All 270 US Apple Stores Are Open For the First Time Since March 2020 (9to5mac.com) 34
An anonymous reader quotes a report from 9to5Mac: Every Apple Store in the United States is open for the first time in nearly a year. It was 353 days ago -- March 13, 2020 -- that Apple closed all of its retail stores outside of Greater China. While some Apple Stores offer in-store shopping appointments and others can accept Express pickup of online orders only, all 270 US locations are now open in some capacity as of March 1, 2021. Apple Stores in Texas around Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio were the last to reopen today.
In addition to reopening every store, Apple is also starting to offer in-store shopping at more US locations again after months of operation as Express storefronts. Around two dozen stores in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, and Utah reintroduced shopping sessions today. That's on top of almost 50 locations last week, more than 40 the week before, and dozens in early February. Today's milestone doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet. All Apple Stores still enforce health and safety guidelines that include reduced occupancy and a mask requirement. Apple continuously evaluates local COVID-19 conditions, and it's highly possible that some stores could temporarily close or return to Express operations in the future. Outside of the US, just over a dozen Apple Stores remain closed in France and Brazil. Apple Stores in Mexico reopen March 2.
In addition to reopening every store, Apple is also starting to offer in-store shopping at more US locations again after months of operation as Express storefronts. Around two dozen stores in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, and Utah reintroduced shopping sessions today. That's on top of almost 50 locations last week, more than 40 the week before, and dozens in early February. Today's milestone doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet. All Apple Stores still enforce health and safety guidelines that include reduced occupancy and a mask requirement. Apple continuously evaluates local COVID-19 conditions, and it's highly possible that some stores could temporarily close or return to Express operations in the future. Outside of the US, just over a dozen Apple Stores remain closed in France and Brazil. Apple Stores in Mexico reopen March 2.
So? (Score:4, Insightful)
So what?
Re: So? (Score:1)
I think this summarizes the Apple Store experience pretty well:
If Apple Made a Restaurant [youtube.com]
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it's unlikely there will be another spike in new cases.
America: Hold my beer...
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So what?
Well, nothing of value was gained.
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This is Slashdot, where a portion of the users are so hardcore Apple fanboys that they mistake the health of their favorite tech company for the health of the economy in general.
Meanwhile, thousands of restaurants and other small businesses continue to go out of business every week... but who cares about them, right?
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For instance, there will be people in this thread who are unable to admit that Apple has made any contribution at all to consumer tech ever in any way and that everything they've ever made is stupid and anyone who buys their stuff is also stupid.
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I admit I dislike how Apple does business, but apart from that I couldn't care less who buys and owns which kind of phone.
Still, I don't see how it's newsworthy that all Apple stores are open.
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Best guess? Apple Stores are a bellwether for the state of US health.
Apple Stores were some of the most prominent, early closures in the initial days of the pandemic, and they've been opening and closing on a local basis across the US as various states have seen rises and drops in both infection rates and number of infections. When friends have said something that makes me think they're not taking the pandemic seriously enough, I've been able to point at Apple Stores and say, "The most profitable company on
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I see, so damn the doctors and epidemiologists, Apple knows better.
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I see, so damn the doctors and epidemiologists, Apple knows better.
If that’s what you took away from what I wrote, I’d say you brought some baggage into your reading of my comment.
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Maybe it's exactly what your comment was about. If you wanted to convey something different, maybe rephrase it?
Leading indicator- virus is over (Score:1)
The So is that Apple has stores in a wide variety of areas, them all being open shows us what the data has been suggesting for weeks now - covid is pretty much done as a thing that warrants shutting anything down.
Between the vaccine and previous cases, we are either near or at the edge of herd immunity and the rapidly declining new case and death numbers show this also. But it's nice to have other confirmation.
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Between the vaccine and previous cases, we are either near or at the edge of herd immunity and the rapidly declining new case and death numbers show this also.
There are a couple of things that can still catch us out, though. Firstly there is scary data [abc.net.au] from Manaus, Brazil, where they should already have had herd immunity, but got hit by a new variant. Secondly, the indicators for infection are trailing, so while we are patting ourselves on the back and letting our guard down, the next wave may (or may not) be building up. It's been hard to predict the future for the last 12 months, and it probably is hard now too.
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So what?
What do you mean so what? Didn't you get the invite? This is one big party to celebrate the coming 3rd wave.
Ugh (Score:2)
Re: Ugh (Score:1)
Yes, but that is misleading.
99% of problems despite mask usage are caused by ridiculously ignorant users.
Like them complaining that their glasses fog up. Yet completely in denial about the extremely obvious fact that that means their mask is leaking and not filtering.
I've even seen people poke holes in them with needles, as "a trick, to make breathing easier".
Like people wearing surgery mask or random textiles, yet completely ignoring how masks work ad why those will not do a damn thing.
Like people happily
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Ah yes, the unrealistic dream of a perfect world where COVID-19 doesn't exist anymore. Did you actually read your dream approach of how to quarantine...seriously....did you? May I make a suggestion? Go outside and take a deep breath...and relax. A second suggestion is to follow the basic kindergarten rules of not putting your fingers into moist opening and for the love of GAWD....stop licking doorknobs.
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Everyone who wants to avoid Apple stores can still do so. There is no requirement for visiting them just because they have reopened.
Yet.
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Who is "we" in this context?
Breathers?
Yet.
Heh, yeah, what a future that will be.
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What's a computer?
What's a life?
Amazing! (Score:4, Funny)
I never knew an election could cure a pandemic so quickly! The Science has Spoken!
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That's what happens when you accidentally elect someone competent!
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Support Your Local Repair Shops (Score:2)
Maybe it's a warning.
Maybe it's an interesting experiment and we'll see if people learned over the past year that a bad battery doesn't require a logic board swap for 80% the cost of a new unit.
Either way: https://www.repair.org/stand-u... [repair.org]
I can't believe it's been that long (Score:2)
since I could walk into a store and pay $20 for a USB cable.
Best deals yet (Score:2)
If you buy an overpriced Beats noise-making-ear-thingies with your iPhone we'll throw in COVID-19 absolutely free allowing you to spend some time at home in bed enjoying your new purchase without your boss nagging you.
Why do people bother going to the store? (Score:2)