Apple Stores Now Offering 'Shop With a Specialist' Appointments - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Stores Now Offering 'Shop With a Specialist' Appointments

Apple retail stores are now accepting appointments from customers who want to book a time at a local store to make a purchase with the one-on-one help of an Apple specialist, similar to Genius Bar reservations.

appleshopwithspecialist
The continued spread of the coronavirus in the United States and other countries has led Apple to implement safety measures that include limiting the number of people in a store, and as 9to5Mac points out, that can lead to long lines as customers wait to enter. With the new appointment system, those who plan ahead can skirt the lines with a reservation at a specific time.

Specialist appointments can be booked through the Apple Store app by searching for a local ‌Apple Store‌ and then selecting the "Shop with a Specialist" option on the store page. From there, customers can choose which product they're interested in and pick a time to visit the ‌Apple Store‌.

Appointments are available in 15 to 30 minute increments throughout the day depending on store location, with customers able to book up to three days ahead of their visit.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 yellow

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4

Wednesday March 18, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, which means we're going to see a public launch as soon as next week. The RC versions of the software include Apple's official release notes, giving us final details on what's included in the update. Apple Music - Playlist Playground (beta) generates a playlist from your...
Apple Logo Sketch Feature

Apple Has Now Unveiled Eight New Products This Month

Tuesday March 17, 2026 9:25 am PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping eight new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, and now the AirPods Max 2 this week. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gains Apple's...

Top Rated Comments

boswald Avatar
74 months ago
This is actually kind of cool!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
74 months ago

I hope it’s not the same kind of specialist I had to deal with who wanted to sell me the wrong case for my iPad Pro (10.5) trying to convince me that what I am having is an iPad Air and not an iPad Pro lol
Hey genius, the case for the new air fits the 10.5” pro. The new air and the 10.5 pros are the exact same size. See the compatibility list on this product page. Maybe listen to the specialist next time. Lol

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MXTF2ZM/A/smart-cover-for-ipad-7th-generation-and-ipad-air-3rd-generation-surf-blue?fnode=aac3eb8ca0063d49186a925790e6690c1e45d38e829aab8c7c2af84548a815549d6c75f3ff543ab3f4d37c87e042db8e9e5c8b513d8095a865b5a9414796dfde9cc27cf61080e9416fa922abfd8b462e0b4ff2a8009f98298a998f8de969156c62916333be6883f3bf157234573600a4&fs=f%3Dipadair2019%26fh%3D4598%252B4b33
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
74 months ago

Sound like a great upselling opportunity for Apple.

I wish I was joking, but you know that’s what’s going to end up happening.
I know when I worked at the Apple Store upselling was strongly discouraged. Someone would come in asking for a Mac Pro to read their email and browse the web they'd be directed to a more appropriate machine.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
74 months ago
I read the headline too quickly as “shop with a socialist” and thought “That’s an interesting marketing strategy...”
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
74 months ago
I hope it’s not the same kind of specialist I had to deal with who wanted to sell me the wrong case for my iPad Pro (10.5) trying to convince me that what I am having is an iPad Air and not an iPad Pro lol
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
74 months ago
Nice work! This seems a logical way to keep some stores open for motivated buyers while protecting both consumers and staff.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)