Apple retail stores brace for ‘major rush’

Apple’s retail stores are reportedly bracing for a “major rush,” as customers respond to this week’s product announcements. Employees have been warned that they will likely have to work longer hours, while internal displays are being overhauled to showcase the new devices with the biggest mainstream appeal, which probably means the budget MacBook.

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman discusses Apple’s preparations for what CEO Tim Cook has described as a “big week” of announcements. Employees, he says, have been told to expect “an influx of customers,” and some say the planning is on the same level as the annual flagship iPhone refresh, which usually increases foot traffic to stores as people rush to buy and try the new handsets.

This is unusual behavior for a non-iPhone launch, so Apple clearly thinks this week’s batch of products has a rare degree of mainstream appeal. Odd, then, that the company hasn’t organised a full press event. Members of the press (including Macworld) are merely getting only an “experience” on Wednesday, which experts think will be a hands-on session with the various devices announced via press release on the first three days of this week.

Of the rumored new products, most are expected to be routine updates to existing devices: new versions of the baseline iPad and iPad Air with A19 and M4 chips respectively, M5 MacBooks, and an iPhone 17e which should in most respects be similar to last year’s 16e. The exception is the budget MacBook, which is a completely new concept with a rumored new, colorful look. This is likely to be the product Apple expects to drive feverish customer interest.

Sure enough, Gurman believes this is the device that the retail stores are being reorganised to showcase. “Stores are… preparing to have an entire table dedicated to one of the new products,” he writes. “Routine upgrades wouldn’t require this, so it’s likely tied to the low-cost MacBook.”

Whether the budget MacBook will really live up to that designation is debatable; we would certainly expect some compromises on the specs list. But Apple, according to Gurman’s sources, believes the product is “incredible value” and will drive large numbers of Windows and Chromebook users to switch to macOS.

Does the company really think this, or does it just want us to think it thinks this? It wouldn’t be the first suspiciously self-serving “internal leak” to come out of Apple Park. But there’s certainly plenty of anticipation about this product, so stay tuned to our March announcements live blog, where you will hear all the news as it happens, plus our reaction and analysis, throughout the week.