Apple says its reopening all its branded stores in China

Apple had closed its branded stores in early February, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

People wearing protective masks wait for checking their temperature in an Apple Store, in Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, February 21, 2020.
Reuters

People wearing protective masks wait for checking their temperature in an Apple Store, in Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, February 21, 2020.

Apple Inc is reopening all 42 of its branded stores in China on Friday, a company spokesman said, more than a month after they were shut in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The iPhone maker's Chinese website listed the opening time for all stores, which varies from 10:00 am to 11:00 am local time. The website had previously carried an advisory saying not all stores were open.

Apple had announced the shuttering of its branded stores in early February.

China placed curbs on travel and asked residents to avoid public places in late January, just ahead of the Lunar New Year festival, a major gift-giving holiday. 

Those restrictions stayed largely in place through most of February.

The company sold fewer than half a million iPhones in China in February, government data showed on Monday, as the outbreak halved demand for smartphones. 

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