I imagine this is precisely trying to address the problem of getting paying customers in and out of the store.
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Details and Impressions on Apple's Retail Changes
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I imagine this is precisely trying to address the problem of getting paying customers in and out of the store.
What about getting iPads to customers
While I appreciate how having dozens of iPads in the stores linked to an improved que system will improve the customer experience, you would think Apple would prioritize getting iPads into the hands of their customers. 1 to 2 weeks to get one does not seem acceptable to me.
M
While I appreciate how having dozens of iPads in the stores linked to an improved que system will improve the customer experience, you would think Apple would prioritize getting iPads into the hands of their customers. 1 to 2 weeks to get one does not seem acceptable to me.
M
so does that mean something new tomorrow? i'm confused
highly unlikely, but wishful thinking new macbook airs get introduced
But can you schedule an appointment from the web or iPhone. My nearest Apple store is 3 hours away and I would like to be able to schedule an appointment with a specialist for a set time just like I can for the Genius Bar.
What I would like to see it a simple sales counter for checkouts. If I just need to stop in and buy a mouse or trackpad, I really don't need to talk to anyone. An easy way to pay for shelved items would be nice.
Gimmick non-event? It was never intended to be an event. It was an internal initiative. The Mac rumor mill churned this into something it never was.
It's pretty basic. Want info on a product? Here's an interactive display giving you info. Want to compare models? You can easily do that, too. Have further questions? An Apple Store employee will come to you. This is a no-brainer way to run a technology store.
If you've ever been to any of Apple's NYC stores (especially 5th Ave.) they're a nightmare. This seems to have the ability to manage the chaos.
Thats called the Retail experiance. Even the cutting kid at Hot Topic is snooty, working retail really is a disease. Can't we just put GlaDOS in charge steve? She can work all the stores at once, and she looks like a apple product too.
Would this probably make immature people use this as a prank system to get Specialists and ruin it for the rest of us that need one?
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Have we really become that lazy to consider walking into a store and looking for an associate as "fending for yourself"?
Have we really become that lazy to consider walking into a store and looking for an associate as "fending for yourself"?
Um, the product demos for the iPads.
I know all the cool kids like to make comments but come on man. What does Apple making changes at their retail stores have to do with iPad backorders?
Have you tried it yourself yet? I get pushed around quite a bit by crowds trying to talk to the specialists. I expect I'll be grateful for the queue system next time I visit my Apple store.
Obviously you've never been in an Apple Store with several hundred clamoring people in it. It's a frustrating experience for both the customer and the employees.
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Interesting. I can see jerks smacking the 'I need a sales person' button and running away.
Great way to show off your hardware by using your own hardware. Pretty slick.
Interesting. I can see jerks smacking the 'I need a sales person' button and running away.
Great way to show off your hardware by using your own hardware. Pretty slick.
I've often wondered that sometimes Apple stores are so full that they have to be breaking fire code, especially during big release days.
Incredible Staff
The inspirational message misses the most valuable asset to Apple. The Apple Staff who run these stores are most incredible. When I've had to wait for an appointment or simply waited a few minutes to process a purchase, I have stood in awe of the incredible team working the Apple Stores. I am always so impressed by the compassion, excitement, and willingness to seek answers even if they don't know the answer themselves. Kudos to all those who work the front lines, I am very impressed.
The inspirational message misses the most valuable asset to Apple. The Apple Staff who run these stores are most incredible. When I've had to wait for an appointment or simply waited a few minutes to process a purchase, I have stood in awe of the incredible team working the Apple Stores. I am always so impressed by the compassion, excitement, and willingness to seek answers even if they don't know the answer themselves. Kudos to all those who work the front lines, I am very impressed.
and this won't change my opinion. Apple tried so hard to be cool and hip by removing the cash register that I never shop there now. This won't solve anything. You'll just have people fighting over an iPad to push their queue button then everyone hanging around it in erratic groups waiting for attention.
What was so hard about having a dedicated and clearly indicated register where you could take your product, wait in a line and get the hell out of there? Far too conventional was it?
That's what Personal Shopping was. For years you could have booked an appointment for this reason. Ideally, someone would be waiting for you at the front of the store with your name on a sign, or a Specialist would find you when you checked in. You would get a dedicated Specialist upon arrival for as long as you wanted, and every staff member would know not to pull them away from you, even under the most chaotic of environments. They discontinued it last November, probably from the lack of consistency from store to store.
It seemed like it was up to the individual stores' management on how hard they promoted this service. And it always appeared that the stores that ran better were the ones that pushed Personal Shopping.
YOUR experience with MobileMe does not speak for the millions of subscribers who utilize the service. I never had an issue with it as a previous .mac user.
It's not overpriced, it actually equates to about 25 cents a day. One key obvious feature that I'm not sure google offers, is Find my iPhone, it's a handy service for those who always misplace items. Not to mention the ability to remote wipe or lock your iPhone. And that feature is Free..... G-mail is a cesspool of clutter and confusion and stagnate waste, Google needs to finish what they started with G-mail. Google makes great things but they never polish the product.
MobileMe, is a great service and you maintain an exclusiveness. You should really look for the positives in things and not negatives, Apple can only do so much at any given time, not to mention they don't spread themselves to thin like Google.
Every employee is a register. Need to pay for something? Hit the queue button on the iPad and the register comes to you. Suddenly instead of one single long register line you have many registers with much smaller lines.
The same principle as distributed computing, multithreading or torrents. Way more efficient.
Maybe they just want to talk and obtain buying advice since they may be first time buyers? I sometimes walk into a store to talk more about a product I am new to, but what if the Specialist is "pranked" and has to waste even more time going to wherever he was "pranked" into going and that means the non-buyers and buyers will have to wait longer?
There is nothing wrong with people not buying, there is no contract stating the opposite.
Hit the queue button and then you just have a large group of people hanging around an ipad waiting for attention. Assuming you don't have someone just playing on an ipad console for a long time, then you can't get to the queue button to press it.
It's only a minor improvement over playing Where's Apple Waldo from the previous system.
Sync my notes, contacts, calendars, e-mail, etc. across all my macs and iOS devices automatically? Seriously, I depend on MobileMe and don't know how anyone with more than one Mac or iOS device can deal without it.
Looking forward to hitting up an Apple store to see the changes with my own eyes. Looks pretty cool.