hearing now that some Apple Retail Stores are preparing to begin limited in-store sales as soon as this week ahead of the Apple Watch’s expansion into seven more countries next Friday, and there will be a small perk for those who’ve waited…
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Apple considered Uber for same-day delivery service, may have pulled out over insurance concerns

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jun 16 2015 - 4:05 am PT
3 Comments

Apple considered but ultimately rejected Uber for the same-day delivery service it piloted in May and expanded earlier this month for its online store, reports the WSJ.

In recent months, Uber lost out on the opportunity to make deliveries in some cities for Apple Inc. and Starbucks Corp. , which discussed tie-ups with Uber but then made deals with startup courier service Postmates, according to people familiar with the discussions.

One possible explanation for the decision not to use Uber may be found in a comment by another online retailer, Gilt Groupe, which says it rejected Uber because the company “was unable to insure high-priced items.”

Apple’s same-day option offers delivery within four hours for a $19 courier fee, but only for certain items and within a very small number of zip codes.

Postmates appears to be the main or sole courier company being used for the service, but Apple’s offer does not extend to all areas covered by the delivery company. If you live within a Postmates area but Apple does not currently offer same-day delivery, it may be worth trying to order the product through the Postmates app.

Apple SVP Retail/Online Angela Ahrendts opens stunning Upper East Side Apple Store [Gallery]

Avatar for Seth Weintraub Jun 13 2015 - 6:56 pm PT
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[tweet https://twitter.com/angelaahrendts/status/609827140612132864 align=’center’]

As previously reported, the Upper East Side New York Apple Store opened today and Apple’s head of retail was on hand for the occasion.  Angela Ahrendts tweeted from the event (above) and took photos with visitors (below). The store is at  940 Madison Avenue on the corner of 74th St, a block from Central Park.

We noted previously that the almost 100-year old building that Apple restored used to be a bank which included a vault that Apple turned into a VIP room for Apple Watch Edition try ons. The VIP space includes a large TV/Display, couches and other niceties (more images below).

https://instagram.com/p/33w5KuApm2/

In addition, the decor and showcasing is unique to this location with a new kind of recessed showcase, large chandeliers and black and white artwork.

The new store will help alleviate some of the traffic that the Fifth Avenue Store loses while it relocates to the smaller FAO Schwarz location for upgrades. Not everyone is happy with the store opening. Local residents have complained that it will bring throngs of shoppers to this somewhat quiet (by Manhattan standards) upscale neighborhood. Apple has promised to open later and close earlier than other nearby stores in order to appease the neighbors.

[tweet https://twitter.com/kledaras/status/609717365086003200 align=’center’]

Many more images below:
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Apple’s Upper East Side retail store is built over a 1920s reinforced bank vault

Avatar for Zac Hall Jun 11 2015 - 10:00 am PT
5 Comments
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When Apple opens its new Upper East Side Apple Store on Saturday, visitors will have the opportunity to view historical architecture in addition to shopping for iPhones and Apple Watches. That’s because the new retail store located on 940 Madison Avenue was once the home of the U.S. Mortgage & Trust bank — there’s even a bank vault below the store — and Apple has restored much of the original design for its new showroom…
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Tim Cook responded to Apple Store staff complaints about bag check policy, asking execs “Is this true?”

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jun 11 2015 - 3:59 am PT
54 Comments
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Papers from a failed class action suit by Apple Store staff reveal that at least two retail employees complained directly to CEO Tim Cook about the policy of subjecting them to anti-theft bag checks before they left the store. Tim Cook forwarded the complaints to senior retail and HR executives, asking “Is this true?” … 
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Apple expands same-day courier options to online store orders

Avatar for Zac Hall Jun 5 2015 - 8:00 am PT
3 Comments
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Apple has updated its online store with a quicker, same-day delivery option on select items ordered in certain zip codes. The new “courier delivery” option, which promises to deliver “on the same day, within four hours”, has been added today as an additional supported faster delivery method for items bought on Apple’s online store. Apple previously only offered guaranteed shipping services with additional fees that promised next day shipping or next day shipping before noon.
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Jawbone says its fitness bands are returning to Apple Stores shortly, after earlier removal

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jun 4 2015 - 4:09 am PT
4 Comments
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Apple removed most Jawbone and Nike fitness bands from its retail stores back in March, during the run-up to the launch of the Apple Watch. It was assumed then that Apple was purging products that might be felt to compete with its own wearable.

But Jawbone Senior Product Manager Jason Donahue said that its UP2 fitness band will be available in Apple Stores shortly, reports Japanese site Macotakara. The statement was made during a product launch in Japan … 
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Job listings suggest second Belgian Apple Store on the way, in Antwerp

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Jun 2 2015 - 7:15 am PT
5 Comments

Apple recently confirmed that it’s opening its first Apple Store in Belgium, in the capital Brussels. Job listings spotted by Dutch site iCulture suggest that a second Belgian store will follow, in Antwerp.

According to the job descriptions, Apple is looking for staff in the “province of Antwerp.” An exact city or location is not listed, but linked with the vacancy is a map of the city of Antwerp indicating that the store will be located in the center of Antwerp and not in a mall outside of town.

One suggested location has been the former Trade Fair building (above), due to be refurbished as a Marriott hotel with possible retail space beneath.

Apple is set to open the world’s largest Apple Store in Dubai later this year. The company is also preparing to finally make the Apple Watch available for sale in its retail stores.