Are Apple's retail stores in mainland China closed? Why is Apple closing its retail stores in mainland China?

When it comes to mobile phones, the first thing that comes to mind is the Apple phone, and its annual sales are far ahead. Recently, Apple officially announced that it would close its retail stores in mainland China, which caused a lot of discussion. So, are Apple's retail stores in mainland China closed? Why did Apple close its retail stores in mainland China? Let's take a look together.

Are Apple's retail stores in China closed?

On February 1, Apple China suddenly announced that Apple Store retail stores will be temporarily closed from now until 24:00 on February 9.

Currently, Apple's official website in mainland China shows that its retail stores in the country will stop opening tomorrow, and those that are open today will close at 18:00 in the evening. Prior to this, they had announced the temporary closure of three Apple Store retail stores in Qingdao, Nanjing and Fuzhou.

Regarding the epidemic, Apple CEO Tim Cook posted on Weibo on January 25 that Apple will donate to relevant organizations to help people affected by the coronavirus.

Why Apple closed its retail stores in China

NetEase Technology News, February 1, Apple announced on its official website in China that based on recent public health and prevention considerations, all official retail stores will be temporarily closed from now until 24:00 on February 9.

Earlier, according to a report by CENT on the 29th, Apple Inc. announced the temporary closure of two Apple Stores in China due to concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus. The two stores were located in Fuzhou and Nanjing, and the shopping malls where the stores were located have also been temporarily closed. As of the 29th, the total number of closed stores reached three.

When will Apple's retail stores in mainland China resume operations?

Apple's official statement said: "Our thoughts are with those most directly affected by the coronavirus and the staff who are working day and night to study and control the epidemic. From now until February 9, out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from experts, we will close all offices, retail stores and call centers in mainland China. Apple's online store in China remains open as usual. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and look forward to our retail stores resuming operations as soon as possible. As for when to resume, we can only wait for official news.

What is the difference between an Apple Authorized Store and an Apple Store?

1. The difference on the door head

According to Apple's requirements, the front signs of Apple authorized stores can only have the dealer company name + small apple logo + authorized dealer logo, and absolutely cannot have words such as Apple, retail, specialty store, experience store, experience center, etc. on the front signs. These are all authorized stores. For the convenience of operation, unauthorized stores often have words such as Apple specialty store, Apple authorized store, Apple experience store, etc.

2. Difference in product prices

The quality of Apple products in Apple authorized stores is the same as that in Apple direct stores, but the direct stores have the richest inventory. At the same time, Apple's new products are first supplied to direct stores, while authorized stores can only get a small amount of supply. However, in terms of price, direct stores basically follow the official website's pricing, while authorized stores have different discounts.