Apple’s online store went dark yesterday, displaying a simple “We’ll be right back” banner. The outage came amid speculation that the company is preparing a major shift—either a new Back to School promotion, a price hike, or a fresh lineup of devices. Consumers can’t access any product pages or checkout today.

Back to School usually launches a week after WWDC. With the 2026 keynote on June 8, the sale should have opened the week of June 15—now past. Last year’s U.S. offer bundled free AirPods 4 worth $179 through September, a pattern Apple might replicate if it bundles the upcoming price rise with the promotion for customers to take advantage today.

Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal that rising memory and storage costs force unavoidable price increases. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman links the comments to an imminent hike, suggesting Apple may use the Back to School sale as a buffer. The store’s temporary shutdown signals that new pricing or product pages are imminent for customers to plan their purchases soon.

Apple’s silent maintenance habit—taking the store offline to swap pricing, launch new models, or start campaigns—has happened before. With the 2026 lineup likely launching soon, the outage probably precedes a refreshed website. Shoppers will soon see updated prices, new device configurations, and perhaps a bundled offer that offsets the announced cost increase for customers today.