apple store

So much for an Apple event this month. It appears more likely the company will surprise everyone with refreshed products hitting the Apple Store as early as tomorrow. In fact, the official System Status page declares that the Apple Online Store will be down for maintenance overnight. According to the announcement the store "will be updated and unavailable during this time." Apple has taken the store offline during previous product launches, so what might be in the works this time?

Hot on the heels of Monday's iOS 10.2 release, Apple is offering AirPods for sale. While the wireless headphones were originally scheduled for launch in late October, Apple delayed until they were completely ready for customers to enjoy. Delivery for the initial batch was set for December 21st, however since this morning ship times have slipped to 4 weeks. This means that for anyone currently ordering AirPods they will arrive during the second week of January.

Apple fans may have been disappointed last year, since the company did not run its annual Black Friday event. Now it appears Apple is poised to offer special 2016 holiday discounts on its products for one day only. With the tag line "Friday can't come soon enough," Apple features an Apple Watch showing November 25 on its storefront.

Looking to purchase an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus in-store? Instead of just heading down to the local Apple Store or calling the closest carrier location, current inventory can easily be checked online. In fact, Apple makes it possible to reserve an iPhone before taking the trip to a brick and mortar Apple Store for pickup. The iPhone 7 Plus has been in short supply, along with Jet Black models and the iPhone 7 with 128 GB of storage. So what's the best way to find out if the iPhone you want is in stock?

Making the decision of what phone you want to be stuck with for the next year or two can be daunting. For loyal Apple users, even the task of choosing a new iPhone has become more difficult because of Apple's new trend of offering different models. Currently, Apple offers the most recent iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the previous year's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and the iPhone 5s for those who refuse to let go of the smaller form factor.