Last week, Apple began offering free 2-3 shipping on all products ordered from their online store. Today, it just got upgraded to free next day delivery for Apple’s in-stock merchandise to accommodate many people doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. Items purchased online by Thursday, December 22nd that are not engraved will be delivered by December 24th. There are a few exceptions to the offer, however…

Apple ran a deal last month that those with a minimum purchase order will qualify for free standard shipping when placed through the U.S. online Apple store. The company has now extended that special, but now with faster 2-3 business day free shipping. With this new shipping promotion from Apple, it will provide a faster delivery service and piece of mind to those wanting to complete their shopping before Christmas day.

Apple has announced that from today throughout the Christmas season it will offer free shipping on all products ordered from their online store. Until December 22nd, all purchases will have the opportunity to get free shipping, allowing the consumers to save a few dollars on low cost purchases that are below the normal requirement of $50 dollars or more.

Apple has just pushed an update for its very own Apple Store app, adding three new features that will make it easier to purchase Apple products: Personal Pickup, EasyPay and Tracking. Additionally, the app also now supports the Canadian and Chinese Apple Online stores. The app’s minimum OS requirements was modified as well, allowing iOS 4.2 users to use the app.

As Apple continues to expand its offerings internationally, four countries have just been added to Apple’s online store, bringing the number of supported countries up to 37. Consumers in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates are now able to make purchases from Apple’s online store, buy extended Apple Care plans, and receive online sales support.

For those who are unable to afford a brand new iPad 2 from Apple and don’t wish to buy one used through other sources, there is now another alternative; Apple has started selling refurbished iPad 2s in its online store today. Unfortunately, the discounts for refurbished models aren’t as great as one would hope, but at least it’s a start.

Apple’s iPad 2 media event is set to kick off in a few hours, and—as expected—the online Apple Store has closed down in anticipation. It’s pretty much a forgone conclusion that iPad 2 preorders, at least, will be accepted once Apple ends the media event, but will anything else be available? How about Mac OS X v10.7: Lion?

Apple has launched a new online store to allow Apple resellers to quickly and easily make orders online through Apple’s website. The new system provides those who resell Apple products (such as those in education and corporations) the ability to create proposals for orders that can be approved by Apple in a much quicker process.

Once again, the end of the Summer break is looming and the education system will soon be back in full swing. It doesn’t have to be all bad, though, because Apple is once again offering some great deals for students (and even teachers) in their Back to School campaign. This year, if you purchase both a qualifying Mac and iPod touch before September 7th, you could receive an online rebate up to $199. You can also get…

Apple’s online retail store came back up at about 8:45 a.m. EDT this morning after the traditional downtime before a new product release. The site is painfully slow right now, so don’t be surprised if your session times out while waiting to get to the next screen in the ordering process. Phone sales are equally busy…I had to dial about 15 times before I got through, and have now been on hold for five and counting.