Thieves Tunnel Through Coffee Shop Wall to Steal $500,000 in iPhones From Washington Apple Store

An Apple Store at the Alderwood Mall was burgled last weekend, with thieves infiltrating the location through a nearby coffee shop. According to Seattle's King 5 News, thieves broke into Seattle Coffee Gear, went into the bathroom, and cut a hole in the wall to get to the ‌Apple Store‌ backroom.


The burglars were able to bypass the ‌Apple Store‌'s security system by using the adjacent coffee shop, stealing a total of 436 iPhones that were worth around $500,000.

According to Seattle Coffee Gear manager Eric Marks, the coffee shop is not noticeably adjacent to the ‌Apple Store‌ because of the way that the store is laid out. "I would have never suspected we were adjacent to the ‌Apple Store‌, how it wraps around I mean," Marks told King 5 News. "So, someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout."


Police were able to obtain surveillance footage of the theft, but as it is part of an active investigation, it has not yet been released. Nothing was stolen from the coffee shop, but it will cost $1,500 to replace locks and repair the bathroom wall.

No employees were at the ‌Apple Store‌ when the theft happened as the Alderwood Mall had closed for the night. An Alderwood spokesperson said they were working with the police to solve the incident, but Apple has not yet commented.
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Apple Permanently Closes North Carolina Store After Multiple Shooting Incidents

Apple is closing its Northlake Mall location in Charlotte, North Carolina, after multiple shootings in the area, according to a report from Bloomberg. Employees were informed that the location would be shutting down immediately, even though it was open on Wednesday morning.


Apple's website for Northlake Mall store now says that the store will be permanently closing on Wednesday, March 1 at 4:00 p.m, with a new location in the Charlotte area planned for next year. In the meantime, Charlotte customers can visit the Apple SouthPark location.

Bloomberg says that three recent shootings in the mall "contributed" to Apple's decision to close immediately, and the move is unusual. As of Tuesday, employees were not aware the store would be closing, nor did the website mention the upcoming closure.

The relocation of the Charlotte store was already in the works and had been planned before the shutdown. Employees are being transferred to the SouthPark store or will work for the online store.
This article, "Apple Permanently Closes North Carolina Store After Multiple Shooting Incidents" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Store App Updated With Improvements for Saved Items and Enhanced Store Information

Apple today updated its Apple Store app for iOS and iPadOS with several improvements, led by changes to saved item lists.


Apple says the update now lets you share your lists of saved items with friend and family, making it easier to share gift ideas or collaborate on shopping lists using a share sheet icon on saved list pages. Along with that, your saved items can now be accessed from more places in the app.

For those looking to visit an Apple retail store, the update also enhances the information displayed on store pages, offering more detail about each store and its surroundings.

The ‌Apple Store‌ app is a free download from the App Store.
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Apple's Final Store With Original 2001 Entrance Closing for Renovations Tomorrow

Apple Tice's Corner in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey will be temporarily closed for renovations starting Tuesday, January 31, according to Michael Steeber, who writes a weekly newsletter about Apple's retail stores. A reopening date has yet to be announced.


The closure is notable given that Apple Tice's Corner is the company's only remaining retail store with an original 2001 storefront design, which consists of a black facade with two backlit Apple logos bookending the entrance. Steeber said the scope of the upcoming renovations is unclear, so it remains to be seen if the facade will be updated.

Apple Tice's Corner originally opened in November 2001, just months after Apple's first retail stores opened in Tysons, Virginia and Glendale, California. The latter two stores have already had their facades updated during past renovations.

Apple operates over 520 retail stores around the world and is preparing to open its first locations in India and Malaysia over the coming months.
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New MacBook Pro and Mac Mini Launch Today, Apple Store Pickup Now Available

Starting today, the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini are available for pickup at Apple Stores in the U.S. and select other countries, with no pre-order required. Online orders will also begin arriving to customers today.


To order a product with Apple Store pickup, add the product to your bag on Apple.com or in the Apple Store app, proceed to checkout, select the "I'll pick it up" option, enter your ZIP or postal code, choose an available Apple Store location, select a pickup date, and select a 15-minute check-in window. Payment is completed online, and a valid government-issued photo ID and the order number may be required upon pickup.

Pickup dates for many standard configurations are showing as January 26 as of writing, with custom configurations not available until at least February 10. Some standard configurations may also be available for walk-in purchase today, but availability will vary.

Powered by Apple's latest M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, the new MacBook Pros offer up to 20% faster CPU performance and up to 30% faster graphics compared to the previous-generation models. The laptops can be configured with up to 96GB of RAM, compared to a max of 64GB previously. Other improvements include Wi-Fi 6E, an upgraded HDMI 2.1 port with support for up to an 8K external display, and an extra hour of battery life.

The new Mac mini is available with M2 and M2 Pro chip options. The desktop computer has no major design changes, but M2 Pro configurations are equipped with four Thunderbolt 4 ports and an HDMI 2.1 port, compared to two Thunderbolt 4 ports and HDMI 2.0 on the M2 model. Other upgraded specs include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

The new MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and at $2,499 for the 16-inch model, while the new Mac mini starts at $599.
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