Apple Merges Apple.com Website and Online Store

Apple made a significant change to its online presence today, merging its Apple.com website with its once-separate online store, to create one main website. There is no longer a standalone store.apple.com website that is used for making purchases, and the "Store" tab that was once at the top of Apple.com has been removed.

applewebsitenewdesign
Instead, there's a universal shopping bag icon that displays products in the shopping cart, past order information, account details, and favorites. Purchasing an item is now done by clicking the "Buy" button on each individual product page, which links to the same purchasing menus that were present in the online store.

newshoppingbag
Apple's main site includes direct links to Mac, iPad, iPhone, Watch, Music, and Support. Despite the major integration, Apple's main site is largely unchanged, as are the product pages. Locating accessories is somewhat more difficult, however, with the removal of the central store site and the lack of dedicated store sections. Accessing accessories is largely done by visiting the main product sections and clicking on banners like "Accessories for Apple Watch" and "Accessories for iPhone."

Apple's integrated online store streamlines the shopping experience. Instead of viewing information about a product on the main site and then having to click over to the store, everything is now done in the same place.

In a statement given to TechCrunch, an Apple spokesperson said the change was done in an effort to create a simpler site for customers to learn about and shop for products.

"We redesigned Apple.com knowing that our customers want to explore, research and shop in one place," said an Apple spokesperson in a statement. "The new Apple.com takes the very best of our existing site and our online store to give customers one simple destination to learn and buy without navigating between two different sites. We've also improved several of the site's features to make shopping easier than ever for our customers."

The changes to the Apple.com site were made this afternoon and are live in the United States and several additional countries.

Top Rated Comments

ant_s Avatar
100 months ago
Does this mean the whole site goes down now when they launch a new product?
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
davidwells Avatar
100 months ago
Remember when Apple products simply "just worked"? Now it's "What's this do?" & "Where's the thing that was always here?" Is that a clipboard, roll-on or what? It appears style is edging out function both here, iTunes, Music... just about everywhere.

I miss the old Apple. The one that just worked.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
100 months ago
Geez did people spend more than 5 seconds on the website? Or did they just rush here to complain because different automatically equals bad these days. :rolleyes:
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WardC Avatar
100 months ago
This is ridiculous. It doesn't make the shopping experience easier, it makes it so dumbed down that you don't even ever want to buy from Apple online ever again! It's like the "Store" used to have a wealth of things you could check out all very quickly, compare, browse around, shop. You can't do that now.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jax44 Avatar
100 months ago
Everything is there. Some people have to moan about every-single-thing Apple does.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ErikGrim Avatar
100 months ago
This makes a lot of sense. The need for a separate online store was more of a technical decision based on the difficulty of dealing with WebObjects back in the day.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Leak Reveals Unified Volume Button and Mute Button

Monday March 20, 2023 8:33 am PDT by
As previously rumored, the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature a unified volume button and a mute button, according to leaked CAD images shared in a video on the Chinese version of TikTok and posted to Twitter by ShrimpApplePro. Instead of separate buttons for volume up and volume down, the iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have a single elongated button for...
original iphone auction

Factory-Sealed Original iPhone Sells for $55,000 at Auction

Friday March 17, 2023 1:08 pm PDT by
A first-generation iPhone still sealed inside its box sold for $54,904 at auction, which is more than $54,000 over the original $599 price tag of the device when it was released in 2007. The original iPhone was put up for sale by RR Auction on behalf of a former Apple employee who purchased it back when it first came out. Back in February, an original, sealed iPhone sold for over $63,000,...
iPhone 12 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Feature

iPhone 12 Pro vs. 15 Pro: New Features to Expect if You've Waited to Upgrade

Friday March 17, 2023 10:29 am PDT by
While year-over-year iPhone upgrades are not always groundbreaking, new features can begin to stack up over multiple generations. For example, the iPhone 15 Pro will be a notable upgrade for those who still have a three-year-old iPhone 12 Pro. If you are still using an iPhone 12 Pro and are considering upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro when it launches later this year, we have put together a...
top stories 18mar2023

Top Stories: iPhone 15 Pro Pricing, New iOS 16.4 Beta, Siri vs. ChatGPT, and More

Saturday March 18, 2023 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's high-end iPhone models have started at $999 in the U.S. since they first launched back in 2017 with the iPhone X, but could this finally be the year that starting price sees an increase? This week also saw some more rumors about Apple's upcoming headset and the company's explorations in the booming AI industry as well as the release of a new round of beta updates, so read on for all...
iPhone 15 Pro Mock Feature Buttonless

iPhone 15 Pro Max to 'Break Record' for Thinnest Bezels on a Smartphone

Friday March 17, 2023 2:59 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro Max will have the thinnest bezels of any smartphone, beating the record currently held by the Xiaomi 13. That's according to the leaker known as "Ice Universe," who has divulged accurate information about Apple's plans in the past. Both iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have thinner, curved bezels compared to the iPhone 14 Pro, potentially resulting in an Apple...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Launching This Year With These 11 New Features

Monday March 13, 2023 6:47 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 lineup is around six months away, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes are expected for the iPhone 15 Pro models in particular, including a titanium frame and more. Below, we have recapped 11 features rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A17...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple continues to test iOS 16.4, which includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features coming with the software update, including new emoji, push notifications from websites, and more. Apple says iOS 16.4 will be available in the spring, which begins today. In his newsletter this weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should ...