In a move towards "normalcy," Apple has decided to reopen some of its stores in the US next week after being shut down for almost two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to CNBC, Apple Stores will reopen in Idaho, South Carolina, Alabama, and Alaska. They will join off-shore branches in Germany, Australia, and China that have already reopened earlier this month. Meanwhile, there is still no schedule when UK stores will resume operations.
The Apple Inc. logo is seen hanging at the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York, U.S., October 16, 2019.
However, do not get too excited yet. There are only about six stores that will open in these four states. This is still far from the total of 271 Apple stores in the US. Meanwhile, Apple has a total of 510 stores across the globe.
A new Apple Store experience
Of course, moving towards normalcy comes with changes. First, social distancing measures will be applied in Apple Stores as the number of visitors within the store will be limited. Also, customers will be advised to use their in-store pickup options.
Temperature checks will be required for employees and customers, while employees will need to wear face coverings. It is still unclear how the face covers would look like.
Initially, the Apple Stores will focus on repairing broken devices during the pandemic. It will also prioritize returning fixed iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks to their respective owners from its Genius Bar since people were not able to pick up their devices before the March shutdown.
People wearing protective masks are seen in an Apple Store, as China is hit by an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Shanghai, China, January 29, 2020.
WWDC 2020 moved online
Apple's mid-year software-focused show, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2020 was scheduled to start on June 22. But with the coronavirus pandemic, Apple has decided to move the event online.
In this event, we will likely to get our first official look at iOS 14, macOS 10.16, and watchOS 7. While the iPhone SE 2020, new iPad Pro, and MacBook Pro have already been launched, Apple is sure to have many surprises reserved for WWDC 2020.
Apple has officially confirmed that WWDC 2020 will kick off on June 22, which is no big surprise. This year's event is a bit late compared in the past years, which usually happened in the first or second week of the month. The delay is understandable because of the shift to its new online format.
Apple's keynote where major announcements happen will probably be on the first day, although the event will likely run until the 26th.
Unlike the other tech events that were already canceled like MWC 2020 and Google IO, Apple's decision to move its annual developer event online is a smart way to handle the situation. After all, it should make a little difference for most people who only watch these events online.
Also, the event will be free for developers who used to pay $1,599 per ticket. They can access the event through the Apple Developer Program app or use the program's website. Apple will later release further details and the event schedule through those channels in June.
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