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 ...
What’s corporate religion? Capitalism? LOL!
You must be one of the anti-capitalist Republicans!
Aside from your smug opinion, what is your evidence to prove your insinuation?
how old are you?
umm, well, let's see. you mean the one about groupies and religion? How about the way you lunge at me every time I post on a mac thread?
I’m not interested enough to blow more than $200 on something that is more for satisfying my own curiosity.
The idiots sitting at the "Genius Bar". A picture is worth a thousand words...
Despite the liberal overtones (John Lennon and Yoko Ono pictures prominently displayed) the worst part is figuring our who in the second picture, are the Mac "Geniuses". I had to look for a few seconds to figure out which side of the bar were the actual Apple employees. Bunch of freaks. "Genius", I have to laugh...
Lol! I’m guessing you are the resident apple-hater on the mac threads?
Gee, you certainly are bigoted.
The last time couple times I was in an Apple store I saw Moms and Dads with their kids, teenage kids texting and posting on My Space on the computers,a blond woman in her fourties getting an iPhone demonstration, a couple in their late 60s buying an iMac, a professional man that I know who is somewhat to the right of Rush Limbaugh, a long haired guy with a backpack and wearing a "Bush lied, people Died" T-shirt, a middle-aged couple with their teenaged daughter talked to about Macs who were shopping for a notebook computer for the girl to take to College (she wanted the Mac, Dad wanted her to buy a Dell but complained to me about all the problems he was having with his HP), a trio of Valley Girl types listening to some iPods, a guy in shorts wearing an "I'm the NRA" sweatshirt carrying a G5 Tower to the Genius Bar, a twelve year old kid who was amazing other patrons by creating impromptu music with Garageband, several middle aged people trying out MacBooks with the help of a store staffer... really a cross section of America.
What do YOU find wanting in this demographic, Blue? Could it be the carefully crafted and disseminated anti-Apple FUD that Mac users are gay liberal graphic artists?
The staffers ranged in age from around 18 to 45 or so and were male, female, represented most ethnicities, and generally very friendly and helpful. They were not pushy about anything.
The store was clean, accessible, well lighted and well stocked. Apple has one of the top rated brand names in the world.
What is bad about this hard won image, Blue?
Awwww...look at that sweet grandma sitting there. That’s not fair of you, nor is it respectable.
But speaking of seniors...I saw more elderly people in that Apple store yesterday than I have ever around computers! Imagine! Right next to us were two women probably in their early 70s wanting to see what “all the fuss was about.” I kept bumping into one of them and she was as sweet as could be. She and her friend were oo-ing and ahh-ing with nearly every click of the mouse. They really seemed interested in purchasing an imac — the 24 inch.
I miss my grandma dearly most every day, so I must step up and defend every senior I see...especially those who resemble her.
Wow. I am definitely going to show this to my husband. He needs to become a FReeper so he can post here. There’s the garage door...
So people seeking help from qualified technical support and those trained techs are "idiots." What makes you think they are idiots? Looks to me like another one of your "smug" opinions. How does this prove "it's not a business, it's a religion?"
I specified your evidence had to be something other than your opinion. Your "interpretation" of these pictures is only your unsupported opinion.
My point is the iPod isn't as good as many of the Creative players out there but Apple's marketing is what sells them and the fanbase also helps I guess they are called groupies.
&uotRe: “...lunge at you” when you post on Mac threads
Do you suppose it might be because of your insulting attitude and insinuations that Mac users are somehow defective or deluded in every Mac thread you post on? My posts to you are always in response to one of your smarmy, smug, off-hand insults to all Mac users. If you posted in a civil manner, I would have no reason to “lunge; at you. You insult us; we will respond. Simple.
People really don’t like being told they purchased something they know to be superior because they are “joining a religion” and have been deluded into a “cult.” Quite frankly, I’m damn tired of it. It is not cute, invisible. It is bigoted and inflammatory.
Blue, Blue. What are we going to do with you?
Again you compare Apples to Oranges as though the comparison has some kind of meaning. Comparing a $40 512K Flash based MP3 player to an over $200 30GB player is bad enough but then you ignore that Apple also offered a lower end iPod more comparable to the Sandisk Companion, the iPod Shuffle. The Sandisk plsyer is not the same thing as a $200 iPod at all, not comparable except that they both will play MP3s... and certainly not comparable in price. You are being disingenuous again.
For editing PDF forms and scanning and adding text to a scanned PDF, you can use the PDF software that comes standard with most scanners. Most scanners ship with at least Adobe Acrobat Standard for Mac, which allows basic manipulation of PDF forms. For more advanced PDF editing, upgrading to Adobe Acrobat Professional for Mac isn’t that difficult, and if you buy a document scanner like the Fujitsu ScanSnap, it comes with Adobe Acrobat Professional now.
In almost all ways, editing and viewing PDFs is easier and simpler on a Mac than on a Windows PC.
Me, too. Neither they nor HP would touch my crashed iPod.
Ok accusing me of being disingenuous? Let me pick apart your errors here. First, the Apple iPod wasn't initially a 40 gb player it was only 5gb and it was a bit higher than $200, more like $399 (I was rounding down initially as I wanted to go easy on you), but I am sure you will say I am being disingenuous again since I am going to 2001 prices. You seem to like to cherry pick data to your benefit, which seems to be a great strategy some of our Dim-witted Democrat friends use.
Second point you were wrong on was that I ignored the lower priced Ipod shuffle. I bought my Companion in 2005. The shuffle wasn't available until a year later and the freaking thing has no screen (what the hell were they thinking???) so I wouldn't want something like that, and I can't imagine people would but hey Apple customers would buy a lump of coal if it had the Apple logo on it and it came in 5 shades of black. Back to the pricing point, $79 for the Shuffle in fall of 2006 wasn't all that cheap considering the thing has no screen and other 1gb flash based MP3 players from that time were cheaper and HAD DISPLAYS!!! Lastly, it was fun reading the blinking lights of death on the ipod shuffle wiki page. Sounds like a design flaw, I hope all of those 10 million first generation and second generation Ipod shuffles were offered a recall or free replacement from Apple.... Not very likely huh?
ps. That was a nice touch citing that bad review on the MP3 Companion. What can I say, I am happy with mine.
I specified your evidence had to be something other than your opinion. Your "interpretation" of these pictures is only your unsupported opinion.
I'm not being smug, I am being honest. I am not saying they are not a business, but you have to admit the fanaticism of all things Apple is a bit cultish.
I know you will say this is my impression or opinion which it is, but I am probably not too far off from the truth. Here is my official disclaimer: My impressions are not true statements but theoretical observations.
Ok here is my theoretical narrative to the second picture in my post # 67.
Asian customer on far left talking to "Mac Genius" #1 about his wife's laptop that can't network properly with his Windows NT4.0 workstation. "Mac Genius" #1 looks on intently knowing while dealing with the internal conflict of realizing that the customer might actually have a more complex problem than he can resolve and more knowledge about the situation than he possesses. Being quick on his feet he goes on the offensive and says, well your macbook is 1 1/2 years old, how about the new model and I'll give you a fair deal on the trade in? It was a smart move and a saavy one for "Mac Genius" #1 as he gets the sale!
"Mac Genius" #2 is honestly perplexed with that blank stare wondering why he can't comprehend the possibility of customer Vanilla "ice" Mathers' laptop having been hijacked and keeps getting redirected to porn sites. One wonders if he wandered in there after a crack deal went down and his payment was that non-working laptop.
"Girl Mac Genius" consults with "Asian Mac Genius" to resolve a customers randomly rebooting iMac issue. Leaving her stumped and wishing she was still in high school during her protest days and "making a difference era" but she still holds onto that Feminist mantra "I am woman, hear me roar". "Asian Mac Genius" may be the only one that has a more than rudimentary knowledge of computers.
Swordmaker, your assumption that these certified "Mac Geniuses" are any different from the certified Geek Squid morons you are sadly mistaken. And to getmeouttawestpalmbeach, I wasn't picking on that "grandma" just people in general that fall for "Genius Bar", "Geek Squad", "Firedog" or any crap like that. Sure I want to pay someone $80 an hour to reformat my drive.... Ok, it's your money, but as the saying goes a fool is easily separated from his money.
$tarbucks "Baristas" or Apple "Geniuses"?
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