Apple's Online Store Goes Down Ahead of Today's 'Gather Round' Event

Apple's online store is down ahead of the company's "Gather Round" media event today at Steve Jobs Theater, at its Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California. The keynote begins at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

apple store down 2018 sept
The iconic "we'll be back" message on Apple's website often foreshadows the launch of new products. At today's event, rumors suggest Apple will be introducing a trio of new iPhone models, Apple Watch Series 4 models, and new AirPods, along with detailing availability of its AirPower wireless charging mat.

MacRumors recapped what to expect at Apple's event in detail last week, with headline new products expected to include a 6.5-inch so-called "iPhone Xs Max" and larger-screen Apple Watch Series 4 models with EKG functionality. AirPods are also expected to gain "Hey Siri" support and an optional wireless charging case.

Apple will also likely confirm availability of the final, publicly released versions of iOS 12, tvOS 12, watchOS 5, and macOS Mojave during today's event, or shortly after the event on Apple.com, once it returns online.

Rumors suggest Apple has a number of other products in the pipeline this year, including iPad Pro models with Face ID, a lower-priced MacBook of some kind, refreshed iMac models, and a new pro-focused Mac mini, but it's unclear if any will be announced today, at a potential October event, or via press releases.

As last-minute rumors, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Monday predicted that the next-generation iPad Pro models will feature a USB-C port, while the new lower-priced MacBook will support Touch ID, but without a Touch Bar.

Look for today's event to run for around two hours, although if Apple plans on fitting all of its rumored products into its September keynote, then we could be in store for more of a marathon showing. Apple will provide a live stream of the event on the web and through its Apple Events app for the Apple TV.

MacRumors will be covering the event live from Steve Jobs Theater, with a live blog, hands-on photos, news stories, videos, and live tweets via @MacRumorsLive on Twitter. Mac users can get MacRumors headlines delivered to their desktops instantly by enabling Safari push notifications.

MacRumors readers can follow along in our forums, which are a great place to discuss the announcements before, during, and after the event. Be sure to keep tabs on the iPhone and Apple Watch sections in particular.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

BMcCoy Avatar
96 months ago
Oops!



Xs and Xs max confirmed

Attachment Image
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rodpascoe Avatar
96 months ago
Why can't a trillion dollar company just have the store changeover after the announcement?

Does the 'hype' of having the store go down outweigh all the lost orders today?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OllyW Avatar
96 months ago
Why so early?
It's all about the hype.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
raniel Avatar
96 months ago
mac mini please
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
96 months ago
Why can't a trillion dollar company just have the store changeover after the announcement?

Does the 'hype' of having the store go down outweigh all the lost orders today?
If somebody's going to order an Apple product, I doubt they'll switch ecosystems and get a different product for the sake of waiting a few hours.

And if not, what about the orders that were made for an item that is no longer sold from today? Would they automatically change the order to the equivalent priced item or specced item, and then that's a whole load of work that could otherwise have been avoided...

Yeah sure it's going down mainly for hype, but I can see why they do it too. Keep it simple. Store goes down, store goes up. It's not really comparable to Amazon where almost everything is a third-party product and it doesn't matter if there's a sudden price drop or it's discontinued.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Godzilla71 Avatar
96 months ago
Credit card ready! Wrist ready for my first Apple watch! (series 4)
Possibly an upgrade to my iPhone 7 as well. ;) :D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)