Apple, the Cupertino-based technology giant, is set to reopen three big retail stores after months of renovation in the US.
Apple is preparing to make iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus available for purchase at its stores on Friday. AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have already announced significant increase in the sale of iPhone 7 smartphone on their networks.
The renovated stores are in Park Meadows in Colorado, Ridgedale in Minnsota and Fashion Mall in Indiana.
According to AppleInsider, all three stores will open at 8 a.m. (local time). The new design have wooden shelves, large glass doors and massive video displays.
Apple will often time store openings with device rollouts, looking to maximise sales opportunities while impressing shoppers.
Joining the iPhone 7 launch is water-resistant “Apple Watch Series 2”.
iPhone 7 will cost the same as iPhone 6s, starting at $649 and comes in three variants: 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB (16 GB variant no more). iPhone 7 Plus will start at $769.
The phone will come in rose gold, gold, silver, black, and jet black colours.
Starting at $369, the ‘Apple Watch Series 2’ will be water resistant to 50 metres and the speaker will literally repel the water like a piston. The device will have a dual core processor with GPU that is up to two times faster.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Meanwhile, the US government on Thursday officially recalled the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after dozens of reported cases in which batteries exploded or caught fire.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a recall notice that the move will include about one million units of Note 7 that were sold prior to Thursday.
“Consumers should immediately stop using and power down the recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices purchased before September 15, 2016, ” the notice said.
“Contact the wireless carrier, retail outlet or Samsung.com where you purchased your device to receive free of charge a new Galaxy Note 7 with a different battery, a refund or a new replacement device.”
The notice noted that Samsung has received 92 reports of the batteries overheating in the United States, including 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage, including fires in cars and a garage.
Globally, the South Korean has sold about 2.5 million units of Note 7 since the device was officially released in August.
