Apple Store Will Go Down Soon, But Don't Get Too Excited

Today and into tomorrow, Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis. However, while that sometimes signals that new products are incoming, do not get your hopes up this time around.

apple store down
Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. As of writing, the store already went down and came back online in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, and the gift card offer is now live there. No other surprises.

Every year around this time, we receive many emails from readers alerting us about the store going down, so hopefully this helps to clear up the situation ahead of it going down across Europe, the U.S., and Canada soon.

In case you missed the earlier announcement, Apple is offering a free gift card with the purchase of an eligible product in select countries, from November 29 through December 2. In the U.S., the gift card values range between $25 and $200.

Black Friday is one of the few occasions per year when Apple directly offers deals on its products, but better deals are often available through resellers like Amazon, so make sure to check out our Black Friday deals coverage for the latest discounts on iPads, Macs, AirPods, Apple Watches, accessories, and more.

Related Forum: Community Discussion

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Resolutions Leak With Under-Screen Camera Tipped

Monday April 14, 2025 3:12 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold") will feature two screens as part of its book-style design, and a Chinese leaker claims to know the resolutions for both of them. According to the Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station, the inner display, which is approximately 7.76 inches, will use a 2,713 x 1,920 resolution and feature "under-screen camera technology." Meanwhile, the...
iPad Pro iPadOS

iPadOS 19 Will Be 'More Like macOS' in Three Ways

Sunday April 13, 2025 6:43 am PDT by
A common complaint about the iPad Pro is that the iPadOS software platform fails to fully take advantage of the device's powerful hardware. That could soon change. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS." Gurman said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like a Mac" in three ways:Improved productivity Improved multitasking Improved app window management...
Apple Vision Pro with battery Feature Blue Magenta

Vision Pro 2 Rumored to Have Two Key Advantages Over Current Model

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:15 am PDT by
Apple is working on a new version of the Vision Pro with two key advantages over the current model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Specifically, in his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is developing a new headset that is both lighter and less expensive than the current Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499 in the U.S. and weighs up to 1.5 pounds. Gurman said Apple is also...
Apple Bristol Current

An Apple Store in the UK is Permanently Closing Later This Year

Monday April 14, 2025 7:33 am PDT by
Apple has confirmed that it will be permanently closing its retail store in the heart of Bristol, England, and there is no replacement in sight. Apple Bristol in 2023 Apple Bristol will be closing its doors on Saturday, August 9, due to redevelopment plans at the Cabot Circus Shopping Centre, and the adjacent Bristol Shopping Quarter. According to news reports, and a building application, the ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Waiting for the Perfect MacBook Pro? 2026 Might Be the Year

Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...

Top Rated Comments

Rayansb Avatar
20 weeks ago
Too late I'm already excited.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
John_Blackthorne Avatar
20 weeks ago
I love how they take the store down to promote their $10.00 off discounts and free AirPods 1 Black Friday "deals."
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
switz Avatar
20 weeks ago
Rather a lame thing to offer (gift card) as it can only be used to buy Apple stuff. Apple got your cash.

All the third part vendors are offering cash discounts which means there is more money in the buyer's pocket.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lovehateapple Avatar
20 weeks ago
Doesn't look like there's any BF sales on the Vision Pro. Apple might have been able to sell one or two more if they had a sale on them...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Doug_in_the_UK Avatar
20 weeks ago

('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/28/heres-why-apple-store-is-going-down/')

Today and into tomorrow, Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis. However, while that sometimes signals that new products are incoming, do not get your hopes up this time around.



Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/21/apple-announces-2024-black-friday-event/') with the purchase of select products. As of writing, the store already went down and came back online in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, and the gift card offer is now ('https://www.apple.com/au/shop/gifts/shopping-event') live ('https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/gifts/shopping-event') there. No other surprises.

Every year around this time, we receive many emails from readers alerting us about the store going down, so hopefully this helps to clear up the situation ahead of it going down across Europe, the U.S., and Canada soon.

In case you missed the earlier announcement, Apple is offering a free gift card with the purchase of an eligible product in select countries, from November 29 through December 2. In the U.S., the gift card values range between $25 and $200 ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/21/apple-announces-2024-black-friday-event/').

Black Friday is one of the few occasions per year when Apple directly offers deals on its products, but better deals are often available through resellers like Amazon, so make sure to check out our Black Friday deals coverage ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/22/apple-black-friday-deals-now-2024/') for the latest discounts on iPads, Macs, AirPods, Apple Watches, accessories, and more.

Article Link: Apple Store Will Go Down Soon, But Don't Get Too Excited ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/28/heres-why-apple-store-is-going-down/')
A gift card. Wow! I'd rather have money off Apple's overpriced products - or, at least free AppleCare thrown in with a MacMini or Studio Display.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RedWeasel Avatar
20 weeks ago
I sometimes still wonder if they take the store down artificially just to create excitement or if they really have to take it down for every minor change for to technical reasons.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)