Apple Store Goes Down Ahead of Today's 'Let Us Loop You In' Event

[mstnorris]

One day they'll upgrade their e-commerce systems so that they don't need to take the store offline for several hours when making changes, and we won't have this excitement leading up to a keynote...

I don't think it is about losing sales, rather than ensuring that customers have all the information before making a purchase. Why buy now when in a few hours time you'll have updated models.

Apple's 14 day return policy is great for this, however, seems a bit wasteful and a little hassle, when all you'd need to do is wait a bit and then buy whatever it is.

 

[koulmj]

I still don't get the "Loop you in" slogan. What are they gonna make now? Apple-hula-hoops?

 

[Ayemerica]

I still don't get the "Loop you in" slogan. What are they gonna make now? Apple-hula-hoops?

Everyone is suggesting watch bands.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I'm a stickler for tradition. Mandatory post.

I'm hoping for new Macs.

 

[kupkakez]

I always get so excited when I see that the Apple Store goes down before an event. Hurry up 12pm CST!

 

[loopmein]

wow, they are taking it down early before the event. Loosing a couple of hours of sales right there.

They spend more than that on the staff's daily lunch.

 

[asiga]

It would be funny (and scary for some), if Apple would announce, that there won't be any (desktop) computers in the future ... at all.

Not at all. The really funny (but rewarding rather than scary) thing would be that Apple announced that there won't be any iOS devices in the future at all. Now, you can tell funny.

 

[TrueBlou]

Never have I cared so little about an Apple event. It's either I'm getting old or Apple's getting boring.

It's been a while since they introduced something truly jaw dropping and innovative, this will not be that event. Nor is the next one likely to be, mores the pity.

To be fair though, what's next. They've done the iPhone and redefined the mobile phone market. They've done the iPad and redefined (a proportion of) the mobile computing market. They've done the Watch and revo.... Well, ok they revolutionised nothing there, other than how to capture a market few were much interested in beforehand. What's left? Really anything they can do now is just iterative, improving what they can until the next big technological breakthrough which allows then to create another defining product.

The only thing off the top of my head that I'd like them to dip their toe into just now is to make an actual Apple TV, by which I mean a full blown television. I'd love some Apple magic bestowed upon a 60" screen of top-end Apple quality with the Apple TV interface baked into it (and obviously modified a bit.)

Even that's nothing new obviously, but it would be a new market for Apple to attack at the high end. Obviously profit margins are low for the mainstream TV manufacturers, but if anyone knows how to turn a profit from a product that's available from everyone else for less, it's Apple.

 

[indask8]

The store is down today, so that means the new products will be available on order/preorder starting today? That would be great.

Usually it's annoncement monday, preorder wednesday, delivery friday no?

 

[loopmein]

Never have I cared so little about an Apple event. It's either I'm getting old or Apple's getting boring.

Never have I cared so little about a random stranger online stating their level of interest in a yet unseen Apple event. Apple aren't boring, so you have your answer.

 

[MrGuder]

Is it 1:00 yet??

 

[1Zach1]

Must take a while to rebrand the 5s page into SE, the iPad Air into iPad Pro 9.7" and add some some watch bands.

 

[loopmein]

I still don't get the "Loop you in" slogan. What are they gonna make now? Apple-hula-hoops?

I think the air of mystery is kinda the point. It's not THAT cryptic when you consider their address, and the relevance of loops all around, not least of all Campus 2.

 

[b1wils1]

impressively early. maybe they're just allowing us to join their infinite "loop" of product rehashes.

 

[Pruus]

nice marketing Apple, nice marketing....

 

[MrGuder]

I woke up feeling very loopy today.

 

[loopmein]

I wonder why many of you bemoaners joined an Apple-centric site, but then remember the old truism: "misery loves company".

Dig out your crappy Nokia N95 and your HP iPaq, and then see how you do getting online to do some work: "Can't innovate my ass!"
[doublepost=1458561617][/doublepost]

I woke up feeling very loopy today.

You're in good company; there's a forum full of experts who can beat you with experience.

 

[theluggage]

One day they'll upgrade their e-commerce systems so that they don't need to take the store offline for several hours when making changes,

I'm sure its not just technical reasons - its partly hype, partly practicality (reducing the number of orders for old models that get cancelled) and partly the logistics of 'syncing' the launch across umpteen time zones.

The only thing off the top of my head that I'd like them to dip their toe into just now is to make an actual Apple TV, by which I mean a full blown television.

I think (as the owner of a perfectly good full-HD TV but with internal "smart" features that were out of date withing a year), with the current volatility of TV services and standards, a "full blown" TV would have too short a shelf life even for Apple. What's needed is a "very dumb" TV that's just a display with plenty of HDMI and USB ports for dongles & "set-top" boxes... Not even sure that it needs a sound system given most 'TV buffs' are going to want a surround setup with Dolby/THX's latest twanglywooshdum.

...or for wall-mounting, maybe a display with a single, custom power/video connector (given that you're going to need at least a power cable for the foreseeable future) leading to an external box with power supply, & HDMI inputs.

 

[opeter]

Not at all. The really funny (but rewarding rather than scary) thing would be that Apple announced that there won't be any iOS devices in the future at all. Now, you can tell funny.

Well, that would be fine for me, not using any of their devices (with iOS), except a Mac mini, that has OS X and that system wants to be like iOS (wait, what?).

 

[-BigMac-]

It would be funny (and scary for some), if Apple would announce, that there won't be any (desktop) computers in the future ... at all.

LOL would be funny

 

[Popeye206]

Humm.... 4+ hours before the event? That's a LONG time to be down for reposting a few iPads, a 4" iPhone and a watch band. Good indication there's more at work here.

 

[cableguy84]

Who cares about the 4 inch phone

IOS 9.3 anyone? Bring it on

 

[iGeek2014]

This seems unusually very early…
The store (and Apple Store app) will be down for a good half of the day here in the UK.

I'm pretty sure it usually goes offline around an hour prior to the event commencing.

Maybe of note: I discovered last night that John Lewis are totally out of stock of all MacBooks - in all colour ways.
Unfortunately not Mac minis, though (but "the new Mac mini is almost certainly coming"!).

PC World are selling the non-Retina MacBook Pro for £200 less at the moment so I imagine it's "goodbye" to the last MacBook Pro w/user upgradable RAM and SuperDrive built in.

In terms of the Mac Mini it would be good to see a refresh there; I've got the mid-spec late 2014 model and whilst it's fine for the most part I do wish there had been a quad core option when it was last announced.

 

[yegon]

It would be funny (and scary for some), if Apple would announce, that there won't be any (desktop) computers in the future ... at all.

Hardly. Were this to happen in the short/medium term*, everyone who relies on Macs to do work would adapt, shift to Windows/Linux and laugh at the tablet evangelists and their limited, ever more elaborate, completely inefficient, workarounds.

I love my iPad, but I don't kid myself about it's abilities.

*Who knows what will happen in the very long term, 10-20 years plus from now. We'd need to see a human interface that beats a keyboard/mouse. Please don't suggest voice recognition or VR flailing of arms XD

 

[citysnaps]

Every year, the growing refrain of "where the hell is the innovation?" from the peanut gallery gets louder.

I sincerely hope they have more than watch bands to talk about.

I am amazed that there are people here, and more than just a couple, who honestly believe today's announcement will only be about watch bands. It's like common sense and critical thinking are thrown out the window.