Apple has updated its website to include a new banner pertaining to its temporary Apple Store closures. Over the weekend, Apple announced that all Apple Store locations outside of Greater China would be closed until March 27th. It appears as though the timeline may be extended.
Retail locations all over the world have begun to limit their hours and the number of customers able to walk through the store at any given time. Some retail chains have temporarily closed as well. All in an attempt to help flatten the curve against the spread of COVID-19. Apple was taking their own precautions, including not encouraging customers to try on peripherals such as Apple Watch and AirPods, Apple ultimately decided to temporarily close its doors on its many Apple Stores until March 27th.
However, as 9to5Mac reported, Apple may be preparing itself to extend the closures past March 27th. A Twitter user by the handle of @DylanMcD8 pointed out that Apple changed its banner on the US website to read: “Our retail stores are closed until further notice.”
Hey @MichaelSteeber @9to5mac, Apple has added a new banner to the top of https://t.co/jXOQTBsKur saying “until further notice,” as do store sites. I can confirm they did NOT use to say this, and they’ve added these changes sometime in the last few mins too. https://t.co/KOVfXfg2V0 pic.twitter.com/NHAXGTpMZu
— ????? (@DylanMcD8) March 17, 2020
It’s worth noting that this banner only appears on the US website. On the Canadian side, no banner is present and all store locations continue to signal the temporary closure will end on March 27th.
The new banner may simply be Apple’s way of preparing itself to extend the closure if need be. Seeing as the spread of coronavirus is precarious and ultimately has no definitive resolution as of yet, Apple may see to it that Apple Stores outside of Greater China remain closed in their part to assist in social distancing and keep its staff in good health.
