Apple Store Goes Offline Ahead of 'Awe Dropping' Event, Fuelling Hopes for iPhone 17 Reveal

Apple's online store went offline on Tuesday morning, displaying a maintenance message and a stylized Apple logo, shortly before the company's highly anticipated launch event in Cupertino that has been billed as "awe dropping." The outage occurred roughly six hours before the event, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (6 p.m. British Summer Time).

Visitors to the Apple Store were greeted with the message "Be right back. We’re making updates to the Apple Store. Check back soon," along with an Apple logo rendered in infrared-like colors similar to the imagery on invitations for the event. The offline storefront also included a link to watch the company's live stream of the presentation.

Apple has not publicly confirmed what it plans to announce at the event. Industry observers and media reports have widely speculated that the company could unveil new hardware, including a next-generation iPhone commonly referred to in coverage as the iPhone 17, but the company remained tight-lipped in the hours before the presentation.

Taking the online store offline shortly before major events has been a recurrent practice for Apple and other technology manufacturers, and industry analysts treat such outages as a preparatory step to publish new products, pricing, and availability information immediately after announcements. In previous product launches, the store has been taken down as part of the company's logistical and inventory updates, then relaunched to show the new lineup.

The "awe dropping" branding for Tuesday's event, combined with the visual cues on the Apple Store page, intensified speculation among customers and commentators who follow Apple's annual fall presentations. The event is being held at Apple Park in Cupertino and will be available to watch on Apple's website and through its usual streaming channels.

Following the keynote, Apple typically updates its online store to list any newly announced devices and to begin preorders or ship dates. Analysts say observers will be watching not only for any hardware introductions but also for details about software updates, services, and pricing, which the company often discloses during and immediately after its presentations.

For now, the Apple Store's maintenance message is the only official change visible on the company's retail site ahead of the event, and consumers and media are awaiting the live presentation for definitive information on product announcements and availability.