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Posted on 11/24/2007 3:29:27 PM PST by RayChuang88
LOS GATOS, Calif. (AP) - Not a cash register is in sight. The electronics on display are all powered up and ready for use. Personal trainers, specialists and newly minted concierges in aqua blue shirts make the Apple Store feel part salon, part Internet cafe - just without the espresso.
Over the past year, Apple Inc. (AAPL) has revamped its 201 stores, changing the layout, adding services and increasing its staffing. The "concierge" service that Apple launched last week is only the latest initiative designed to draw more visitors and bolster already record-breaking sales.
"Apple indeed does things differently from the rest of the retail gang," said Kurt Barnard, president of the Barnard Retail Consulting Group.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.myway.com ...
That was identical to my Dell experience. It’s why it’s such a pleasure dealing with the folks at the Apple store.
It was definitely refreshing. :)
Re: didn’t pay retail.
No I didn’t forget you think “retail is for suckers.” But you can’t make comparisons on one time special deals that are only found by you or on refurbs.
As to the lack of a screen on the Shuffles I guess the 30,000,000 people who have purchased them really don’t want a screen or care about selecting each song on an itsy-bitsy screen... Perhaps because they already made their play list in the order they like... Or perhaps it’s because the can’t select a song while jogging anyway.
Re: 12 year old genius
Apple lets people to try things with the demo computers. So, yes, he had permission. His mom was there. What kind of music is irrelevant. It was good and demonstrated to the crowd what an iMac and Garageband could do.
His making of sound was no different than the couple who were trying an iPod in a Bose sound system. They were louder. Nobody complained. The kid got applauded.
I like how you defend the people (read sheep) buying mp3 players without a screen. What good is a playlist when the 1Gb of mp3s would take some hours to cycle through, and Im not so sure it wouldn't repeat some of the same tracks more than once before it played through every song. Dumb idea, and I stick by it. only a Mac groupie would think this was a good idea.
Listen to those links of the genius Bar I posted. Are they all generally that loud and chaotic? I have more reason to avoid that place like the plague.
Of course they applauded. They have that communal hippy kind of atmosphere and that kind of crap flies in places like that. Seems like they encourage that kind of chaos and disorder, but they call it a "human experience" garbage.
Ok point blank are you even a conservative? I'd like to know.
No, it's experience, Blue. I've seen the Genius Bar in operation and talked to staff members. I have been in IT work for over 30 years (I own my own consulting firm with about 40 SMB clients) and know "fluff" and "posers" when I see them. The Geniuses know what they are talking about and also know when to call in a specialist on something they are not versed on.
You are assuming that Apple does the same thing as BestBuy and Circuit City. They don't. They do it different and better. You make judgements based on your experience with Windows PC tech but you have no experience with Apple. You generalize based on ignorance.
...you missed the humor..."
I saw your attempt at humor. The guy was black and you hinted the Macbook could be stolen. That's bigoted. Would you have said that if the guy were wearing a suit?
I love Windows.
Obviously.
The guy wasn't black, he was a white rapper looking dude. Time for new glasses Sword? I guess I wasn't being racist after all...
...check his own hard drive...
Right. Sure. A consumer is going to open up his notebook computer and just check his hard drive. Did you even watch the video? He said he was "...just blown away with the GREAT experience" he had at the Genius Bar. They found his problem, fixed it, went beyond to instal Leopard for him, and all at no charge... On an out of waranty notebook! That was a rave review!
The second guy also was mostly happy. His only complaint was that the Genius told him something was not possible that he later admitted he had not explained well. For your information, a "Virtual server" is something that is done on a computer, not a router. A router hasn't the capacity to be a sever. OSX Macs can act as virtual servers to other computers via "port forwarding" through any router or switch. If you watch the rest of the video, he praises the staff at Apple and complains about Dell's script readers.
The third guy's video rant (in two parts) is a complaint that although he had an appointment he had to wait 50 minutes to ask "is there some software that can fix my drive problems for me?" I agree that wait shouldn't happen, but he wanted a specific fix in software for a problem rhat might be in hardware. The tech told him that it might not be software fixable. He then complained that a piece if third party software he had already bought called "Drive Genius" had failed to fix his problem. The genius agreed that it was a "one trick pony." Even though the Apple staff had already told him that he might have a hardware issue, he seemed determined to "fix" it with software... In fact he bought "Diskwarrior" to keep on doing it himself. He should have allowed the tech at the Genius Bar to at least test his drive.
It looks to me, that aside from the second guy's 50 minute wait, the Genius Bar people were correct and gave the proper advice or fixed the problem.
I'm sure a you think that, but BestBuy, CompUSA, Amazon.com, MacMall, SmallDog Electronics, Costco (occasionally), Fry's, and a host of other retailers would beg to disagree.
This is just more of your ignorant pontificating.
My point was the people going there were a little stupid. They shouldn't have had to go there. Sure the Genius Bar helped them but come on that's advice any regular salesperson at BB would know, not even talking about the Geek Squad either. This kind of addresses the claim you made in an earlier post on an earlier thread that Mac users tend to have more knowledge than average PC users. I know you will claim I cherry picked these videos to prove a point but in 2 of the 3 videos they had positive things to say about the Genius Bar for the most part, but my point is these people don't have the knowledge about computers you led me to believe. The first guy can't figure out how to take out his hard drive in his notebook? Hearing him contemplate whether it may have been a software versus a hardware problem he sounds like a total idiot. Second guy sounded more knowledgeable and yes he did concede he didn't explain it right, but the point I am making the "Genius" steered him away from that router as he told him he couldn't make it function as a virtual server. I'm sure if he explained what he wanted to do, the "Genius" just did not know and was wrong. Good thing the guy had the persistence to look for the answer online that the "Genius" couldn't provide for him. Better yet is he goes back there to correct the "genius". Third guy just seemed like an impatient idiot. My point was to show the chaotic environment these places are. On a serious note, why would they get rid of appointments or at least a ticket # like at a deli counter or bakery? Makes no sense...
I will commend Apple for offering these services as a complimentary service for Apple users, that is a very good idea.
Uh, no. Two were videos made in front of the computer in a podcaster's computer room, one was recorded in the ranter's living room while the other rant was done in the Apple store. ONE out of four. And even in that one you could understand every word.
What do you want, Blue, a retail store as empty and as silent as a tomb???
Me, I want one where people are enjoying the experience, talking, asking questions, trying things, taking test drives of the software and equipment.
Have you even been in an Apple store?
By the way, I am a lifelong Relublican, a friend of Ronald Reagan who had a standing invitation to use his swimming pool when he was Governor of California, Life Member of the NRA, a small business owner, a musician who has performed in Carnegie Hall, a former gun shop manager, former representative for the US Chamber of Commerce (Northern California and Nevada), a former rep for the National Federation of Independent Business (San Joaquin, Calaveras, and Tuolumne Counties), and apparently far more conservative than you but you dare question my ideology (and my sexual orientation) because I use a Mac... as do Rush limbaugh and President Bush.
I forgot to mention re:the guy that didn’t check his hard drive’s loose connection. I got a call from my sister when those fires in so cal were starting. Her hard drive went down in her laptop but I had a cloned drive for her when I was out there last and I walked her through swapping the drive over the phone and she is not technical at all. Took maybe 15 minutes from her taking off the back plate and 4-5 screws and sliding out the drive caddy and removing the drive from the cage, re-installing the drive to the cage with 4 screws, then sliding it back in lining up the screws and powering it back on. The most time consuming part was her locating the panel the hard drive was in. Now she knows how to do it HERSELF, and she has no need to call her computer geek friend, who would have TAKEN her laptop with him and brought it back in 3 or 4 days for a 10 minute job.
Sword, thanks for letting me know where you stand. Glad you’re a conservative despite our differences. I didn’t need a resume though I’ll take your word for it.
re: ...a little stupid
Wow... No Windows PC users ever ask questions. Amazing. If they do they must be, according to you, “ a little stupid.” No wonder you are ignorant, Blue, you won’t ask technical questions for fear of seeming stupid. The only stupid question, Blue, is the one not asked.
I don’t believe you posted those clips to show Mac users are not computer literate. You were posting them to show that people weren’t totally happy with their Genius Bar experience. Now you want to change the focus of the intent to something referee to days and threads ago. You’re dancing and obfuscating again, trying to deflect the simple fact that you don’t know what you are talking about.
You are changing this about Windows users. Of course there are stupid PC users. Most of them (PC users) are normal people, not freaks with snarky comments hiding behind a false sense of pseudo-intelligence. This is my main goal is to show you these Mac users aren't normal. It wasn't like I spent an hour trying to find these gotcha videos to prove my ppoint. They were the first 2 clips that turned up on You Tube. I bet if I spent an hour I'd find some real prizes haha.
And no I don't have a problem with people asking questions, that's how one learns.
I don’t believe you posted those clips to show Mac users are not computer literate. You were posting them to show that people weren’t totally happy with their Genius Bar experience. Now you want to change the focus of the intent to something referee to days and threads ago. You’re dancing and obfuscating again, trying to deflect the simple fact that you don’t know what you are talking about.
That's a big part of why I posted it. I did also post it to show these so called "Geniuses" aren't all that "genius". The third video was a two-fer. The guy was an idiot and he was ranting about the "Genius Bar" experience. Proved both of my points. And the idea the "Geniuses" were recommending third party software for a potential hardware problem (and I thought you said they don't act as salespeople at the "Genius Bar"?) shows they were just doing what car mechanics do for the most part, by throwing parts at the problem to resolve it by process of elimination and always at the customers expense. As far as me not knowing what I am talking about, I will let those videos speak for themselves. I stand behind my supposed bigoted remarks (Hey can you at least aknowledge the guy was white so you can take the racist label off of me? k thanks) that most of the Mac users I have seen are these trendy, freaks that have so far all appeared liberal.
The geniuses did not recommend third party software to repair what they said was most likely a hardware problem ... he demanded a software solution to his problem contrary to their advice. Nor did they sell him the Diskwarrior. He can pick that up off the shelf.
He is like the guy who wants to be his own lawyer: he has a fool for a client.
Sorry this is so late but I haven't had access to my Ping list or to a highspeed Internet conncetion since Saturday morning...
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
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