As 2021 ends, we’re seeing a bit of a repeat of 2020, and that means if you need an iPhone fixed at Apple, you may need to book an appointment.
The world has changed abruptly over the past couple of years, but while we were gradually moving towards a returned sense of normality — of going out in public and doing the things we normally did — that appears to be stuck in first gear, at least to end 2021 and kick off the new year.
By now, you’re probably all too aware that masks are back alongside QR codes (if they ever went away at all), and social distancing remains important as another variant takes hold and spreads like wildfire.
Unsurprisingly, that’s having an effect on retail, as people are encourage to stay home, working and shopping from there, and if you need to fix an iPhone or Mac, that may have an effect there, too.
This week, Apple has switched its stores in NSW and Victoria to appointment only, keeping face masks as a requirement across the nation, but no longer accepting walk-in customers. It means if you want to buy something from Apple, you can’t simply just wander in, and if you need to fix something, an appointment with the Genius Bar may be your only way.
At least it’s not quite like what happened in March of 2020, when Apple closed stores across the country, something that doesn’t appear to have happened here.
For now, the requirement of appointments appears to be just for Canberra, Victoria and New South Wales, though with cases rising in other states, it’s entirely possible it could be extended across the nation, as well.
