Ahead of today's grand opening of its new Michigan Avenue outlet on Chicago’s riverfront, Apple published a batch of photographs of the store's interior and exterior, showing off its gorgeous storefront that perfectly blends into the surroundings.
Apple through a Tuesday morning refresh of its Retail website in China announced that the newest brick-and-mortar retail store, located within the Tianyi Square shopping district, will be opening doors for business this Saturday, September 16, at 10am local time.
Apple's online store is again selling Nokia's iPhone-connected health devices almost two months after the two companies reached an agreement in their patent infringement battle.
If you don't own HomeKit accessories or haven't had a chance to try them in someone’s home or apartment, Apple has you covered. As TechCrunch reported Wednesday, Apple has unveiled cool HomeKit experiences in 46 of its retail stores worldwide.
For customers in the United States, these demos are currently available at Apple's Union Square store in San Francisco, the World Trade Center and Williamsburg outlets in New York and 28 other stores throughout the country.
Globally, as many as fifteen stores are currently hosting the new experience, including select outlets in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan.
The interactive demos feature the Home app which can be used from either an Apple Watch, iPhone or iPad to control devices like the Phillips Hue light bulb and the Hunter ceiling fan.
This isn't a full show room. For instance, if you tell the Home app to lower the shades in the living room, you'll see simulated results of your action in the house shown on the huge screen.
The demos include HomeKit scenes which the user can set up to their liking in order to activate and control multiple devices with a single tap or Siri command. Apple last November invited select members of the press to a house in Alameda that it decked out with HomeKit gear.
Apple's renewed push for the living room and these interactive demos will play a bigger role later this year, when the company hopefully takes the wraps off a next-generation Apple TV with 4K resolution and releases the Siri-enabled HomePod smart speaker.
“Apple doesn’t have a clear timeline for how long this will be available inside retail stores, but it seems that it will be relatively constant, at least through December when the HomePod comes out,” according to writer Megan Rose Dickey.
If you're in the market for a shiny new tablet with an Apple logo on it, the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro model and a second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro are now available for purchase at company-owned retails stores around the world.
The tablets were announced at last week's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose and feature Apple's in-house designed A10X Fusion chip, Apple's brightest display ever with True Tone technology, a whopping 120Hz refresh rate they're calling ProMotion and other features.
Along with the new tablets, Apple is also offering a leather case for Apple Pencil which prevents rolling and broken tips.
You can buy your iPad either at a nearby Apple Store or purchase it online, via the “Buy iPad Pro” webpage, and have it optionally delivered to a nearby Apple Store for pickup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOtaLAFngmg
Subscribe to iDownloadBlog on YouTube
The new 10.5-incher is available from $649 and its bigger brother starts at $799.
Add an extra $130 if you'd like an LTE-enabled model. The devices come in 64/256/512GB capacities and in Gold, Silver and Space Gray color finishes. The new 10.5-inch iPad Pro also comes in Rose Gold, unlike the 12.9-incher.
It's worth keeping in mind that these new tablets ship with iOS 10.3. iOS 11, which really unlocks the full iPad potential, will release as a free update for everyone this fall.
Are you planning on upgrading your tablet computing to one of the latest iPads?
Let us know in the comments section below.
Like clockwork, Apple takes its online store offline ahead of any major new production introductions. Today's live-streamed WWDC keynote is no exception: with just a few hours left until the keynote presentation begins, Apple Online Stores around the world have gone offline with a message saying “We'll be back. We're busy updating the Apple Store for you. Please check back soon”.
The rumor-mill, Apple analysts and pundits have been saying that the iPhone maker will unveil some new hardware products at WWDC, which is normally a software-centric event.
Some of the gadgets that could be formally introduced at WWDC include a dedicated Siri speaker, a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro model, as well as refreshed MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks with Intel's Kaby Lake chips and updated system architecture.
Though Apple's been criticized for its seeming inability to update store listings without taking the whole web store down, risking losing potential sales, this is now more of a marketing vehicle designed to drum up excitement ahead of major events than it is a technical issue.
Chameleon Run, the popular auto runner by developer Noodlecake Studios, is now available at no charge for the next two weeks but only through the official Apple Store app.
On App Store, the game currently sells for $0.99.
If you haven't had a chance to grab Chameleon Run back in February when Apple featured it on App Store as part of its weekly Free App of the Week promotion, download the official Apple Store app now to claim your free copy of this awesome platformer with a colorful twist.
This promotion will expire on June 15, 2017.
Featuring smooth execution, this fast-paced auto runner requires you to switch your character's color to match the ground as you run and jump from platform to platform.
The game's expertly crafted levels “will have you running back for more”.
Chameleon Run features pixel-perfect physics, simple two-button controls, fun jumping mechanics with special moves (i.e. “double jump”, “head jump” and so forth), non-linear levels with three special objectives in each one and other perks.
It plays especially well on the fourth-generation Apple TV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrIAedC-wJY
To claim your free copy of Chameleon Run, first download the official Apple Store app.
Next, launch the Apple Store app and tap the Discover tab at the bottom. Scroll halfway down until you spot the Chameleon Run offer, then tap “Download now for free”.
You should see an overlay offering basic information about the game.
Tap the blue Download Now For Free button at the bottom to continue.
You'll be asked if you'd like to finish redeeming your gift in App Store. Hit Continue to bring up the game's App Store page, then hit Redeem to claim your free copy of Chameleon Run. Once you've successfully redeemed the promo code, hit Done.
The game should begin downloading to your device. Chameleon Run supports iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV. As always, you can use the App Store's Purchased section to re-download the game to your Apple TV and other iOS devices using the same Apple ID.
Keep in mind that you must use the Apple Store app in order to grab this freebie. On App Store, Chameleon Run is currently 99 cents after a fifty percent discount, valid for one week only.
Announced last month, a series of revamped educational sessions, headlined as “Today at Apple”, launched on Wednesday at Apple's brick-and-mortar stores globally, with more than 4,000 classes being offered each day this week. The new sessions have been available at Apple Union Square since the store opened.
“Introducing Today at Apple—inspiring and educational free sessions happening every day at Apple,” said the iPhone maker, adding that “inspiration is now in session”. While content varies from one store to another, the 495 Apple Stores around the world are expected to offer "Photo Walks" and "Kids Hour" sessions by May 20.
Most sessions are an hour in length. In recognition of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the Cupertino giant is hosting a bunch of accessibility-related sessions at its stores as well.
The company shared this promo video to mark the launch of “Today at Apple”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-1GPznHrrM
As mentioned, these hands-on educational sessions are available starting today in all company-owned retail stores in the US and around the world. The classes range in topics from photo and video to music, coding, art and design and more.
In select cities, “Today at Apple” hands-on classes will be led by world-class artists, photographers and musicians, teaching sessions from basics and how-to lessons to professional-level programs.
To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Apple shared this morning some inspiring videos showcasing how people with different disabilities are using assistive features built into iPhone, iPad and Mac to make their lives easier.
Apple on Monday showed off its upcoming Italian retail store. Located at Piazza del Liberty in Milan, the forthcoming brick-and-mortar outlet will feature Apple's next-generation retail design, with the sales floor sitting beneath the cozy outdoor amphitheater and accessible by walking down the staircase situated between the middle of a pair of waterfalls that form part of a larger fountain.
The fountain itself is a tribute to the Italian squares, representing the close link between the city of Milan and its natives.
Developed in partnership with architecture firm Foster and Partners, known for its work on the Apple Park headquarters, the upcoming Apple Piazza Liberty outlet will be an open space for all to “have a break, be with friends, and discover new interests.”
“We are incredibly happy to be in the center of Milan, a city that for centuries has combined creativity and innovation,” reads the machine-translated text on Apple's Italian website.
There will also be an elevator available.
Last month, Apple announced that all-new “Today at Apple” educational sessions will be coming to its 495 retail outlets in the United States and around the world.
The Milan store will feature “Today at Apple” sessions at launch, from the children's programs to business sessions. The opening date has not yet been announced.
Apple's dedicated Support app was refreshed on App Store today with the ability to schedule repairs and make Genius Bar reservations. Bumped to version 1.1, the app packs in other improvements as well, including simplified authentication process, support for iOS 10's rich notifications for chat and the ability to filter locations by mobile carrier.
As mentioned, the refreshed app now permits iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners to schedule repairs at participating Apple Authorized Service Providers. The ability to make Genius Bar reservations from within the app is currently limited to Apple Stores in China, Hong Kong, Macao, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.
Apple Support is a free download from App Store.
On the back of their latest earnings call, a fair bit of renewed attention has been paid to Apple’s prodigious AirPods. In it, we got confirmation of what owners of the cordless headphones likely already knew, and what analysts were anticipating: AirPods crush customer satisfaction surveys and the sales are, to quote Tim Cook, a runaway success. As such, surely the Cupertino head office must feel in a party mood with regard to their EarPods successor?
Put it this way, something tells me the sound and sight of popping bottles and Eddy Cue flailing his arms to the sound of Pharrell’s Happy will have to wait - because for all their success, almost half a year into their lifecycle AirPods remain a problem child. It only takes one metric and four words to back up that not so outlandish case: ships in six weeks.
On April 27, Apple opened its second store in Dubai and third in the United Arab Emirates. In an attempt to mitigate the ever-changing local climate, Apple used 18 "Solar Wing" panels, comprised of 340 carbon fiber polymer rods to create an opening structure that closes to block the sun, but opens at night. Four million people have already visited the first two UAE in only 18 months. Today we feature a collection of wallpapers inspired by the Apple Store Dubai Mall.