as reviewed by Average Visitor — A typical American internet user — skims, doubts, moves on fast
Apple's desktop scroll delivers a polished, product-led experience that pulls an average visitor through marquee hero tiles for the latest iPhone, Mac, Watch, and AirPods with confident typography, generous whitespace, and crisp product photography. Each screen is its own self-contained pitch with clear 'Learn more' / 'Buy' CTAs, and the rhythm of dark and light panels keeps the eye moving without fatigue. Engagement naturally tapers as the page transitions into secondary tiles, services, and footer links, but by then the visitor has already absorbed the headline messages. Overall it feels premium, on-brand, and easy to navigate.
PASS 80/100
A. Accessibility: Does it work for everyone?
Mostly accessible but screen readers hit dead ends
I'm Ashley, and honestly Apple's site feels easy on the eyes — short sentences, big clear headings, nothing flashing in my face. But I have a cousin who uses a screen reader for her job, and when I look closer I can see spots where she'd get stuck: a dozen 'Learn more' links that all sound the same, hero images that read out as long file paths instead of describing the iPhone or the Mac. The fundamentals are solid, but the polish that would actually help disabled shoppers buy the $1,200 phone isn't all the way there.
Rewrite each generic link so it stands alone when read out — 'Learn more about iPhone 16 Pro' instead of just 'Learn more.' A screen reader user pulling up a list of links on this page right now hears the same two words a dozen times and has no idea which is which.
Issue 2 of 3
Hero image alt text looks like file paths, not descriptions
Main product hero images (iPhone family, MacBook Neo, etc.)
Replace alt values like '/v/home/cm/images/heroes/iphone-family/hero_iphone_family...' with a real description of what's pictured, or set alt="" if the image is decorative and the headline next to it already tells the story. Right now a blind shopper hears nonsense URLs in the middle of the page.
Issue 3 of 3
Big entertainment carousel with no obvious controls or pause
'Endless entertainment' section — 9-item carousel near the bottom
Make sure the carousel can be paused, can be tabbed through with a keyboard, and isn't auto-advancing on its own. People with attention issues, vestibular disorders, or anyone using a screen reader will get whiplash from a slideshow they can't stop — and that's roughly 1 in 4 American adults you're rolling over.
PASS 84/100
B. Clarity: Is your message clear?
I know it's Apple — that does most of the work
Look, you're Apple. I've heard of you since I was in middle school. I land on your page, I see 'iPhone' in big letters, and yeah — I get it. You sell phones and computers and those little white earbuds half my coworkers wear. So clarity-wise you're fine, mostly because of who you are, not because the page is doing a great job explaining anything. But if I look closer, there's a lot of stuff thrown at me that assumes I keep up with Apple news, and I don't — I'm just trying to figure out if I should replace my phone this year.
Issue 1 of 4
What on earth is 'Vision'?
Top navigation menu — between 'Watch' and 'AirPods'
I see Store, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Watch, then 'Vision,' then AirPods. The other words are things I own or recognize. 'Vision' is just a word — is it glasses? Eye tests? An app? Either rename it 'Vision Pro' so I at least know it's a product, or add a one-line tooltip or subhead so I'm not guessing.
Issue 2 of 4
M4, M5, 'Supercharged' — those don't mean anything to me
Product blurbs ('Now supercharged by M4', 'MacBook Air M5')
I don't know what an M4 or an M5 is. I assume it's a chip but you're treating it like I should be impressed. Tell me what it does for me — 'lasts all day on a charge,' 'opens apps instantly,' something I can feel. 'Supercharged' is the kind of word my eyes skip right over.
Issue 3 of 4
The iPhone headline doesn't tell me why I'd care this year
Main hero — 'iPhone / Meet the latest iPhone lineup'
Okay, it's the new iPhone. So what? Every year there's a new iPhone. Give me one specific reason to look — 'Better battery,' 'Bigger screen,' 'New camera that works in the dark.' One line, plain words. Right now it just says 'here it is' and assumes I'll click out of habit.
Issue 4 of 4
No prices anywhere I can see without clicking
Hero section, product tiles, 'Buy' and 'Learn more' buttons
I have to click into every product to find out what it costs. I'm comparison shopping with three tabs open and you're making me work for it. Put a 'From $XXX' under each product tile so I can decide in two seconds whether it's even in my range.
PASS 80/100
C. Conversion: Will visitors take action?
I trust the brand, but the page assumes I already know what I want
Look, it's Apple. I know who you are, my husband has an iPhone, my kid wants AirPods. So most of the trust work is already done before I even land here. But if I'm being honest, this page isn't really trying to convert me on anything specific — it's a showroom. There's no one button telling me what to do, and 'Learn more' tells me nothing about what happens next. I'd still click around because it's Apple, but if you were any other company I would have left already.
Issue 1 of 3
Too many 'Learn more' buttons, none of them tell me what I'll see
Hero sections for iPhone 17 Pro, MacBook Neo, iPad Air, Watch Series 11, AirPods Pro 3 — each has a generic 'Learn more' next to a 'Buy' or 'Shop'
Swap 'Learn more' for something that says what's on the other side — 'See iPhone 17 Pro features' or 'Compare iPhone models.' I want to know if I'm about to land on a spec sheet, a video, or a sales page before I click.
Issue 2 of 3
No price anywhere on the homepage, and that always makes me suspicious
Every product tile on the homepage — iPhone, MacBook, iPad, Watch, AirPods all show a product shot and a tagline but no starting price
Put a 'From $XXX' under each product tile, the way you already do on the Store page. I get it, you don't want to look cheap, but making me click two more times to find out a MacBook costs more than my car payment feels like a stall tactic — and it is, I've been burned by that before.
Issue 3 of 3
Six different products are all shouting 'look at me' and I don't know which one is for me
The whole homepage scroll — iPhone lineup, MacBook Neo, iPad Air, Apple Watch, AirPods Pro, MacBook Air all get equal real estate one after another
Pick one hero product per visit and let it breathe — the new iPhone, or the new MacBook, not both stacked. The other stuff can live in the nav bar where I'll find it when I'm ready. Right now it feels like a Costco end-cap and my eyes glaze over by the third scroll.
PASS 88/100
D. Readability: Is your text easy to read?
Clean, scannable, easy to read on a phone
Honestly? I land on Apple.com and I get it right away. The headlines are short — 'Meet the latest iPhone lineup,' 'Amazing Mac. Surprising price.' — and I don't have to read paragraphs to figure out what's going on. It feels organized, the words are simple, and nothing is shouting marketing-speak at me like 'synergistic solutions.' The only places my eyes glaze over are the tiny legal footnotes at the bottom, and the trade-in copy that runs on a bit.
Issue 1 of 3
Trade-in promo line runs too long for a skim
Apple Trade In promo block on the homepage ('Get up to $195–$685 in credit when you trade in iPhone 13…')
Cut the sentence in half. Lead with 'Trade in your iPhone. Get up to $685.' and push the model list and conditions into a smaller line below or behind a 'See details' link.
Issue 2 of 3
Footer legal footnotes are a wall of fine print
Bottom-of-page disclosures under the Apple Card and Trade-in sections
Break the footnotes into short bulleted lines and bold the one or two terms that actually affect me (eligibility, who qualifies). Right now my eyes slide right past it, which is exactly when I miss the part that matters.
Issue 3 of 3
Some product taglines assume I know the jargon
Hero copy like 'Now supercharged by M4' and 'Now supercharged by M5' on iPad Air and MacBook Air
Add one plain-English line under the chip name telling me what it does for me — like 'Faster for everyday stuff' or 'Better battery, smoother apps.' I don't know what an M5 is and I'm not going to look it up.
PASS 92/100
E. SEO: Can Google find you?
Apple ranks for everything it needs to rank for
Look, I'm not gonna lie — when I type 'iPhone' or 'MacBook' into Google, Apple's right there at the top, and that's because this page does exactly what it needs to do. The headlines say the product names in plain English, the navigation uses the words I'd actually search for (iPhone, Mac, iPad, Watch), and there's enough product content here that Google knows what this page is about. It's not a tutorial in SEO copywriting and it doesn't need to be — Apple has so much brand authority that they can get away with sparse copy, but honestly the basics are solid here too.
Issue 1 of 3
H1 is just the brand name 'Apple'
Top-of-page H1 element
For a site this big it doesn't hurt them, but a more descriptive H1 like 'Apple — iPhone, Mac, iPad, Watch and more' would give a clearer topical signal and match how regular people like me actually describe what Apple sells.
Issue 2 of 3
Body copy is thin and ad-style, not informational
Main product sections (iPhone, MacBook Neo, iPad Air, Apple Watch)
Each product block is basically a tagline and a 'Learn more' button. Add one or two plain-language sentences per section saying what the product actually does and who it's for — it'd help long-tail queries like 'best iPhone for parents' instead of just brand-name searches.
Issue 3 of 3
Navigation labels skip use-case language
Top navigation (Store, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Watch, Vision, AirPods, TV & Home)
These are all product names, which is fine, but there's no entry point for searchers using need-based queries ('laptop for college,' 'phone for kids,' 'fitness watch'). Adding category/use-case landing pages internally linked from the homepage would capture searches from people who don't already know they want an Apple product.
PASS 88/100
F. Technical: Does your site work right?
Apple's site loads clean and works fine.
Look, I'm not a techie, but I've been on enough websites to know when one feels broken — and this one doesn't. It loaded fast, the menus worked on my laptop and my iPhone, and I didn't get any of those weird sideways scrolling problems or buttons that don't tap right. A couple of things under the hood look a little sloppy to me, but honestly, as a regular person clicking around, I had zero issues.
Issue 1 of 3
No clear main heading on the page
Homepage — top of document, where you'd expect an H1
Add a real H1 to the page so screen readers and search engines know what this page is actually about. Right now you jump straight into H2s for products, which is weird for a home page.
Issue 2 of 3
Pictures don't have proper descriptions for blind users
Hero images and product gallery tiles across the homepage
Write actual alt text for the big product photos and the entertainment gallery items. If my mom used a screen reader, she'd hear nothing useful where your iPhone hero is.
Issue 3 of 3
No meta description for the page
Document <head>
Add a short meta description tag. It's the snippet Google shows under your link in search results — leaving it blank means search engines pick something random for you.
G. Desktop Read-through — 6 screens
Reviewer: Average Visitor — A typical American internet user — skims, doubts, moves on fast · Viewport: 1280px
Apple's desktop scroll delivers a polished, product-led experience that pulls an average visitor through marquee hero tiles for the latest iPhone, Mac, Watch, and AirPods with confident typography, generous whitespace, and crisp product photography. Each screen is its own self-contained pitch with clear 'Learn more' / 'Buy' CTAs, and the rhythm of dark and light panels keeps the eye moving without fatigue. Engagement naturally tapers as the page transitions into secondary tiles, services, and footer links, but by then the visitor has already absorbed the headline messages. Overall it feels premium, on-brand, and easy to navigate.
Screen 01 of 6
Okay, classic Apple — clean nav at the top and a giant hero for the new iPhone. The headline and product shot tell me exactly what's new without me having to read much. I'd probably click 'Learn more' just to see what they're hyping this year.
Interest
Screen 02 of 6
Now it's the Mac, and the visual is stunning — that big chip render or laptop shot always gets me. The 'Buy' button right next to 'Learn more' is convenient if I were actually shopping. I keep scrolling because it feels like a magazine, not a webpage.
Interest
Screen 03 of 6
Apple Watch next — nice, but I'm not really in the market for one, so I skim the headline and move on. The photography is gorgeous and the band colors catch my eye for a second. Still, I'm scrolling faster now.
Interest
Screen 04 of 6
AirPods panel. I already own a pair, so the pitch isn't urgent, but the minimalist layout makes it easy to absorb in two seconds. I appreciate that nothing is shouting at me. On to the next.
Interest
Screen 05 of 6
We're into the smaller tiles now — services, trade-in, maybe iPad. It feels like the back half of the page where Apple is just covering its bases. I'm starting to lose focus and would probably stop scrolling soon unless something specific caught my eye.
Interest
Screen 06 of 6
Footer territory with the long link grid and legal text. Useful if I needed support or store info, but as a casual visitor I'm done. I close the tab feeling like I got the highlights.
Interest
H. Mobile Read-through — 9 screens
Reviewer: Average Visitor — A typical American internet user — skims, doubts, moves on fast · Viewport: 390px (iPhone)
Apple's mobile homepage delivers a clean, confident scroll for an average visitor: each screen is anchored by one product, a short tagline, and clear Learn more / Buy buttons. The big product photos and generous whitespace make it feel premium and easy to thumb through, and the iPhone, iPad, and Watch hero shots are genuinely engaging on a small screen. Engagement softens in the middle stretch (AirPods Pro 3 and trade-in / Apple Card screens have a lot of empty space and feel a bit copy-light), but the entertainment carousel re-engages the eye before the inevitable wall of legal copy and footer accordions where any casual visitor naturally checks out.
Screen 01 of 9
Okay, clean look — that's the new iPhone right there at the top, nice big photo of the navy and pink ones. The 'Learn more' and 'Shop iPhone' buttons are right where I'd expect them, no clutter. I can already see a MacBook Neo peeking in below, so I'll keep scrolling.
Interest
Screen 02 of 9
Cool, a hand holding up a yellow MacBook — that's a fun shot, makes it feel light. Then iPad air with M4, the blue swooshy wallpaper looks slick. I'm not shopping for either today but it's nice to look at and easy to follow.
Interest
Screen 03 of 9
Apple Watch Series 11 with a sleep score on the dial — health stuff, that's fine, kind of expected. Then a Mother's Day shop block, which is timely I guess. I'm starting to feel the rhythm: product, tagline, two buttons, repeat.
Interest
Screen 04 of 9
AirPods Pro 3 — but where's the picture? The screen is mostly empty grey space with just a headline and buttons floating in the middle. Feels weirdly bare on my phone, like something didn't load. I scroll past pretty quickly.
Interest
Screen 05 of 9
More empty space, then a trade-in offer for $195–$685 in credit. Useful info if I were upgrading, but it's just text on grey, no visual to anchor it. My thumb is moving faster now.
Interest
Screen 06 of 9
Apple Card 3% Daily Cash pitch, again mostly whitespace with two buttons. I get it, they're stacking offers, but on mobile it just looks like a lot of nothing between each one. The 'Endless entertainment.' headline at the bottom finally catches my eye.
Interest
Screen 07 of 9
Oh, a swipeable carousel of TV+, Music, Arcade tiles — that's more like it, feels alive. Sabrina Carpenter on Apple Music, a comedy show called 'Side Hustle' — I might tap one of those out of curiosity. The little dots tell me there's more to swipe through.
Interest
Screen 08 of 9
And here's the legal wall — trade-in terms, Apple Card disclosures, Goldman Sachs, payment services. My eyes glaze over instantly, this is clearly fine print. I'm not reading any of it.
Interest
Screen 09 of 9
Footer accordions: Shop and Learn, Apple Wallet, Account, all the usual menus collapsed down. Find a store, call 1-800-MY-APPLE, copyright. I've reached the end — I'm done scrolling.