Ahead of WWDC 2017 later today, the company Online Stores around the world have gone offline with a message saying “We’ll be back. We’re busy updating the Apple Store for you. Please check back soon”.
During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce updated 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro models, alongside major new versions of its iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS software platforms.
Apple is also rumored to possibly debut a 10.5-inch iPad Pro and smart speaker with Siri, positioned as an Amazon Echo and Google Home competitor, but those announcements could be delayed until later this year.
Though Apple’s been criticized for its seeming inability to update store listings without taking the whole web store down, risking losing potential sales, this is now more of a marketing vehicle designed to drum up excitement ahead of major events than it is a technical issue.