The rest of the world has some boring ones too, here in the UK we have some really boring ones. The Birmingham store has loads of problems it is way too small, it is almost hidden in the Bullring and it is boring, and why has Birmingham only one store (Solihull doesn't count!), The Bristol store is boring and the Genius Bar is disorganised (where do you check in, where do you wait?). Also boring are Cribbs Causeway, Bath....
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Apple's Beautiful New Store in Brussels Opens to Long Lines and Fanfare
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Part of that is that Macrumors will only report on flagship openings from outside the US. You won't get an article if there is a new Apple Store opening in a mall in Europe. And when Apple opens the first store in a given country, they'll likely put more effort into to bank on the publicity.
I feel like Apple Stores are the only stores that get lines for their openings.
I was wondering about that. It seems like Ive is stepping back more and more lately. He seems to have turned over day-to-day operations to his team. Maybe this is a sign of a new direction for Apple design.
We try to cover any new Apple Store opening regardless of location or appearance. For anyone reading this, you can let us know at tips@macrumors.com if you ever come across a new or planned store.
I think Marc Newson was "hired" because his name was going to show up on Apple Watch patents. I don't know how much time he spends in Cupertino but he wasn't at the Apple events in March or September and he wasn't at WWDC. If Ive is stepping back it's interesting then that he was the sole narrator for the MacBook, Apple Pencil, iPad Pro and 3D Touch product intro videos (and was also interviewed by Bloomerg with Federighi and Schiller about how 3D Touch was developed).
If you look at his design for the Qantas Airlines business class lounge it has similar funky curvy design cues. It was just a gut reaction even though it might be a long bow to draw.
The level of service although better than in many other store in Belgium it is still not equivalent to a store in the US.
I had an appointment at the genius bar yesterday to get the battery of my mac replaced and they do not have any space parts in stock and the genius told me that they do not expect to have any before 2 or 3 months at least. Of course that was not mentioned anywhere before getting the appointment.
I had an appointment at the genius bar yesterday to get the battery of my mac replaced and they do not have any space parts in stock and the genius told me that they do not expect to have any before 2 or 3 months at least. Of course that was not mentioned anywhere before getting the appointment.
Customer service in Belgium in general is horrible. So, to improve on that in the Apple Store will not be that difficult. Hopefully it will inspire other chains to work on that as well.
I don't know, when H&M opened their first store in Toronto years ago, there were HUGE lineups for it. I'm not much of a shopper so have no idea about others. I just remember walking by and seeing a lineup for H&M.
Service in Belgium is indeed horrible. My sister broke the screen of her iPhone 6 just a month after launch. We went to the reseller to check how much a repair would cost. The guy told us it would be 370 euros (equals 418 USD). The resellers try to rip off people. I hope service and prices will be better in the Apple store
We have this saying: "when it rains in Paris it drips in Brussels". And of all the countries I've been to, customer service in France, especially Paris is the worst.
Although I'm no fan of the "OMG how are you, you are my special customer" kinda attitude in America either...
9/10 times the problem lies with a company called "dynafix". Most smartphone manufacturers outsource their repairs & aftersales service in Belgium to this company. They're a bunch of slippery toads who try to get out of honoring warranty coverage all the time.
That broken screen is a bummer though, sure you can get replacement parts cheaper off ebay, but they wouldn't be certified and you wouldn't be eligible for warranty after the repair.
On the subject of the store: after just one day the front door has already been shattered. Stay classy Brussels.
I'm kinda agree with you though. I never think about Marc but when you said it, it seems click.