Last week, Apple began offering customers the option of having their online orders shipped to their local retail store for pickup, a service especially valuable for those who have difficulty receiving shipments at their home or office. The "ship to store" option initially rolled out in the company's three San Francisco stores, and quickly expanded to include all sixteen Bay Area stores before the four New York City stores jointed the program earlier this week.
Apple has been said to be taking the service full-scale as of today as part of a series of retail enhancements that will also allow customers to use self-checkout for shelf-stocked items at Apple retail stores using the company's iOS app.
Evidence of Apple making minute-by-minute tweaks to the ship to store program is visible in Apple's online store, where just a short time ago customers had the option of using the service throughout the company's 51 California and four New York City stores.
The new expanded program did not last long, however, as Apple now appears to have completely shut down the ship to store option, with all stores listing online-only items as "unavailable for pickup". Items stocked in-store can still be purchased through the system, with California and New York City stores listing those products as "available now".
Apple is said to be viewing in-store pickup and self-checkout as major changes for the future of its retail stores, expecting that the majority of its customers will utilize in-store pickup as their default delivery method for Apple purchases.
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 8:55 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In 2022, Apple introduced a new Apple Home architecture that is "more reliable and efficient," and the deadline to upgrade and avoid issues is fast approaching.
In an email this week, Apple gave customers a final reminder to upgrade their Home app by February 10, 2026. Apple says users who do not upgrade may experience issues with accessories and automations, or lose access to their smart...
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
Who needs their local store pick-up these days? It's a complete waste of time and in some cases money.
Apple offers free shipping on any order over $50. And the shipping is quick. Only a moron with a ton of free time on his/her hands would want to drive/take local transportation to the local store and then still wait in line.
Some "morons" work and do not trust having little boxes containing stuff that costs hundreds or thousands of dollars being left by their front door all day. Rather than having to work the deal to go pick it up at UPS or Fedex or similar, this gives them the option of picking it up at their local Apple store instead. If the Apple store is closer than the Fedex, etc pickup point, it's not so moronic after all.
Who needs their local store pick-up these days? It's a complete waste of time and in some cases money.
Apple offers free shipping on any order over $50. And the shipping is quick. Only a moron with a ton of free time on his/her hands would want to drive/take local transportation to the local store and then still wait in line.
Just because UPS delivers to your parent's basement, doesn't mean everyone has that same luxury. People have concerns over package drop offs, security, PO boxes only, don't want someone to see their gift, etc.
Plus, someone might want one-on-one help, to ask some additional questions before opening ... we could probably come up with dozens of scenarios where a store delivery would be preferable.
Who needs their local store pick-up these days? It's a complete waste of time and in some cases money.
Apple offers free shipping on any order over $50. And the shipping is quick. Only a moron with a ton of free time on his/her hands would want to drive/take local transportation to the local store and then still wait in line.
Some people like to stand in line. That way other people can see them standing in line at Apple.
