I moved to Des Moines, Iowa on New Year’s Day this year and was so excited that I was going to be in one of the best cities in Iowa, as well as the country, and that I was going to have access to an Apple Store.
I was happy that my apartment is only about 15 minutes away from said Apple Store, but then came the first issue.
It was at this point that I noticed that due to the Express format of the store, only allowing for customers with appointments or online orders to go into the store, that it could be a while before I was able to go in.
So I waited…and waited…and waited so more.
I got my first glimpse of the store for the first time in May 2020, where I purchased my first HomeKit device, the WEMO WiFi Smart Plug, so I could turn my living room lamp on via Siri.
However, I don’t believe that trip counts as much because it still required me to have an appointment and once I got my product, I was quickly told to leave (not in a rude way, just for safety reasons).
Yes, I was able to go in and get the product I wanted, it didn’t have the same experience, in my opinion.
That all changed this past weekend when I was actually able to go into the store and check out some of its new products. This included the new 24-inch iMac.
I was able to try out the new Magic Keyboard that comes with it. Of course, I was not surprised by how great it is and how it is a much better typing experience than what you might get on your standard desktop HP or Dell keyboards.
What made the trip more memorable for me was purchasing the Nanoleaf Essentials light bulb from this Apple Store. It does work with HomeKit and it enables me to change the color of the bulb in the room it is placed in.
I have been using it for the last few days, so expect a review of it soon in the near future.
During the last trip when I purchased the Nanoleaf product, it was disappointing that I did have to wear a mask in the store, but since Apple has recently dropped that requirement for customers, I’ll be quite interested in what my experience will be like when I go to the store without my mask on.
It is a good sign to see that not only are the stores open again like normal, but that customers can go in without a mask. It’s a step in the right direction for Apple, its stores, its customers and for the U.S.
Have you gone to the Apple Store recently since it got back to normal and dropped its Express format? What are your thoughts on the matter? Comment below or let us know on Twitter at @appleosophy.
