Apple's chief executive Tim Cook called attention to World AIDS Day via Twitter, noting that the company would be "turning Appe's logo red" in support of achieving an AIDS-free generation.
For its Black Friday deals in the U.S. and Canada, Apple will be handing out Apple Store gift cards instead of discounts on qualifying purchases, which include everything from Macs and iPads to accessories.
Unlike its Australian Black Friday deals, Apple is discounting products instead of handing out gift cards, suggesting the company is tailoring this years sales based on the demands of each geographic location to which it caters.
Apple on Monday began teasing at its website that it will hold a one-day shopping event this week on the annual "Black Friday" shopping holiday, both in its retail stores and online.
Apple retail stores on the east coast opened Tuesday with no stock of the new Retina display-equipped iPad mini following its surprise early morning launch, with staff recommending that customers purchase the tablet online.
Apple Store revenues have not kept up with the parent company's overall growth, as distribution of the iPhone and iPad through third-party resellers has helped push some sales elsewhere.
A large number of Apple Stores from Canada to the Far East will be operating under "special hours" on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18, with most locations closing two to three hours early on Sunday for unspecified reasons.
A website that scraped data from Apple in order to let users know what iPad Air models were in stock near them has been shut down by the company via a Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown notice.
Availability of the new thin and light iPad Air may not be constrained for Friday's launch, as Apple is reportedly planning to offer in-store pickup options at its own retail outlets.
Apple's retail stores will open their doors early next Friday, Nov. 1, to offer customers the chance to be among the first to own the new lightweight iPad Air.
As emerging market currencies fall against the U.S. dollar, Apple appears to have chosen not to raise its prices, possibly signaling Cupertino's intention to use the devaluations to increase market share.
After a brief absence, Apple's retail in-store pickup option for the newly released iPhone 5s has returned to the company's online store.
Apple's existing San Francisco flagship retail store building has landed a deep-pocketed buyer as the company plans to move up the street two blocks to the former Levi's spot directly on Union Square.
Likely indicating still steady demand for the iPhone 5s, Apple has removed pick-up-in-store availability for its high-end smartphone after just one day.
Demand for the iPhone 5s appears to be outstripping supply, as shipping times for the high-end iPhone have slipped to seven to ten business days at Apple's online store, while the gold model appears to be completely out of stock.
Just after midnight local time, Apple opened sales of their new flagship iPhone 5s and 5c to customers in in the Far East and Down Under, and orders were immediately met with delays of a week or more, pushing deliveries into the next month.
Apple is said to be nearing the close of a lease for another Manhattan retail location, this one located in an expansive shopping mall in the World Trade Center.
While it won't be available to preorder, the iPhone 5s will hit Apple's online store at 12:01 Pacific next Friday, Sept. 20, while Apple's retail stores will begin selling the device when they open at 8 a.m. local time.
It appears that Apple is in the process of building a new two-story Apple Store in Shanghai, the fourth for the city, at a recently opened mega-mall that rents space to luxury retailers like Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and De Beers.
Apple is expected to revamp the architectural design of its Apple Store outlets as it opens new locations worldwide, the first example of which was revealed on Monday at the forthcoming "Stanford 2" store in Northern California.
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Daniel Eran Dilger
AppleInsider Staff
Shane Cole
Neil Hughes
Mikey Campbell
Kevin Bostic
