IN STORE: APPLE REOPENS OUTLETS AROUND THE WORLD

With no end to COVID-19 in sight, Apple is reopening its retail stores around the world, with precautions to protect customers and staffers.

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Now, we must evaluate what we’ve learned since the start of the pandemic, and question whether the virus will change retail forever.

WELCOME BACK

Though retail has only ever played a small part in Apple’s overall device sales strategy, news that the company would temporarily shutter all of its outlets outside of China on March 13 made it clear that the coronavirus would have a significant impact on the Cupertino giant. And though the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has varied considerably from country to country, and indeed from state to state in the US, Apple made it clear from the start that its customers were a priority, and by closing stores for the foreseeable future, Apple could do its bit to help reduce the spread of a virus that has changed the way we live immeasurably.

For the first time in history, consumers could no longer walk into their local Apple Store to pick up a new iPhone, touch and feel the latest MacBook, or speak to an expert at a Genius Bar. Worse still, those who had sent a device to the store for repair would have to wait to get it back, though the company revised that policy and reopened some outlets for pick-ups only.