Apple Stores Said to Lose Video Walls, Regain Dedicated Genius Bars

Apple is working on a sweeping retail overhaul that would bring back dedicated Genius Bars to its stores, carve out new spaces for order pickup and Today at Apple classes, and do away with oversized video walls, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In this week's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple intends to speed up store renovations over the coming years. Apple plans to rework the "Avenue," its term for the side sections of a store where accessories and services are displayed, reinstate standalone Genius Bars, and remove the large video screens installed in many locations. Pickup and Today at Apple, which typically share a counter and a seating area today, will each get their own compact section along the Avenue, described internally as a "bay" and measuring about 10 feet across. For pickup, Gurman described plans for an all-wood bay with a faint Apple logo worked into the upper section, with lockable drawers underneath for holding customer orders, fronted by a counter where staff can hand items over. The Today at Apple bay will feature a similar look, topped by a display similar to a large television, with drawers below for stashing iPads, laptops, and other class equipment, plus a fixed instructor table and stools nearby. The video walls being phased out trace back to the retail vision pursued under former retail chief Angela Ahrendts, who treated Apple stores as public gathering places rather than purely transactional spaces. Gurman frames the current shift as a move away from that toward stores built primarily around service, fulfillment, and everyday shopping needs. Where those screens come down, most stores will gain a wood finished Genius Bar built to echo the design Apple used before it introduced the open plan "Genius Grove." It includes counters set at two different heights for accessibility, backed by a wall of storage drawers and large product imagery. Gurman added that both the new bars and the Avenue bays are meant to look as though they always belonged in the store, rather than as visible retrofits, and that many renovated locations will also see their break rooms and other back-of-house areas refurbished. Elements of the redesign are already live in a small number of stores around the world. Gurman expects the fuller version of the proposed store overhaul to reach most newly opened and renovated stores gradually, with the international rollout continuing over several years. Separately, Gurman reports that Apple has tightened expectations for staff during pre-opening meetings, with employees to be more firmly required to stay on their feet, put away phones and drinks, and remain attentive. Once doors open to customers, timed for five minutes ahead of the posted hour, every staff member on site is expected to applaud as the first shoppers walk in. Popular StoriesNew Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 Features RevealedBloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9. While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models. ...All New iPhone 18 Pro and 'iPhone Duo' Colors LeakedWednesday September 9, 2026 8:47 am PDT by Joe RossignolAhead of Apple's annual iPhone event at 10 a.m. Pacific Time today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has leaked all of the color options for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first-ever foldable iPhone named the iPhone Duo. iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max color options:Black Light Blue Burgundy Silver Burgundy has also been described as Dark Red or Dark Cherry. iPhone Duo...Foldable iPhone Duo Will Start at $2,000, Won't Launch Until at Least OctoberTuesday September 8, 2026 9:45 pm PDT by Eric SlivkaFollowing some recent speculation that Apple could release its foldable phone under the "iPhone Duo" name, it appears that will indeed be the case, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. For months now, the foldable iPhone has generally been referred to as the "iPhone Ultra," even internally, but Apple is apparently going in a different direction for the official name, emphasizing the...