Apple takes down online Apple Store for 'updates' [u]

AppleInsider

The Apple Store is offline in the US and most -- but not all -- territories worldwide.

The online Apple Store is currently showing its familiar "We'll be right back," notice, along with the information that "updates are coming to the Apple Store." Unusually, the Store is not offline worldwide, however.

At time of writing, the US, Australia, UK, and major European are showing variations on the "Check again soon" message. But the Store in other regions, including China, Japan and New Zealand, is operating normally.

There are no Apple products due to be added through any announced pre-order release. It's conceivable that Apple will make an unannounced addition, but it's unlikely, given that the Store is not down worldwide.

The US Apple Store does include products such as certain accessories that are not available elsewhere. However, if it isn't due to maintenance issues, it's most likely that Apple is about to unveil some promotion.

Apple is currently offering a promotion in China that, until the end of Monday, August 1, 2022, features rare discounts on many products.

Update 04:10 Eastern: the store is back up

Read on AppleInsider

Roderikus

If you can’t maintain a virtual store while upgrading, you shouldn’t be in the online business.

NYC362

Roderikus said:

If you can’t maintain a virtual store while upgrading, you shouldn’t be in the online business.

You have no idea how Apple works.  Having the store "down" is a marketing ploy.  They know very well people and a lot websites just like this one are watching.  So when the store goes back up, everyone is looking for what's new.

In short, "We'll be right back." drives traffic when they do get back.  

williamh

Roderikus said:

If you can’t maintain a virtual store while upgrading, you shouldn’t be in the online business.

Lol.  If Apple can figure it out like you have, just maybe they’ll be a success in the online business 

Alrescha

Roderikus said:

If you can’t maintain a virtual store while upgrading, you shouldn’t be in the online business.

“It’s a common failing, and it’s been with the race as long as it has had social organization. A little business man thinks his tiny business is as complex and difficult as the whole government. By inversion, he conceives himself as competent to plan the government as the chief executive. Going further back in history, I’ve no doubt that many a peasant thought the job of the king was a simple one and that he could do it better if he only had a chance. What it boils down to is lack of imagination and overwhelming conceit”  --Robert A. Heinlein. “Beyond This Horizon.” (1948)

BlueLightning

Noticed about same time B&H site's MBP page was acting up.  Page would flip to a contact page with other links almost instantly after displaying a 14" model.  

Also, Apple Insider is acting a bit strange, with posts initially marked as conversation closed.  Either some common tool is defective and needs to be rolled back, or the quality of folks maintaining AI, B&H and Apple has deteriorated.  

kcool

It was horrible timing though.  This past weekend was tax free weekend in Florida and Tennessee.  Last minute shoppers were greeted with this outage and phone sales was just as blind.  Glad I know I can order from B&H using their PayBoo card and get the sales tax refunded but most don’t know that nor have they ever heard of B&H.  Phone sales was blindsided by this outage as well and numerous employees were asking if they could leave early as they knew it wouldn’t be back up before their midnight eastern shift was over.

dantheman827

Roderikus said:

If you can’t maintain a virtual store while upgrading, you shouldn’t be in the online business.

If Apple had just silently updated their website, you wouldn't be reading this article.

It's all about marketing.

ranson

Alrescha said:

Roderikus said:

If you can’t maintain a virtual store while upgrading, you shouldn’t be in the online business.

“It’s a common failing, and it’s been with the race as long as it has had social organization. A little business man thinks his tiny business is as complex and difficult as the whole government. By inversion, he conceives himself as competent to plan the government as the chief executive. Going further back in history, I’ve no doubt that many a peasant thought the job of the king was a simple one and that he could do it better if he only had a chance. What it boils down to is lack of imagination and overwhelming conceit”  --Robert A. Heinlein. “Beyond This Horizon.” (1948)

Except this is not what it's about. As another poster pointed out, of course Apple could just update the store items without taking the whole store down first. They're a 12-figure company with a rather small selection (compared to stores like amazon or walmart) of high-quality items. But taking the store down for a bit is not dissimilar to how manhattan nightclubs work. They hold the line to get in to make it artificially longer, even when there is plenty of capacity, to create a sense of exclusivity that everyone then wants to experience. The difference with Apple is with you leave with some awesome tech instead of a $400 bar tab and a hangover.

anantksundaram

Roderikus said:

If you can’t maintain a virtual store while upgrading, you shouldn’t be in the online business.

I've wondered about that.

Maybe it's just to create some buzz... even if it's increasingly small...

jose8964

There is the new option for 2-hour deliveries in certain metro areas, costs 9 dollars extra