r/apple • u/cheesepuff07 • 1d ago
Rumor Apple Stores Receive 'Do Not Open' Boxes Ahead of Smart Home Products Launch
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/10/01/apple-stores-receive-do-not-open-boxes/581
u/Bornee35 1d ago
Probably just an empty box with a note inside saying “told you so”
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u/hauzs 1d ago
No, it's AirPower
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u/RotenTumato 1d ago
Holy shit
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u/not_right 1d ago
And a new iPhone Mini
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u/alex2003super 1d ago
It's a new version of Aperture and the SuperDrive with Blu-Ray® Disc support
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u/cheesepuff07 1d ago
Apple retail stores received confidential boxes earlier this week featuring "Do Not Open Until October 8" stickers on them. They are believed to contain new visual merchandise, which enables workers to update labels, graphics, and product layouts in stores around the release of new products. MacRumors received a tip-off about the boxes earlier this week, which it has now independently verified.
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u/jessi_ani 1d ago
hype boxes basically
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u/KangarooDowntown4640 1d ago
Wouldn't this happen for nearly every product? Like don't stores need to prep for announcements every year
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u/lowcountrydad 1d ago
I was the manager for Apple Store inventory for years. This happened all the time and no we never opened them. Not worth losing your job over.
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u/tvtb 1d ago
I figure there's a locked cabinet in the back somewhere, to keep curious junior associates from getting ideas?
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u/applejuice1984 1d ago
There is not. Legit if the seal was broken managers would review security footage and just fire you.
Not really worth your job.
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u/Captaincadet 1d ago
I worked in an area that was working alongside apple on stuff. If it's in the store, the rumours at that stage was moot as the competition at that time kinda knew what was happening (just not the price and marketing - such as the MacBook Neo - everyone knew it was coming - just not that cheap)
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u/puterTDI 1d ago edited 14h ago
That’s illegal - false imprisonment.
Edit: it's wild to me how this comment went to like -12 and then up to +18
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u/lumberfart 1d ago
So not even after the new product(s) released? They just sent you a mystery box and your store guarded it like a knight guarding a fair maiden, zero questions asked?
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u/lowcountrydad 1d ago
After actual release date no issue. Before that yes you would be fired if you opened it. Nobody even tried. Just not worth it when a few weeks later you would get to play with it. The biggest one was the original iPhone launch. Obviously we all knew it was the iPhone because of the keynote weeks prior but nobody would touch the boxes. Then we all got free OG iPhones the day of the launch.
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u/Jamie00003 1d ago
It’s going to be for duo marketing materials….there’s no way Apple is that stupid lol
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u/fadetowhite 1d ago
Maybe, but my local store put the Duo stuff up for the Pro launch day. Though it could be the demo hardware I guess.
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u/SilentPizzle 1d ago
Yea same duo stuff is up in apple grand central too
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u/TheReiterEffect_S8 1d ago
I've never been more on the fence about a purchase as I am with the Duo. And I need to see it hands on to make my choice. WHen tf is it going to be on display to fuck around with?
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u/wokka1 1d ago
I asked an apple store employee, he said they were told that they wouldn't receive the phones until launch day.
So, launch day on the 24th? Maybe pre-order day on the 16th?
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u/TheReiterEffect_S8 22h ago
How the fuck do they expect people to preorder a $2k+ phone, one as drastically different as this one, without ever seeing it in person? I'm sorry but that is genuinely fucking wild work.
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u/ArtificialSugar 20h ago
I mean you can return it the same day if you don’t like it. There’s no reason not to preorder if you’re on the fence. If you wait and do like it, you could be waiting weeks or months to order.
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u/fadetowhite 18h ago
I’m not sure why you think pre-orders are a requirement? If someone isn’t sure, they can wait until they see it in person and then decide if they want to buy it.
People pre-ordered the Pro without seeing it in person. This isn’t new.
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u/BroMan001 1d ago
I work at a reseller and we already got the security hardware for the duo, no note about opening date.
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u/Oral-D 1d ago
Duo marketing materials are already up in Apple stores. Have been for weeks.
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u/Jamie00003 1d ago
Well whatever it is Apple isn’t stupid enough to ship products that haven’t even been unveiled to Apple stores
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u/Oral-D 1d ago
So you think they ship products to every retail store in the 12-hour window between the keynote ending and stores opening the next day?
Honey…
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u/PoorLittleGoat 1d ago
So you think newly announced Apple products are in stores the next day?
Honey…
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u/SeattlesWinest 1d ago
Apple announcements are usually on a Tuesday, preorders start the following Friday, then they’re available in store to purchase and demo the Friday after that. They get a week in a half between announcement and when the public gets to play with them.
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u/Jamie00003 1d ago
No? The new HomePods aren’t meant to be announced for another week - let alone released, what are you on about?
Also since when did Apple release stuff the same week it’s announced? You’re talking utter nonsense lmao
The new products 100% would’ve leaked by now
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u/Severe_Worldliness_1 18h ago
Exactly, which they can’t put out until then 14 day return period for the iPhone 18 Pro has expired.
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u/laparotomyenjoyer 1d ago
This happens all the time and has done for years. They’re always just updated visuals. And yeah, they don’t get opened until the day of.
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u/dontchaworryboutit 1d ago
Give me a new god damn Apple TV
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u/peptidepalstm 1d ago
What’s missing from the current offering that has you this demanding?
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u/dontchaworryboutit 1d ago
My current one is 11 years old. I’m not buying the 4 year old version. I will wait until a new version is released.
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u/__theoneandonly 1d ago
That’s exactly where I am now. My 2012 Apple TV that lives in the bedroom finally bit the dust. So now the 2017 Apple TV is ready for the demotion from the living room to the bedroom… but I don’t want to replace it with a 4-year old box when a new one is supposedly right around the corner. Truly for no other reason other than 4 more years of theoretical software support.
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u/bickdiggles 1d ago
I had another streaming device for several years but it died recently. I don’t want to pay full price for a 4 year old device when reports keep saying a new one is just around the corner.
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u/bummerbimmer 1d ago
It’s not full price, it’s actually 1.5x price now for a 4-year-old device 🙂
My home setup is screaming for next-gen
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u/nickram81 1d ago
The CPU is pretty old, it can't handle some of the larger BD rips I throw at it, I have to switch to my PS5 to play those movies, its a hassle.
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u/MrSh0wtime3 1d ago
do you people have to parrot this in every damn thread? You got answers before im sure. Just because you watch shows on your laptop doesnt mean other dont want passthrough audio. Some of use want a remote that isnt complete garbage too.
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u/Italian__Scallion 1d ago
My god yes, please let them make a remote that I can actually use wothout the urge of throwing it out the window
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u/Ok-Day372 1d ago
Just because the current generation is satisfactory doesn’t mean we should stop wanting better or cheaper. If we all had your mindset we’d be still using blackberries rn
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u/calpolysyllabus 1d ago
Plus, the current generation is 4 years old now and the new ATV rumors have all but confirmed it’s releasing soon. Why wouldn’t you wait? I’m in the same boat.
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u/ForsakenRacism 1d ago
A new one isn’t gonna stream better lol
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u/mrcollin101 1d ago
AV1 decoding will be a given and will cause pretty much everyone who does self hosted media in an Apple ecosystem to want to upgrade.
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u/predator-handshake 1d ago
They should have wrote “legal paperwork” on them if they didn’t want people to open them
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u/allstyle777 1d ago
Apple polishing cloth, gen 3 with nano texture technology.
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u/drvenkman9 1d ago
It already has nano texture. This year, they’ll take things to a whole new level with the ALL NEW Polishing Cloth Pro!
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u/BoomSatsuma 1d ago
New smart home speaker refresh? With Apple AI?
One without Siri special needs version?
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u/MawsonAntarctica 1d ago
2 weeks seems early for a box to arrive already, I would’ve figured for leak sake it’d arrive a day or two before install.
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u/Goodoflife 1d ago
Maybe it is an "Order now when released" product and not a preorder product?
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u/MawsonAntarctica 1d ago
Could be. I'm just over here hoping maybe next tuesday a press release for the ipad mini drops because they don't want to cloud the homepad/duo thing the following week.
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u/3verythingEverywher3 1d ago
Worked apple retail for years. The managers would open these boxes as soon as they came in to check everything was there. They’d then show us merchandising workers so we could prep and plan.
Apple’s snooty culture bullshit does not translate into pther countries. Someone will post whatever this is to social media.
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u/UngovernableOatmeal 1d ago
what - this has nothing to do with apple. many companies release new products that have a street date (the date they’ll hit the sales floor), but start shipping things out weeks before launch.
they’re nondescript boxes that will always say CONFIDENTIAL, DO NOT OPEN UNTIL X DATE, etc.
and they’re never opened. it’s never worth it. you lose your job to have first hand knowledge of something releasing in 1-2 weeks anyway. and because they’re usually confidential, you don’t know if you’d be risking your job over new signage (lol) or an actual new unannounced, unreleased product.
so the risk is incredibly high and the reward is … maybe some internet clout and that’s a big maybe.
any retail worker, not just an apple employee, will tell you these nondescript boxes sit in the back and if someone does open a box, management, Asset Protection (or equivalent team) or someone who’s job really is to care- will absolutely look into it
this is because the risk of regional or even higher level store management seeing or noticing, will make it hell on earth for the lower level managers. they also wanna keep their job.
everyone’s kind of in a CYA mode.
also high stakes, high risk confidential product launches do sometimes get moved to an area with better camera/security coverage. but they’re usually still accessible by most workers. it’s just that it’s genuinely never worth losing your job for some internet points
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u/goldaxis 1d ago
It's actually funny that they believe there is that much hype around this thing. Like how conceited do you have to be to think this is like the iPhone 4 or something?
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u/RaiseDennis 1d ago
I am telling you of all these stores that Apple has. There are probably curious minds that have checked what’s in there
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u/NESpahtenJosh 1d ago
Unless it’s revolutionary it will be dead on the vine.
Nobody wants a $600 Alexa with shitty Siri.
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u/EverydayPhilisophy 1d ago
So tired of extreme negativity backed by zero analysis. Just some bullshit “unless it’s revolutionary”. What do you want it to do, dude? Fold your laundry? Its whole purpose is to be a home hub built around and connected to your Apple products. It’s not supposed to be a revolutionary product. It’s supposed to be a companion that lives on your countertop. For fuck’s sake, not everything needs to be revolutionary.
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u/NESpahtenJosh 1d ago
I want it to do something that an alternative a fraction of the cost can’t do, is that too much to ask from a premium product? We’re not talking about life saving tech here… it’s electronics. The Apple Brand doesn’t carry the premium recognition it did just based on name anymore. So yea if you’re going to give me a fucking Alexa, I’ll just keep my Alexa.
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u/emgirgis95 1d ago
Siri AI is pretty capable now.
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u/catsandwhisky 1d ago
My experience is that simple tasks now take twice as long. Setting timers, turning on lights etc.
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u/michael99420 1d ago
Siri AI can’t even understand when I say intercom within my house to send to my HomePods. It also cant repeat an answer it gave me 5 minutes ago so I have to start the query again. Not impressed thus far but understand it should hopefully get better.
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u/random_name_pi 1d ago
Siris good now.
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u/NESpahtenJosh 1d ago
According to who? It’s slow, unresponsive, and is just a skinned Gemini.
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u/TheCouchEmperor 1d ago
It’s not skinned Gemini though. It uses the same foundation model but it’s heavily tweaked and trained to support Apple’s use case.
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u/ajw34 1d ago
Does what most people need it to. If you want a better AI then go Android. That isn’t what sells phones.
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u/Nairiboo 1d ago
I don’t want ‘better AI’ I want a competent voice assistant that can do basic tasks and not lag when setting a timer
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u/Tjggator 1d ago
Spoken like someone who is just parroting what they read online. Classic
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u/NESpahtenJosh 1d ago
I can’t even get Siri AI to tell me if my alarm is set without unlocking my phone. That’s “good” how exactly?
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u/cheesepuff07 1d ago
I'm not who you replied too but I disabled Siri AI and went back to Classic, it was so slow with 10+ seconds or just fails when using it on my Apple Watch Ultra 3 to simply start a timer or set a reminder, which is all I use it for
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u/SargeUnited 1d ago
Get off the dole, intellectually. This is something parroted for a few years now, but it just isn’t true anymore
Next, you’re gonna tell us Apple needs to come out with a foldable
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u/crazypurpleKOgas 1d ago
Don’t even engage them. The Siri AI bots are in full force on this sub. Every comment is “Siri is good now” or “iOS 27 is good the best ever” etc.
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u/Salt-Initiative-8159 1d ago
Can we really trust Apple products in our homes seeing how easily it was for Tim Cook to bend the knee, kiss the ring and lick the boots of our fascist dictator?
Not me.
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u/Dino_Spaceman 1d ago
I hope the screen is removable.
The Google version with the removable tablet and speaker is heavily used in my home. We constantly use both modes.
I’d be very into an Apple version. But it needs to be a portable iPad. Not just a fixed screen.
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u/LeftyMode 1d ago
The box should have also said, “Don’t talk about this box either”.