If you have a problem with your Mac and you want an Apple Genius to take a look, or you want help transferring your data from an old Mac, iPad or iPhone to a new one, you may be impatiently waiting for Apple Stores to reopen following the Coronavirus lockdown.
In some parts of the world Apple Stores have already reopened, but if you are in the UK you will still be waiting. The question is: how much longer will Apple’s stores be closed for?
What Apple Stores are open
Apple has reopened Apple Stores in the following places:
- Greater China
- South Korea
- Austria
- Australia
- Canada: some stores have reopened
- Germany
- Italy: some stores have reopened
- Japan: some stores have reopened
- Sweden: some stores have reopened
- Switzerland
- US: 133 of 271 stores have reopened
The company says that as of 17 May it had reopened 100 stores globally but that number has now passed 200. There are approximately 500 stores worldwide. 9to5Mac has a handy Coronoavirus tracker which shows which stores are open here.
When will UK Apple Stores reopen
There are 38 Apple Stores in the UK but to date none have reopened.
According to government guidelines ‘non-essential’ stores may be able to reopen from 15 June. This applies to England. Scotland has slightly different guidance.
Stores are being encouraged to ask people to shop alone and put in place measures to ensure social distancing.
What measures does Apple have in place at its stores?
- Before you can enter a store Apple will perform a temperature check.
- The number of people allowed to enter a store is limited in order to abide by social distancing rules.
- Store opening times are limited.
In Germany Apple Stores have been open with restrictions since 11 May, usually from 10am to 6pm. Even with the stores open Apple still recommends its website and suggests that it is better to enter the store only for appointments at the Genius Bar or to pick up ordered goods. Masks are mandatory and Apple does not let many customers into its premises at a time – so walk-in customers have to be prepared to queue at the door.
What can I do while Apple Stores are shut?
While the stores are shut you can still buy Apple products from Apple’s website and other resellers. We have various deals articles that might be helpful: visit our MacBook Pro deals, MacBook Air deals, and iMac deals and Mac mini deals pages.
If you have a faulty product you can send it to Apple for repair or to a third party although we appreciate that some would prefer to not let their Apple product leave their hands especially if they are reliant on it. Go to this page to arrange for Apple to repair a product for you.
During the lockdown Apple has produced an easy to navigate online shopping experience here (although it does appear to be US only). You’ll find ways to chat with specialists, ways to order new products for delivery, options for trade-in, and a tool so you can track delivery.
Via MACWORLD