Apple is speeding up a global renovation of its retail stores, replacing giant marketing video walls with dedicated Genius Bars and carving out new side bays for online pickups and Today at Apple sessions, according to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman reported that the company plans to accelerate renovations over the coming years while becoming more selective about opening new locations. The shift marks a move away from the more open, community-style layout that defined many stores after the last major redesign cycle.Three changes define the new approach. First, Apple is remaking the Avenue — the side stretches of stores that showcase accessories and services. Dedicated roughly 10-foot bays will handle online order pickups and Today at Apple sessions, replacing the large pickup tables and sprawling seating areas now common on the floor.Second, the large video walls at the back of many stores are slated for removal. Those displays have been used for workshops and marketing. In many renovated locations, they will give way to service counters instead.
Third, dedicated Genius Bars are returning. Apple moved years ago toward a more informal Genius Grove model. The new bars, Gurman reported, echo the older layout but with an all-wood finish, two counter heights for accessibility, storage drawers, and large product posters on the wall behind staff.
Apple has already tested elements of the design in some stores, including internationally, and now intends to roll the look out more broadly and faster than previously planned. Back-of-house areas and employee break rooms are also expected to be upgraded as part of the work.
The changes point to a retail strategy that puts visible technical support and order fulfillment closer to the center of the store experience, while tightening how existing locations are refreshed rather than rapidly adding new ones.
MacDailyNews Take: Genius Bars never should’ve ben removed, so this is a welcome return for longtime Apple Retail Store customers.
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It’s about damn time. I stopped going to the Apple store for anything because they are such a mess. All it has become is seeking out an employee, usually wearing piercings and thinking they are something special who tells you to wait by whatever table for someone to see you. The you wait. And wait. Someone appears and they are shifting between you and 2 others.
The Apple Store has become a mess.