Apple To Reopen Stores In The U.S. Next Week
In an announcement last Friday, Apple said that will start reopening some stores in the United States. The company decided to open “some” stores in four states: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, and South Carolina. Apple stock rose 1.76% on the day of the announcement.
“Our team is constantly monitoring local health data and government guidance, and as soon as we can safely open our stores, we will,” Apple said in a statement.
In these states, Apple is going to follow health procedures similar to what they have done in countries they already reopened its stores such as Australia and South Korea.
“With many working and learning from home, our primary focus will be providing service and support,” Apple said. “We recommend, where possible, customers buy online for contactless delivery or in-store pick-up.”
France Accuses Apple of Refusing Help
France is accusing Apple to make its iPhones more compatible with StopCovid, an app that plans to help against the pandemic.
The app would use Bluetooth to interact with people nearby and help detect if the user got closer to someone carrying the new coronavirus. By standard, Apple’s iPhones block access to Bluetooth if the user is not actively using the app.
“Apple could have helped us make the application work even better on the iPhone. They have not wished to do so,” France’s minister for digital technology, Cedric O, told BFM Business TV.
“I regret this, given that we are in a period where everyone is mobilized to fight against the epidemic, and given that a large company that is doing so well economically is not helping out a government in this crisis.”
“We will remember that when time comes,” the minister added.
A spokesman for Apple in France declined to comment.
Apple to hold annual developers event online from June 22
Apple announced last Tuesday that its annual developers’ conference will start on June 22. Attendees will be able to stream the event on Apple’s website or by the developer app for free.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Apple decided not to make the conference the way the company uses to do. The tech giant usually held the conference in San Jose, California, bringing more than 5,000 attendees to the event.
Apple is not the only technology company to cancel its event. Companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft also took the same way due to the pandemic.
