Apple Store Down in Advance of (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and New 9.7-inch iPad Launch at 8:01 a.m. Pacific Time

by

Apple took down its online store early this morning as the company prepares to launch its special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in more than 40 countries and regions around the world.

Screen Shot 2 4
Internet users attempting to access the store section of the U.S. site are being met with the familiar "We've got something special in store for you" placeholder, accompanied by a relaunch time of 8:01 a.m. Pacific Time, which is when Apple previously said it would officially be launching the new red colorway iPhone.

Today Apple is also launching a new lower priced 9.7-inch iPad to replace the iPad Air 2, as well as new storage tier options for the iPhone SE and the iPad mini 4.

The PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 7 will be available in 128GB and 256GB storage capacities for the same $749/$849 and $869/$969 prices as the equivalent iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models in standard colors. The anodized aluminum's vibrant red finish has a white Apple logo and white front bezels.

Apple's new tablet, which it is simply calling "iPad", is Apple's new entry-level model at the 9.7-inch size, starting at $329 for 32GB and $429 for 128GB. The device will be available in more than 20 countries and regions.

The new 32GB and 128GB storage capacities for the iPhone SE will cost $399 and $499 respectively, replacing the original 16GB ($399) and 64GB ($449) storage capacities. All other specs for the smaller profile handset remain the same.

The new 128GB model iPad mini 4 with Wi-Fi will start at $399, which was previously the price for the 32GB model with Wi-Fi, which has been discontinued. A cellular model with 128GB of storage will also be available for $529.

During Tuesday's announcement of the new products, Apple also launched new Apple Watch bands and iPhone cases in new colors.

Despite the unusually early shuttering of the store, it's very unlikely that it relates to anything other than updates to the online ordering process to reflect the new products, but we'll keep readers updated as soon as we learn more.

(Thanks, Andrea!)

Related Roundups: iPad mini, iPhone SE
Tag: (PRODUCT)RED
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Buy Now), iPhone SE (Don't Buy)
Related Forums: iPad, iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
Read Full Article • 117 comments
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Read Full Article • 99 comments
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
Read Full Article • 91 comments
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
Read Full Article • 28 comments
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Read Full Article • 329 comments
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
Read Full Article • 155 comments
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...
Read Full Article • 69 comments
apple card feature2

Apple Card 3% Daily Cash Back Now Available From Two More Apple Partners

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:36 am PST by
Apple has partnered with select merchants to offer Apple Card users three percent Daily Cash back on their purchases, and two new companies were added to the partner list today. When purchasing goods and services from Booking.com and ChargePoint, Apple Card users will now get more cash back. Booking.com is a site for reserving flights, cars, cruises, and hotels, while ChargePoint sells...
Read Full Article • 12 comments

Top Rated Comments

bobjonesco Avatar
bobjonesco
100 months ago
Taking the store down for 6 hours just to add two products we already knew about?
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
OllyW
100 months ago
It's actually more than two products aside from the new 9.7 iPad and the Product Red iPhone. It also includes added Watch bands, iPhone SE, and additional iPhone cases.

Not to mention any other unforeseen edits/changes that you're not aware of.
Amazon adds tons of new stuff every single day and their site manages to stay up and running.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robeddie Avatar
robeddie
100 months ago
Actually the new watch bands and cases were already available to buy when the store was updated on Tuesday.

So just iPad, iPhone SE and Red iPhone.

I get that the store has to go down, but 6 hours is strange.
Amazon, ESPN, CNN, Fox News (name just about ANY other site) They ALL update a TON of stuff on their pages constantly and never go down because of those updates.

Any technical argument why the largest TECH company in the world has to go down at all, let alone 6 HOURS to update a handful of items is completely daft.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fogandflower Avatar
fogandflower
100 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/03/24/apple-store-down-red-iphone-7-launch/')


Apple took down its online store early this morning as the company prepares to launch its special edition ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/03/21/apple-announces-iphone-7-productred-special-edition/') (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in more than 40 countries around the world.



Internet users attempting to access the store section of the site are being met with the familiar "We've got something special in store for you" placeholder, accompanied by a relaunch time of 8:01 a.m. PDT, which is when Apple previously said it would officially be launching the new red colorway iPhone.

PRODUCT(RED) models will be available in 128GB and 256GB storage capacities for the same $749/$849 and $869/$969 prices as the equivalent iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models in standard colors. The anodized aluminum's vibrant red finish has a white Apple logo and white front bezels.

It's unlikely that the message relates to anything other than last minute changes to the iPhone 7 online ordering process, but we'll keep readers updated as soon as we learn more.

(Thanks, Andrea!)

Article Link: Apple Store Down in Advance of (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 Launch at 08:01 PDT ('https://www.macrumors.com/2017/03/24/apple-store-down-red-iphone-7-launch/')
[doublepost=1490348421][/doublepost]I don't get it. Why one of the largest technology company needs to shut down its online store to update something?
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bobjonesco Avatar
bobjonesco
100 months ago
It has nothing to do with knowing about the products, they close the site to make alterations to the website reflecting the newest product updates. This isn't anything new.
6 hours. I'm sure Apple has an army of people who manage the website. 2 products. The changes are probably already on a staging or dev server and all they'd need to do is push the new pages out.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wbrat Avatar
wbrat
100 months ago
I don't get it. They already made changes to the store few days ago...

Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments