Apple is preparing another major overhaul of its retail stores, with changes planned for how customers collect online orders, attend educational sessions and receive technical support. The company is expected to accelerate renovations across its retail network over the next several years as it rethinks elements of its current store design.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the planned changes will introduce more dedicated spaces for specific activities while reversing some of the design decisions Apple made during its previous major retail transformation. The company is reportedly preparing to reorganise areas used for online collections and Today at Apple sessions, while also bringing back dedicated Genius Bars at many locations.
The reported changes represent a notable shift in Apple’s approach to its physical shops. Rather than relying on large, open spaces designed to encourage customers to explore and participate in community activities, the updated stores are expected to use more clearly defined areas for different services.
Apple is redesigning spaces for collections and Today at Apple
One change will affect customers who buy products online and collect them at an Apple Store. Instead of using a more open area for collections, Apple reportedly plans to introduce dedicated wooden pickup bays positioned along the Avenue sections at the sides of stores.
These pickup areas are expected to include secure storage for customer orders, along with a table where Apple employees can assist with collections. The arrangement is designed to give online order pickups a more clearly defined space within the store, potentially making the process easier to manage as online shopping continues to play an important role in Apple’s retail business.
Today at Apple sessions are also expected to receive dedicated areas under the revised design. These sessions cover subjects such as photography, creative applications and other skills related to Apple’s products and services. The new Today at Apple spaces will reportedly feature a large display, seating for attendees, equipment storage and a dedicated workspace for the instructor.
The move towards more specialised areas reflects a broader adjustment to the store layout introduced during Apple’s previous retail redesign. In 2017, the company significantly changed the way its stores operated, aiming to turn them into broader technology and community spaces rather than conventional shops focused primarily on sales and repairs.
That redesign introduced more educational opportunities and creative spaces, while replacing the traditional Genius Bar with a more open support concept known as the Genius Grove. Apple increasingly positioned its stores as places where customers could learn, get help, and take part in activities rather than buy hardware.
Dedicated Genius Bars are reportedly returning
Perhaps the most visible change will involve Apple’s approach to technical support. According to Bloomberg, the company plans to remove the large video walls found at the rear of many of its stores and replace them with dedicated Genius Bars.
The Genius Bar was a defining feature of Apple’s earlier retail stores. Customers could visit the counter for help with hardware and software problems, receive technical support and discuss issues with Apple employees. Its return would mark a move away from the more open support areas Apple adopted as part of its 2017 retail strategy.
The new Genius Bars are reportedly expected to use wood throughout their design and will be available at two different heights. The different counter heights are intended to improve accessibility, giving customers with different needs greater flexibility when receiving assistance.
Removing the large video walls would also change the visual character of many Apple Stores. Those displays became a prominent feature of Apple’s newer retail locations, often serving as large digital backdrops for product presentations, Today at Apple sessions and other activities.
Apple has not publicly confirmed all the reported changes, but it has already tested parts of the updated store concept in international locations. The company is expected to use those experiences as it expands the design to additional new and renovated stores over the coming years.
Apple is also changing how stores prepare to open
The retail changes reportedly extend beyond the physical design of Apple’s stores. Bloomberg says the company is also tightening expectations around staff meetings held before stores open to customers.
Under the reported approach, employees will be expected to remain standing during these pre-opening meetings. They will also be asked to avoid beverages and personal devices during the meeting.
The opening routine is expected to have a more structured conclusion. According to the report, employees will applaud when the first customers enter the store, with those customers arriving five minutes before the advertised opening time.
The changes suggest Apple is reviewing both the customer-facing design of its shops and how employees operate within them. The company’s retail stores have long been closely associated with a distinctive customer service experience, making internal procedures an important part of how that experience is delivered.
Apple’s latest plans appear to combine new and familiar ideas. Dedicated spaces for collections and Today at Apple sessions build on the company’s efforts to make stores more organised. At the same time, the return of the Genius Bar brings back an element that was deliberately changed during the previous retail overhaul.
If the reported timetable goes ahead, customers are likely to see these changes gradually rather than through a single company-wide transformation. Apple is expected to introduce the refreshed design through new locations and renovations over the next several years, meaning the appearance and layout of individual stores may differ during the transition.
The reported strategy reflects Apple’s continuing effort to balance its retail stores between sales, customer support, education and community activities. After experimenting with a more open, experience-focused design, the company now appears ready to bring back some of the clearer divisions and familiar features of its earlier stores.
