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Apple reportedly plans to reopen 'many' stores in May

The company's retail vice president passed the word to employees in a video update, according to Bloomberg.

tibken-sign-on-apple-store-union-square-on-monday
Apple Stores remain closed due the coronavirus.
Shara Tibken/CNET
For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites.

You might start seeing Apple Stores opening their doors again in May, weeks after the company closed all its retail locations outside China due to the coronavirus pandemic. Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's vice president of retail and people, told retailer workers that she expects many stores to reopen next month, Bloomberg reported.

However, O'Brien apparently noted that the company is monitoring the status of the public health crisis "in every location" and didn't specify any particular stores or regions. Last month, a similar report pointed toward Apple planning to reopen stores in the first half of April, hinting at the fluidity of its plans on the retail front.

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Apple closed stores around the world back in March, as the global COVID-19 crisis escalated, and joined other tech companies in telling employees to work from home. 

It's set to report its earnings for the last quarter on Thursday, so we're likely to get a sense of the impact of the store closures and disruptions to its supply chain then. The situation didn't stop it from launching its new iPhone SE earlier this month, but it will reportedly delay the mass production of its upcoming iPhone 12 lineup.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.