14 DAY TRIAL // It isn’t clear why Apple is forced to take down its online store for the second time in less than a week, but it is clear that the Cupertino giant is busy cleaning up its virtual shelves in the days leading up to the WWDC 2012 keynote address.
After Tim Cook’s memorable appearance at All Things D (D10) this year, Apple took down its online store not to include anything from its own repertoire, but to start selling the Nest Learning Thermostat developed and designed by their former employee, Tony Fadell. Fadell is regarded by many as the grandfather of the iPod.
We gladly reported on that and the world moved on faster than a Maglev. Now, in less than a week since the downtime following D10, Apple has again dimmed the lights inside its online venue.
“We’ll be back. We’re busy updating the Apple store for you and will be back soon.”
This time around, we have no idea as to what it might bring when it comes back up.
For instance: we know Apple is refreshing its Macs this summer. But they wouldn’t miss the opportunity to introduce these updates at the WWDC opening keynote. After all, this is what generates most of the buzz – the keynote.
Updating the online store with pictures of the new products would simply be stupid, especially with only six days away from the festivities.
So, no. There’s no Mac refresh in the cards for today. But we’re hearing that the Cupertino electronics vendor is updating its accessory lineup as well.
It’s not a confirmed fact, but it is reasonable to assume that 9to5mac’s sources have something (as they did in the past):
“...Apple will use the developer conference to debut some new accessories. These accessories may range from new cases or cables, all the way to refreshed keyboards, mice, trackpads, AirPorts, or something else altogether.”
Best case scenario, if Apple does wind up putting up something new on display today, it’s most likely minor stuff like cables and adapters (which may indicate potential new features on the upcoming range of Macs).
Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time an Apple store outage turned out like a massage without a happy ending.
Update: The Apple store is back online with no items available on the Clearance Items section and some (seemingly) new Apple Gift Cards. If you spot anything else, let us know in the comments.