On March 14 Apple decided, in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, to close all of its retail stores outside of China until March 27. The announcement was made by Apple's CEO Tim Cook via Twitter, stating it was "the right thing to do" for customers and employees.
This affected all 458 Apple retail locations across 24 countries outside of Greater China, where stores had already begun reopening after the initial outbreak earlier in the year. Apple's online store remained fully operational throughout the closure.
Impact on Mac and iPhone Repairs
With Apple Stores closed, customers needing hardware repairs had limited options. Apple's mail-in service and authorized independent service providers — repair shops with Apple's official authorization — became the primary alternatives for many customers.
Apple continued offering AppleCare support remotely during the closure, but any repair requiring physical hardware had to go through authorized channels outside of Apple's own stores.
Continuing to Serve Tampa Bay
Landshark IT continued operating throughout this period, providing remote support and safely handling in-shop Mac repairs for Tampa Bay customers. We service all Mac models — MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Mini — with or without AppleCare.
Need Mac support? See our Mac repair services or call 727-755-3493.