ivaua

I'm three full replacement in + one bud replaced. First replacement happened two weeks in since purchase. All warrantees passed together with special maintenance program from Apple... and they are crackling AGAIN, so they are just seating on the desk as emergency spare.

And AirPods Max are in trash together with infamous case. Three replacements at first year of usage and later when they broke again, I went to Apple to ask what's the repair cost and I was give a quotation EXCEEDING by 25% the price of new pair of MAXs from Apple. As a consolation I was offered a 10% discount to purchase a new pair. 
Still loving Apple, but this was the most frustrating, infuriating experience I've ever had with any product I've ever bought from Apple.

arthurba said:

Let me share an 'outside the US' perspective.

All this discussion about RCS is moot.

If I send an SMS/RCS to any Android contact, I never get a reply and they never see it.

Why?

Because Android users use WhatsApp.  In other countries it's WeChat.  

They see it as a combination iMessage/Facetime app and use it just like us Apple users use iMessage/Facetime - ie: we don't use anything else.

I asked a friend about my text message and they showed me their phone: no sign of my message, and no sign of any app that would show an SMS either.  They either hadn't installed it or deleted that app.

I'm guessing in the US it's different, but I wouldn't think that it will be different for long.

Let me support you on this with both hands and feet!!! 
Remembering dark times of only SMS and understating to an extent how it works, I can't understand all the fuss of Apple not giving a support to RCS. Of course now it does, but does it help much, since RCS is a 99% function of MOBILE OPERATOR (messaging server+exchange/interconnect with other operators) and not a manufacturer of the phone. In many cases, even with SMS there are hiccups to this day since some some operators are not signing agreements about SMS exchange (thus no technical implementation of exchange) and you can't send a message to someone abroad. And personally, I'm expecting the same happening in RCS space, in your bubble, everything works fine but just step left or right, and it is all shambles. Another issue, how mobile operators are going to charge for this service, are they going to do the same as with phone calls by screwing customer and with implementing of VoIP (read oLTE, oWiFi) and still charging you minutes as if it is old time GSM or god forbid NMT with CDMA.
ZERO optimism on RCS.
And yes, there are nearly 6 billion people living outside of USA...

randyl said:

Would be nice if the article included the (city) location of the new store. 

https://maps.apple.com/?address=Westfield%20Mall%20of%20Scandinavia,%20Stj%C3%A4rntorget%202,%20169%2079%20Solna,%20Sweden&auid=7738415038470224894&ll=59.370563,18.003462&lsp=9902&q=Westfield%20Mall%20of%20Scandinavia

I wouldn't call it a replacement of the on in Helsingborg. Seems everyone already forgotten rather scandalous situation when Apple was trying to get a space at Kungsträdgärden which is Stockholm downtown, the place currently occupied by T.G.I. Friday's which looks rather questionable from aesthetic point of view but local community protested propping up Apple Store at this place, supposedly tarnishing the place with its presence... Just to remind, that the nearest to Stockholm Apple Store is relatively faaar outside of Stockholm in Täby and you can't call it a high traffic place to any stretch of imagination. Long story short, Apple was struggling to have a nice place for a store in Sweden's capital for years and if it will be Scandinavia Mall, why not, already better and traffic of people there is rather significant.

Ofer said:

Any chance that Apple will create an end-to-end encryption implementation of RCS down the road?

RCS is a mobile communication industry standard (GSMA), Apple can only implement the existing standard unless industry will ask Apple to be a part of the process, but I doubt that Apple has any interest in it. Look at the presentation, they've spilled a bunch of functionality in iMessage which won't be supported elsewhere and with this just affirming position of iMessage.