While leafing through their flyer, I noticed that Best Buy offers a Mac Optimization package. For $39.95 they say that their Geek Squad will "boost your Mac's speed and performance". Any idea what they could be doing to boost performance and speed? My BS meter is registering something when I read those type of offers, but could there be any truth to it? Is there a way to optimize a Mac after purchase?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Best Buy Mac Optimization? What is this?
- Thread starter mg5904
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It's a scam. Don't let the freak squad touch your computer.
I was just in the store looking at the Mac section, and I HAD to tell a young couple that they were being lied to when a Best Buy drone told them that they could put a 9800 GTX in a 24" iMac. Beyond the obvious reasons that the drone was an idiot, the card is thicker than the computer itself.
I was just in the store looking at the Mac section, and I HAD to tell a young couple that they were being lied to when a Best Buy drone told them that they could put a 9800 GTX in a 24" iMac. Beyond the obvious reasons that the drone was an idiot, the card is thicker than the computer itself.
I've heard some pretty nasty things from that store...but never anything approaching that.
Lawlz.
Reminds me of a guy who tried to make is 8800GTX fit into a PCI-e 1x slot by cutting off pins on the board
The hair on the back of my neck prickles whenever I see those stupid little Geek Squad slug bugs on the road, but a "Mac Optimization" charge? That has to be a new low. I would love to know what this "service" entails.
yep its an outrage...
its total bullsh*t (excuse my french)
normally when you buy a PC it comes with many trial software... all these "geeks" do is uninstall those software (something you can do at home)... and they install anti-virus software (**as their PACKAGE deal**)
cant believe some people are being taken advantage of like this...
sad really...
btw on a side note... what encouraged them to stop doing full refunds on items in store (they do it in canada, why not the states)
its total bullsh*t (excuse my french)
normally when you buy a PC it comes with many trial software... all these "geeks" do is uninstall those software (something you can do at home)... and they install anti-virus software (**as their PACKAGE deal**)
cant believe some people are being taken advantage of like this...
sad really...
btw on a side note... what encouraged them to stop doing full refunds on items in store (they do it in canada, why not the states)
Ha, I'm so glad I'm not the only who thinks these people are dumb and rip everyone off. Reminds me of a conversation I overheard in Staples once:
Customer: This laptop has a video port that's white, and that one has one that's blue. What's the difference?
Sales associate: Oh, you don't want the one with the white port. That's old technology and is being phased out. The blue one is a lot better.
Obviously, they were talking about DVI and VGA outs. I had to bite my tongue, but the Staples guy was only hurting himself - the laptop with the DVI-out was MUCH more expensive!!
Customer: This laptop has a video port that's white, and that one has one that's blue. What's the difference?
Sales associate: Oh, you don't want the one with the white port. That's old technology and is being phased out. The blue one is a lot better.
Obviously, they were talking about DVI and VGA outs. I had to bite my tongue, but the Staples guy was only hurting himself - the laptop with the DVI-out was MUCH more expensive!!
Ha, I'm so glad I'm not the only who thinks these people are dumb and rip everyone off. Reminds me of a conversation I overheard in Staples once:
Customer: This laptop has a video port that's white, and that one has one that's blue. What's the difference?
Sales associate: Oh, you don't want the one with the white port. That's old technology and is being phased out. The blue one is a lot better.
Obviously, they were talking about DVI and VGA outs. I had to bite my tongue, but the Staples guy was only hurting himself - the laptop with the DVI-out was MUCH more expensive!!
LOL I know whenever I'm browsing the computer section of just about any store and am approached by a sales associate who asks, "May I help you?" my answer is always, "No. No you really cannot."
I know that that's an unfair generalization, but I wonder these days what the requirements are to be hired by the likes of Geek Squad. Are there any requirements at all? (Other than the lack of a soul.)
Letting the Geek Squad touch a new iMac to "optimize" it is about as sensible as allowing a fox to "clean" the chicken coop.
No, there literally are not.
Well, I can't speak for Best Buy specifically, since I have not worked there, but I have worked for a retail big-box store in the hardware department (power tools, carpentry tools, paint, electrical, plumbing). When we were doing the job interview I told them I was quite knowledgeable in consumer electronics: TVs, stereos, phones, computer cables and accessories, kitchen appliances, and other housewares. But their hole was in hardware, so I was scheduled to fill it. I knew nothing, but they "trained" me by making me go through a few hours of PowerPoint slide shows about tools and brands.
I know I pissed off a lot of customers by being a clueless sales associate, and it drove me crazy because there was nothing I could do. I tried to learn as fast as I could, but no matter how much I knew, there was always a customer who knew more and needed my help to find a product. All the while I kept grumbling that if they'd only put me in housewares and electronics, I could be so much more useful.
I only worked there a few months. I learned a lot, and took pride in being able to help a lot of people with simple questions. And I treat salespeople differently now that I've walked in their shoes. (Be polite and patient, but only ask answerable questions like "how much is X" and "where can I find Y" and "do you have any more of Z". Don't ask for advice or believe anything they say about products -- always go home and do the research yourself.)
Many years ago, a copy of Connectix "SpeedDoubler" fell into my hands. Since I had a Macintosh 6100 with a 60 MHz PowerPC (that is SIXTY) I thought I could do with some more speed. I installed the software and rebooted as required. The reboot took unusually long. Using the machine it felt sluggish compared to what it usually felt like. I did some speed measurements, uninstalled the software, and did the same speed measurements again. And the software worked indeed almost as promised: Installing it didn't double the speed of my Macintosh, but uninstalling it did.
Consider it a rip-off.
So who is up to volunteer and give his/her precious Mac to the guys in blue?
Be brave,..., maybe they give you a nice wallpaper or something,...
Be brave,..., maybe they give you a nice wallpaper or something,...
Good morning...
Newbie here... I just bought my girlfriend a Macbook for christmas (2.4 gig, 2 gigs ram, 320 gig hard drive) and I bought myself a macbook pro "for christmas" (2.53, 4 gigs ram, 320 gig 7200 rpm hard drive)
Back in July, I talked my girlfriends daughter into buying a Macbook (white, specs unknown) for college. We went to BestBuy before going to an Apple Store... The HIGHLIGHT of BestBuy's sales pitch was to hold a key down while opening a folder and watching EACH and EVERY folder and subfolder open within that folder & subfolder (ended up opening about 80 windows of folders and subfolders... He was showing how it was "just as fast at opening the last as it was the first)
I somehow replicated this feat on her daughters computer when I copied her iTunes library to her new laptop... I can tell you that a white macbook, stock configuration, opening 900+ folders at once WILL 1) show down a LOT and 2) choke out (actually stopped opening folders until I was able to close a few...)
lol
David
Newbie here... I just bought my girlfriend a Macbook for christmas (2.4 gig, 2 gigs ram, 320 gig hard drive) and I bought myself a macbook pro "for christmas" (2.53, 4 gigs ram, 320 gig 7200 rpm hard drive)
Back in July, I talked my girlfriends daughter into buying a Macbook (white, specs unknown) for college. We went to BestBuy before going to an Apple Store... The HIGHLIGHT of BestBuy's sales pitch was to hold a key down while opening a folder and watching EACH and EVERY folder and subfolder open within that folder & subfolder (ended up opening about 80 windows of folders and subfolders... He was showing how it was "just as fast at opening the last as it was the first)
I somehow replicated this feat on her daughters computer when I copied her iTunes library to her new laptop... I can tell you that a white macbook, stock configuration, opening 900+ folders at once WILL 1) show down a LOT and 2) choke out (actually stopped opening folders until I was able to close a few...)
lol
David
When I am C.E.O. of Apple, I am going to walk into a Best Buy, watch something of this nature happen, walk up to the sales associate while it is occurring, and fire him. Never mind that I couldn't do it until I talked to the manager of the store, but I would just do it. Things of this nature are inexcusable.
I had a friend who worked at Best Buy. He was a PC hardware guy, but tehy put him in cameras, because they didn't want him to be a salesman in an area he was too knowledgeable about.
Alright everybody flame away but I can tell you exactly what a mac optimization is. Basically for the 40 bucks (imo way too much) a geek squad tech will take a brand new mac and set it up and run the mac updates. I believe they also set up two finger right click and tap to click. First off it does not speed up the computer, and I am not sure why they advertise it as such. Secondly, its a convenience to the customer. Thirdly, the only people that really should even come close to considering this are those who like things being done for them, and those who have really slow internet connections or no internet (some units might need some osx updates).
Oh and while working sales there I have noticed plenty of idiots get hired in to both geek squad and computer sales (imo two departments that really need knowledgeable people).
Oh and while working sales there I have noticed plenty of idiots get hired in to both geek squad and computer sales (imo two departments that really need knowledgeable people).
lol you could do both. That would be fun to watch.
As I said above though I really think its overpriced. Maybe at half the price its worth it, but then again these services are priced based on what people are willing to pay, and some people are willing to pay in order to have these things done for them.
The sad part about it is that they charge the same price for the pc optimization and that includes a lot more work (removal of trial software, registry and msconfig tweaks which does speed things up).