Some third-party products axed from Apple Store shelves

Apple will be removing a number of third-party peripherals, hardware, and software from its retail stores, in order to make more room for employees to sit down with customers and set up their newly purchased Mac computers.

Apple recently started a new personalized service in which customers who buy a Macbook or desktop Mac computer get a deep walkthrough of their new device. Employees also help them set up e-mail and iTunes accounts.

Apparently the service is a hit because Apple is changing its retail store layout to accommodate for new dedicated space for this very purpose.

Because the company would never remove its own products from the stores, Apple will get rid of several printers, scanners, and hard drives from third-party manufacturers, according to a report from The Loop.

Apple will also be removing 32 games from its shelves as part of the redesign.

However, these third-party companies have contracts to have their products sold at Apple Stores. To keep these agreements valid, Apple will keep all inventory in the back room. Customers will have to specifically request these products, as they’ll no longer have any presence on the retail floor.

Apple users will reportedly be encouraged to start going for digital downloads instead of purchasing physical retail software products.