Ah, the Christmas rush. It’s at the stores. It’s at every party. It’s definitely at the post office. It’s on the roads. Apple pledges to help.
Apple offers free shipping. For all those last minute shoppers (and I know there are many of you), Apple offers free next day delivery for online shoppers. What’s the catch? The online orders have to be made on December 23. And it has to be ordered by 2pm on December 23rd. Plan on visiting your nearest Apple store in the coming days? If you ordered something from any Apple store, in-store pick up orders will be available until two hours before closing on Christmas Eve. Oh, there’s another catch. Free next-day shipping only applies to iPhone models. Everything else, including the iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, iPad, iWatch, and accessories are subject to the two-day shipping standard. This kind of deal you can only get in the USA. But the United Kingdom does have a similar plan. During this busy shopping time, Apple will extend it’s 14-day refund or exchange policy. This goes for any item, whether you bought it online or in an Apple Store, as long as it’s bought between November 1 and December 25, will be available for refunds/exchanges so long as it’s returned by January 8.
I admire Apple’s heart to help out the shopper and enable the Apple addict. But let’s not encourage last minute shoppers anymore than they already are. This deal will cause many people to wait until December 23 to get that Apple gift just so they can take advantage of free shipping. Don’t go there. If you need to buy that Apple gift, go ahead and do it today. Keep in mind they’re only doing this for their smartphones. Also keep in mind anything can go wrong during the shipping process. And whose to say that iPhone is even going to be there by December 23?