Apple Store (online)
Type of site | Online retailer |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Owner | Apple Inc. |
Created by | Apple Inc. |
Website |
www |
Commercial | Yes |
Launched |
February 19, 1987 (Apple website)[1] November 10, 1997 (Apple Store)[2] |
Current status | Online |
The Apple Store is the online store of Apple Inc.[3] All of Apple's product lines are carried as well as select brands of accessories for its products. It is owned and operated by Apple from Cupertino, California and their subsidiaries. Besides the online store-front, items from the store can also be ordered by phone.
As of November 2013, Apple's online store was available in 39 countries,[4] with physical Apple Stores numbering 444 in sixteen countries (263 US/181 elsewhere).[5] They reported global sales of US$16 billion in merchandise in 2011, and led the United States retail market in terms of sales per unit area.[6]
History
Less than a year after acquiring NeXT in the final days of 1996, Apple opened an online store on November 10, 1997, built using NeXT's WebObjects web application technology.
WebObjects enabled Apple to build and deploy its online store within a year. Steve Jobs announced that the new online store received over $12 million in orders in its first month of operation.[7]
On June 15, 2010, Apple released an Apple Store app for iOS. It allows users to buy products, find stores, and make appointments.[8]
In August 2015, Apple's entire website became the online store, with no Store tab.[9] Products can now be purchased with a "Buy" button.[10]
Products sold
- Hardware, including: iPhone, Apple Watch, iPod Touch, iPad, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, iMac, Mac Mini, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Cinema Displays, AirPort cards and base stations, Xserve, and Apple accessories such as wireless keyboards and mice. Computer hardware purchased from the Apple Store online, or over the phone can also be configured-to-order with options that often include faster or larger hard drives and faster processors. Build to Order gave customer choice, simplified inventory, and instant availability.
- Apple Software, including: OS X, iLife and iWork application bundles, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Shake, and other miscellaneous Apple software titles.
- Third Party Software made for OS X, such as design software, productivity software, games, utilities, and most new software that has been released for OS X.
- Select Third Party Accessories for Apple products, ranging from carrying cases for Apple notebooks and iPod sleeves to speakers, printers, scanners, memory upgrades, and digital cameras.
- Refurbished Hardware, including lower cost, yet completely up to date (in terms of software), variants of the MacBooks, iMacs, Mac minis, iPods and other products. As of August 2009 to the Present Day, there are/were no refurbished iPhones in the online store. However, Apple did sell prototype iPhones for a massive profit for about 3 weeks in 2006.
Also available are Apple Instant Loans, as well as gift certificates to both the Apple Store and the iTunes Store. It offers automatic online discounts to "educational" users who include both faculty and students of higher education, and faculty of K-12 schools in addition to discounts for business buyers internationally and United States government employees.
New products release
When Apple release new products or performs a maintenance upgrade to their online store, they display a holding page. Per language this page usually displays the following notice:
Language | Message |
---|---|
English | We'll be back. We're busy updating the Apple Store for you and will be back soon. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 我们将很快恢复服务. 我们正在努力更新Apple Store在线商店,将很快恢复服务. |
Czech | Vrátíme se. Momentálně jsme zaneprázdněni aktualizací obchodu Apple Store. Vrátíme se zpět co nejdřive. |
Dutch | Heel even geduld. We zijn de Apple Store aan het bijwerken dus we vragen heel even je geduld. |
French | De retour bientôt. Nous mettons actuellement l'Apple Store à jour et serons bientôt de retour. |
Nous allons revenir bientôt. L'Apple Store est en cours de mise à jour. Il sera de nouveau en ligne bientôt. | |
German | Wir sind bald wieder da. Wir aktualisieren gerade das Angebot im Apple Online Store. Die Seite ist demnächst wieder verfügbar. |
Hungarian | Visszatérünk. Éppen frissítjük az Apple Online Store oldalait – hamarosan visszatérünk. |
Italian | Torniamo subito. Stiamo aggiornando l’Apple Store. Torniamo subito. |
Japanese | しばらくお待ちください. Apple Store をアップデート中です。しばらくお待ちください. |
Korean | 곧 다시 찾아 뵙겠습니다. Apple Store를 업데이트하는 중입니다. 잠시만 기다려주십시오. |
Norwegian | Vi er snart tilbake. Vi oppdaterer Apple Store og er snart tilbake. |
Polish | Zaraz wracamy. Zajmujemy się uaktualnianiem sklepu Apple Store i w krótce będziemy z powrotem. |
Portuguese | Voltaremos logo. Estamos ocupados atualizando an Apple Store e voltaremos logo. |
Em breve estaremos de volta. Estamos ocupados an atualizar an Apple Store e em breve estaremos de volta. | |
Russian | Apple Store Временно недоступен. Вы можете управлять своими заказми и учетной записью здесь. |
Spanish | Pronto estaremos de regreso. Estamos ocupados actualizando el Apple Store y ya estaremos de vuelta. |
Volvemos enseguida. Estamos actualizando la Apple Store pero volvemos enseguida. | |
Swedish | Vi är snart tillbaka. Vi håller just nu på att uppdatera Apple Store och är snart tillbaka. |
Thai | เราจะกลับมาให้บริการในไม่ช้า. Apple Store อยู่ในระหว่างการปรับปรุงและจะกลับมาให้บริการใหม่เร็ว ๆนี้. |
Turkish | Yakında yeniden sizinle olacağız. Şu anda Apple Store’u sizin için güncelliyoruz ve yakında yeniden sizinle olacağız. |
References
- ↑ "Apple.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info - DomainTools". WHOIS. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- ↑ "The Slow Evolution of Apple's Online Store". Mashable. 2014-05-16. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- ↑ UTC, JP Mangalindan2015-08-07 00:19:28. "Apple launches redesigned website, kills old Apple Store". Mashable. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
- ↑ "The Apple Store – International". Apple Inc. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Apple Retail Store – Store List". Apple Inc. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
- ↑ David Segal (June 23, 2012). "Apple's Retail Army, Long on Loyalty but Short on Pay". The New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ↑ "» 10 Tips To Increase App Store Ranking". TaxSmart Technologies.
- ↑ "iTunes Preview: Apple Store by Apple Inc.". Apple. Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ↑ UTC, JP Mangalindan2015-08-07 00:19:28. "Apple launches redesigned website, kills old Apple Store". Mashable. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
- ↑ Quirk, Mary Beth. "Apple Eliminates Its Online Store, Moves "Buy" Buttons To Product Pages". Consumerist. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
External links
- Apple Store – International – list of all 39 country online stores
- Is the Apple Store down – list of the status of all 39 country online stores