Wednesday, April 04, 2012, 01:15 pm

Apple preparing overhaul of its online store

By Neil Hughes

Apple has begun signaling to education shoppers that it plans to relaunch and overhaul its online store in the near future, making it easier to do business.

AppleInsider was alerted on Wednesday to the notice that can be found on the top of Apple online stores geared for kindergarten through 12th grade institutions. There, shoppers are greeted with an alert about "the new Apple Store."

"Apple is launching a new online store, which is your tool to shop and place orders with Apple," the note reads. "Proposal creation, order status, and a dramatically simplified user interface will make it easier to do business with Apple — all in a secure and reliable environment."

For now, it appears that any forthcoming changes will just be related to the company's specialty stores designed for education institutions. However, the change could be a sign that Apple plans to do enact a similar overhaul of its general consumer storefront at some point in the near future.

The note atop the store for K-12 buyers also shares information on "getting ready" for the upcoming transition, stating that it will be "easy."


"Your current Apple ID and password will continue to work," it states. "In the coming weeks, you will receive more information about the store's features, benefits, and launch date."

Rather than a complete overhaul of its online store, Apple has instead made incremental updates over the years, adding functionality and features one piece at a time. For example, last month Apple added a new "Answers from the Community" section to its product pages.