Apple Reportedly Plans a More Service-Focused Store Redesign

Apple is reportedly preparing a broad but gradual redesign of its retail stores that puts practical services—technical support, online-order collection, and hands-on instruction—into clearer, permanent parts of the floor plan. The plan has not been formally announced by Apple, and reporting indicates it would be implemented through selected new stores and individual remodels over time rather than as a single worldwide conversion. 134

Dedicated Genius Bars are set to return

The most visible reported change is the return of a clearly identified, all-wood Genius Bar in many stores. The proposed design includes two counter heights to accommodate seated and standing customers, storage drawers, and large product posters behind the service area. 2

Apple never ended Genius Bar support, but many newer stores moved away from a distinct bar in favor of staff assisting customers around the sales floor. Tysons Corner in Virginia offered an early indication of a reversal: when its relocated store opened in 2023, it included a dedicated Genius Bar, described at the time as Apple’s first newly installed physical Genius Bar since 2015. 1213

For customers, the practical implication is simple: repair and technical-help appointments may become easier to locate in stores that adopt the format.

Avenue walls would become pickup and teaching bays

Apple’s newer retail layouts use “Avenues” along the perimeter walls for accessories and services. Under the reported redesign, those areas would gain separate bays of roughly 10 feet for two specific functions. 14

• Online pickup: A wooden bay would serve customers collecting online orders, with secured drawers for stored purchases and an Apple logo above the counter. 4
• Today at Apple: A separate bay would contain a large display, table, stools, and equipment storage for workshops and interactive sessions. 2

That arrangement would replace or reduce the need for a standalone pickup table and the larger seating areas used for Today at Apple in many current stores. 14 Rather than treating these services as flexible activity zones on the main floor, the design gives each one a recognizable home.

Some large video walls may disappear

Reports also say Apple plans to remove or replace some of the floor-to-ceiling video walls associated with its more community-oriented store designs. 6

The result would be a more segmented layout: Genius Bar support, pickup, and teaching would each have defined service points. This does not mean Today at Apple is being eliminated. Instead, workshops would move into more contained side bays, leaving less dependence on a large central gathering space. 24

A shift from the “town square” model

The reported changes mark a contrast with the retail philosophy associated with former Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts. At the opening of Apple’s Union Square flagship, Ahrendts described the store as a place “where everybody’s welcome and there’s always something going on.” 11

The new direction appears more service-led than community-led. Dedicated repair counters can make technical support easier to find; secure pickup bays can separate order collection from product browsing; and purpose-built teaching bays retain programming without requiring a large open forum.

That is an interpretation of the reported layout changes—not a stated Apple rationale. The available reporting supports a redesign focused on identifiable service areas, but it does not establish a single official explanation for every decision. 124

What to expect from the rollout

Customers should not expect every Apple Store to change at once. Reporting describes an evolving program of renovations and new-store designs, with updates made location by location over several years. 34

Tysons Corner is the most concrete example of elements already in place: its 2023 redesign restored a dedicated Genius Bar and reorganized Apple’s retail fixtures around wood-paneled service areas. 1213 If the reported wider rollout proceeds, more Apple Stores may begin to resemble that model—less like an undifferentiated showroom and more like a clearly organized destination for buying, pickup, repairs, and classes.

The plans remain subject to change until Apple confirms them publicly.