The IAM Union representing Apple employees in Towson, Maryland today said that it is filing an Unfair Labor Practice charge [PDF] against Apple with the National Labor Relations Board. The union is accusing Apple of unlawful discrimination against unionized workers.


Earlier this month, Apple announced plans to close the Towson Apple Store alongside two other Apple locations in Connecticut and California. The Towson store was the first Apple retail location to unionize in the U.S. back in 2022.

With most store closures, employees are relocated automatically to nearby stores, but Apple said the union rules at the Towson location prevented it from moving the workers to other stores. Apple instead said that Towson employees are "eligible to apply for open roles at Apple in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement."

The IAM Union said at the time that it was "outraged" by Apple's decision, and that there was nothing in the agreement that prevented employees from being relocated. IAM said Apple's claim was false, and that it raised "serious concerns" that the closure was a "cynical attempt to bust the union."

In today's filing, the IAM Union complained that Apple allowed employees at two non-union stores to transfer to other locations, but forced Towson employees to reapply for positions through the same process as external candidates.

"This is about whether workers are treated fairly under the law or punished for exercising their rights," said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. "Apple is denying union-represented workers the same opportunities it is giving to others -- and doing so because these workers chose to organize. That is discrimination, and it is exactly what federal labor law is designed to prevent."

The union has asked Apple to reverse its decision and give Towson workers the same opportunity to transfer to other retail locations.

The three stores that Apple is closing are located in struggling shopping malls that are slowly shutting down and losing foot traffic.
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Apple's beautiful Passeig de Gràcia store in the heart of Barcelona, Spain has been temporarily closed for renovations since mid-February, but the location is finally set to reopen next month. The store will resume business on May 26, according to Apple's website.


Apple Passeig de Gràcia first opened in 2012, and it is one of the company's flagship retail locations. The store is on one of the most popular avenues in Barcelona, inside a historic former bank building with a stunning stone facade.

Apple has another store in Barcelona at the Westfield La Maquinista shopping mall.

Thanks, Filip Chudzinski!
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After hosting a surprise Alicia Keys concert at its Grand Central store in New York last week, Apple is turning to Asia for more 50th-anniversary celebrations. So far, it has been discovered that there will be events held in China and South Korea.


Apple's retail store at Taikoo Li in Chengdu, China is temporarily closed this Wednesday, March 18, according to the store's page. While nothing has been officially announced by Apple, photos shared on social media suggest that the company is preparing to host a music or dance performance on the plaza in front of the store.

On the same day, Apple is hosting a special Today at Apple session featuring South Korean boy band CORTIS at its Myeongdong store in Seoul, South Korea. The session will be held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time, and it is already full.

Apple says the session is part of its 50th-anniversary celebrations.

Here is a translated description of the session: "Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Thinking Different by experiencing a special talk with CORTIS live at Apple Myeongdong. From behind-the-scenes stories of their debut album to their unique artistic vision that expands the boundaries of K-pop, you can hear about the creative process of using Apple products to record ideas and develop them into music and visuals."




Apple turns 50 on April 1, 2026, and it announced that it would celebrate this milestone by hosting gatherings "around the world" throughout March. Apple will be sharing photos from these events on the Apple Newsroom website.

The gatherings will showcase how Apple products contribute to creativity and inspiration.

"Thinking different has always been at the heart of Apple," said Apple's CEO Tim Cook, in a press release about the company's 50th anniversary last week. "It's what has driven us to create products that empower people to express themselves, to connect, and to create something wonderful. As we celebrate 50 years, we are deeply grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey and who continues to inspire what comes next."

Cook also shared a "50 Years of Thinking Different" letter last week.

"Think Different" was a famous advertising slogan used by Apple in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

(Thanks, Filip Chudzinski!)
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Apple has advised its retail store employees to expect a "major rush" of customers this week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


Apple teased "a big week ahead," with announcements starting Monday.

In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said some employees believe Apple's preparations for new products this week are "on par with what happens before the debut of new iPhones in the fall," suggesting that at least one of the devices set to be unveiled between Monday and Wednesday will have "major mainstream appeal."

The new product likely to receive the most interest is the rumored lower-cost MacBook, which is described as an "incredible value" within Apple, according to the newsletter. Apple believes that a more affordable MacBook will help to "drive a serious number of switchers from Windows machines and Chromebooks," wrote Gurman.

While there have been no concrete rumors about the lower-cost MacBook's starting price, estimates range from $599 to $799 in the United States. In any case, qualifying college students and educators should receive $100 off the regular price.

The lower-cost MacBook is expected to be powered by the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 Pro chip, rather than an M-series chip, and it will reportedly have a smaller 12.9-inch display. Based on A18 Pro specs, this MacBook will likely have 8GB of RAM, and the laptop will likely have regular USB-C ports instead of faster Thunderbolt ports.

Like the iBook from the early 2000s, it has been rumored that this MacBook will come in fun color options, like yellow, green, blue, and/or pink.

Beyond the lower-cost MacBook, most if not all of the other new products coming this week are expected to feature upgraded chips and little else. Possibilities include an iPhone 17e with an A19 chip, an iPad Air with an M4 chip, an iPad 12 with an A18 chip, a MacBook Air with the M5 chip, and MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.


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Apple's impressive Passeig de Gràcia store in the heart of Barcelona, Spain will be temporarily closed for unspecified improvements starting Saturday, February 14 at 8 p.m. local time, according to the store's official page.


The extent of renovations that will be completed remains to be seen, and Apple has not indicated when the store will reopen to the public.

Apple Passeig de Gràcia first opened in 2012, and it is one of the company's flagship retail locations. The store is on one of the most popular avenues in Barcelona, inside a historic former bank building with a stunning stone facade.

Apple has another store in Barcelona at the Westfield La Maquinista shopping mall.

Thanks, Filip Chudzinski!
This article, "Apple's Beautiful Store in Barcelona Will Be Temporarily Closed Soon" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.


There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an iPad.

This change was spotted by Macworld and the French blog Consomac, among others.


On the MacBook Pro ordering page, for example, you start by choosing a 14-inch or 16-inch display and a color. Next, you have the option to upgrade to a nano-texture display. Then, you choose from the list of M-series chips and core counts that are available for the MacBook Pro size that you selected. Finally, you can customize the amount of RAM and SSD storage, choose a power adapter, and choose a keyboard language.


Before, there were some preconfigured models available, and you could proceed to upgrade certain specs after selecting one. Now, it is entirely à la carte.

Unfortunately, the MacBook Pro still cannot be configured with an M5 Pro or M5 Max chip, as the wait continues for new models. Hopefully that changes soon!
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Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products.


Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, and the gift card offer is now live in those countries as expected.

The store is down in the United Kingdom and many other European countries right now, and it will soon go down in the United States and Canada.

Many readers email us about Apple's online store going down ahead of Black Friday, so this is our annual reminder that it does not relate to new products.

In case you missed the earlier announcement, Apple is offering a free gift card with the purchase of an eligible product in select countries, from November 28 through December 1. In the U.S., the gift card values range between $25 and $200.

Black Friday is one of the few occasions per year when Apple directly offers deals on its products, but better deals are often available through resellers like Amazon, so make sure to check out our Black Friday deals coverage for the latest discounts on iPads, Macs, AirPods, Apple Watches, accessories, and more.
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Apple has announced that its store at Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York, will reopen on Friday, November 21 at 10 a.m. local time, following renovations.


Roosevelt Field is the largest shopping mall on Long Island. Apple first opened its store there in 2002, just months after the iPod launched. The renovated store will feature a modern design with more wood paneling, instead of stainless steel.

Apple has yet to share photos of the renovated store, so the exact design remains to be seen.

Apple opened a temporary store at Roosevelt Field while it renovated the original store, which has been closed for around a year.

Apple is also renovating its store at The Forum in Carlsbad, California, and it has opened a temporary store there in the meantime, as seen below.


Apple continues to renovate at least three other U.S. stores:

• Apple South Coast Plaza, in Costa Mesa, California


• Apple The Galleria, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida


• Apple Baybrook, in Friendswood, Texas

Apple's relocated store at University Park Village, in Fort Worth, Texas, opened last month.


Finally, renovations were recently completed at Apple Chatswood Chase, near Sydney, Australia.
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Apple has announced that its retail store at the Chatswood Chase shopping mall in Australia will reopen on Thursday, October 30, at 9:30 a.m. local time.


Apple is expected to release new products this month, and the company's next earnings call is on October 30, so the store could be reopening during a busy launch week.

Apple Chatswood Chase has been closed for renovations since July 2024. When it reopens, it will feature an all-new design and updated amenities, including an Apple Pickup station for customers to collect orders placed through Apple's online store. Apple has yet to share photos of the new store, though, so the exact design remains to be seen.

Chatswood Chase is located in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood, on the North Shore.

Earlier this month, Apple permanently closed its store in Hornsby, which is located further north on Sydney's North Shore. Apple said all affected retail employees would be given the opportunity to work at the Chatswood Chase store.

Elsewhere in Australia, Apple moved its store in Perth into a historic bank building in June.

Thanks, @AbstracTech!
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Apple today announced its store at the Westfield Hornsby shopping mall, in Hornsby, Australia, will be permanently closing next month.


Hornsby is a suburb of Sydney, on the Upper North Shore. Apple opened its store there in 2011, and it will close for good on October 4, at 5 p.m. local time.

In a statement shared with some Australian media outlets a few months ago, Apple said it had decided not to renew its lease at Westfield Hornsby. Apple said all affected retail employees would be given the opportunity to work at Apple's nearby store at the Chatswood Chase shopping mall, in Chatswood, which is set to reopen in October.


Apple Chatswood Chase has been closed for renovations for many months. Apple said the store will be completely redesigned, and it will offer an Apple Pickup station for collecting online orders, and a dedicated area for Today at Apple sessions. With the Chatswood Chase store set to expand, Apple decided to close its Hornsby store.

The company has six other stores in the Sydney area.

Apple has permanently closed a handful of its stores in 2025, but it has also opened many new locations this year, including in Miami, Shenzhen, Osaka, Bengaluru, and elsewhere. Earlier today, Apple announced that its all-new store in Downtown Detroit will be holding its grand opening on Friday, September 19, at 5 p.m. local time.

Elsewhere in Australia, Apple relocated its store in Perth to a historic bank building in June.
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