Apple’s Website and Online Store are Merged

[Maura]

Big things are happening today with Apple’s web presence, writes MacRumors. It seems that the once separate Apple.com website and Apple online store are now one big combined Apple website.

This means that there is now no store.apple.com website for buying Apple products, and no more “Store” tab at the top of the Apple.com site.

In their place, you’ll now find a shopping bag icon that shows what you have in your shopping cart, as well as your Favorites, Orders, and Account details.

If you want to buy a product that you’ve been browsing on the website, you simply have to click the “Buy” button on the individual page of the product in question. This will take you to the purchasing menus that would be familiar from the old version of the online store.

The main site now includes direct links to Mac, iPad, iPhone, Watch, Music, and Support sections.

And while it all looks pretty streamlined, as MacRumors notes, it’s now even more difficult than before to locate accessories, which can now be found as part of each individual product’s page.

As to why Apple decided to make these changes, here’s a statement provided to TechCrunch by an Apple spokesperson:

"We redesigned Apple.com knowing that our customers want to explore, research and shop in one place. The new Apple.com takes the very best of our existing site and our online store to give customers one simple destination to learn and buy without navigating between two different sites. We've also improved several of the site's features to make shopping easier than ever for our customers."

Source: Apple Merges Apple.com Website and Online Store - Mac Rumors