Apple Store

Some Apple Stores now matching iPhone 5c, iPad Air deals

Looking for a deal on an iPhone 5c or iPad Air for the holidays? Well it looks like your local Apple Store may be able to help out. According to a new report, a number of locations have started to price-match on these new products.

This means that if you see a sale going on at your nearby carrier store or electronics reseller, you might be able to get Apple to match their prices. It sounds like discounting will stop at 10% and of course other restrictions apply...

Apple publicizes holiday ordering deadlines

If you're going to buy an Apple product this holiday season, you'll be wise to plan your purchase in advance unless you can cope with broken hearts on post-Christmas deliveries. But holiday shoppers needn't worry too much as Apple is feeling your pain.

This morning, the company has refreshed its U.S. Online Store with a handy guide specifying the important ordering deadlines for Macs, iPads, iPhones, iPods and accessories for delivery by December 24, 2013.

Deadlines vary from one product to another. For example, Apple's Next Day Shipping is available for many, but not all iPads. Specifically, if you're buying an iPad mini with Retina display, your best bet is to place an order with Apple by midnight on December 5 for delivery by December 24.

The full breakdown follows right below...

iPhone 5s availability reaches 90 percent, now shipping in 3-5 days

Apple's flagship iPhone 5s used to be in short supply at both the company's own and carrier-owned retail outlets in the United States as suppliers struggled to meet high demand for the device. The prime reason affecting the handset's availability is Apple manufacturing partners' inability to ramp up production of the sensitive and sophisticated Touch ID fingerprint sensor that no one put inside the Home button before (this is also why the new iPads lack Touch ID).

Indicating improved yields, it would now seem that most of Apple's U.S. Apple Stores now have the device in stock, with one estimate finding that 90 percent of iPhone 5s models are now available in both Apple and carrier stores...

Survey finds that Apple Stores now account for 25% of US iPhone sales

During a summit in San Francisco's Fort Mason on June 27 of this year, Tim Cook spoke to Apple Retail Store leaders about upcoming changes to the company's iPhone marketing tactics. He said he was hoping the changes would help their stores start selling more handsets.

Well here we are, nearly 6 months later, and it looks like the changes have done just that. According to a new survey from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the amount of iPhones purchased from Apple stores has increased from 20% to 25% over the past several months...

Some US, Canada Apple Stores opening early on Black Friday

Black Friday is next week, and for those unfamiliar with the term, it's the Friday after Thanksgiving that kicks off the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Retailers open their stores early and offer significant discounts on their products in hope of luring in holiday shoppers.

And it looks like Apple will be participating in the festivities this year. While we haven't yet received word on the company's Black Friday deals, it does appear that many of its retail stores in both the United States and Canada will be opening early to accomodate the crowds...

Fortune names Apple’s head of retail Angela Ahrendts #4 in 2013 list of top executives

Last month, Apple announced that it had finally found its new head of retail after nearly a year of searching. Her name is Angela Ahrendts, the current CEO of British fashion house Burberry, and she's believed by many to be a great choice.

And apparently Fortune agrees. The business news outlet has named Ahrendts #4 in its 2013 list of top executives. The list is an annual affair, and is filled with execs who defied expectations, led big turnarounds, and delivered big results...

Beautiful Apple Store app launches on iPad

Today, Apple has finally launched the Apple Store app for iPad. The iPhone application was released back in June 2010 and all this time Apple has failed to provide the native tablet experience, until today. Apple Store for iPad, available now on the App Store, is heavy on gestures and brings a completely redesigned appearance which feels right at home in iOS 7 and takes advantage of the larger canvas on iPads by putting product images front and center.

The many Apple Store categories are nicely organized and always accessible via a sleek navigation bar which automatically gets out of the way. While the app provides important product description and other meta data, the use of white space and smart design adds up to readability.

Released in time for your holiday mobile shopping, Apple Store for iPad is arguably perhaps the best iOS 7 app Apple has written thus far, and I don't mean that in a small way. Yup, it's that good.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Mesmerizing front-window displays going up at Apple Stores ahead of holidays

With the start of the 2013 holiday season officially less than two weeks away, Tim Cook and his lieutenants are adamant to turn Apple Stores into the best place to experience the magic of iPhone and iPad devices, Macs and other gear - all over again.

As is Apple's wont, part of the upcoming festivities is a holiday-themed interior design and fitting tweaks, including this mesmerizing front window display.

Take a closer look after the break and tell us what you though about it down in the comments...

Apple implementing iBeacon tech in retail stores to assist with sales and services

Apple is working to implement its new iBeacon technology into its retail stores, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. The tech, which is new to iOS 7, can pinpoint a device's location within a few feet using low energy Bluetooth.

The iBeacon system will initially help Apple with sales, offering up pricing and information on products simply by a user walking up to them. And later it will be used to assist with services such as workshops and Genius appointments...

Following nationwide POS outage, Apple Stores switch to old-school pen and paper

As of yesterday, Apple's internal retail system which runs Apple Stores in the United States has been experiencing nationwide outage which is threatening to hurt the company's retail revenue as the downtime continues to slow down the sales process and affect both walk-in purchases and in-store pickups of online orders.

In fact, Apple has now switched to a pen and paper system, in some instances replacing its custom-made EasyPay self-checkout software/hardware combo with old-fashioned credit card machines.

The full details are right past the fold..

Use this web tool to track Retina iPad mini availability in the US

Although it's getting a little bit easier to find the new iPad mini with Retina display in Apple Stores, supplies are still very constrained. Shoppers, for example, are still advised to check availability before venturing out to their local stores.

Luckily, a new web-based tracking tool has popped up that makes this process a little less tedious. Built by the team behind Seaturtle.org, the tool offers a snapshot of Retina iPad mini availability for a number of Apple Stores across the US...

This Delaware Apple Store sells more iPhones than any other in the US

If someone asked you which Apple Store in the United States sold the most iPhones, you'd probably name off some of the flagship locations like the one in San Francisco on One Stockton Street, or the Fifth Avenue Store in New York.

But you'd be wrong. According to a new report from ABC News, an Apple Store located within the Christiana Mall shopping center in Delaware, sells more iPhones than any other in the US. How? Delaware doesn't charge state sales tax...