Apple has reopened all of its U.S. Apple Stores

This is the first time in nearly a year that Apple’s full complement of retail stores have all been open at the same time.

Michael Steeber, writing for 9to5Mac:

Every Apple Store in the United States is open for the first time in nearly a year. It was 353 days ago — March 13, 2020 — that Apple closed all of its retail stores outside of Greater China.
While some Apple Stores offer in-store shopping appointments and others can accept Express pickup of online orders only, all 270 US locations are now open in some capacity as of March 1, 2021. Apple Stores in Texas around Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio were the last to reopen today.

This is a very encouraging sign that we’re trending back toward normal life in the U.S. as Apple has been one of the most conservative retailers when it comes to COVID precautions and policies. Over the last year we’ve seen rolling closures of Apple stores at various times in various places as Apple adapts to changing mandates in various areas and also adjusts its store openings to whatever internal metric the company is using with regards to local COVID case levels.

But even though your local Apple Store is now open, it’s almost certainly not operating as it was before COVID. You’ll still likely have to wait in a line outside the store, and you’ll need a prearranged appointment for shopping, pickup or support. Many stores are also still using the Express pop-up storefronts.

I yearn for the day when Apple Stores are again crowded with people. Apple’s response to COVID (as well as many local lockdown mandates) have left Apple Stores a depressing shell of their former selves.