This week I made my first visit to the Genius Bar at my neighborhood Apple Store. Like the previous ones I\u2019d hung out at in Minneapolis and Las Vegas, this one is staffed with folks who are smart and eager to help.<\/p>\n
Even though my appointment was at 10 AM, their opening time, the place was buzzing by the time I arrived. About a dozen kids were clustered around a table dressed in the same t-shirts with the Apple logo that the store employees wear. They were participants in one of the summer programs Apple runs in their stores.<\/p>\n
I still recall my first experience back when I owned a heavy iMac. I had fretted about how I was going to carry it all the way to the store inside Southdale Mall. Of course, those Apple folks had anticipated this problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cPull up to the curb across from the upper level entrance,\u201d I was told, \u201cand give us a call when you\u2019ve arrived. We\u2019ll send someone up to carry your computer.\u201d Whew!<\/p>\n
On that first visit, I spent about an hour waiting for my repair. As I sat perched on the stool, people stopped by the Genius Bar, got their problems solved and went on their way. I also noticed that most of them were smiling as they left.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you just spend all day making people happy?\u201d I asked my Genius.<\/p>\n
\u201cPretty much,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n
Coincidentally, I happened to be rereading The Big Moo<\/i><\/b> a couple of evenings before my\u00a0 latest visit. In an essay entitled Ron Johnson is Not a Genius…But He Hires Them Everyday<\/i>, I learned a bit about the origin of this brilliant service.<\/p>\n
Then the author says, \u201cWhat if Apple had charged a bit for the service, the way Best Buy does? Or what if they deliberately understaffed it, using it as a gimmick instead of a helpful service?<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if they hired the cheapest people they could find (Hey, it\u2019s free, what do you expect?) and didn\u2019t train them very well? It\u2019s pretty easy to see that the concept would have seemed mediocre. And a failure.\u201d<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t remember many experiences I\u2019ve had as a consumer, but I can recall all of my encounters at the Apple Store. There was the time I was browsing and a young man approached me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo how long have you been in the cult of Mac?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He laughed and said, \u201cIt really is a cult, I guess. My girlfriend\u2019s mother owns a Mac and she also drives a Saturn. That\u2019s a cult, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m a member of that one also.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s visit began with a challenge. William, my local Genius, discovered that my computer was not compatible with what I wanted done. Undaunted, he began exploring options and eventually came up with a solution to my problem. It will require a return visit, but I\u2019m fine with that.<\/p>\n
Of all my encounters with the folks at the Apple Stores, one ranks as most unforgettable. It happened in Las Vegas and the news wasn\u2019t good. My Mac could be fixed, but the repair was so expensive (and the Mac so elderly) that it didn\u2019t make senses.<\/p>\n
I reluctantly looked over the new models and selected one that looked like a piece of art. When I went to pay for it, the woman asked how she could help me and I sighed and said, \u201cThis wasn\u2019t what I was planning to do today.\u201d I handed her my credit card.<\/p>\n
She looked directly at me and quietly said, \u201cThe Universe will provide.\u201d\u00a0 I could not recall ever having a sales transaction that included those words.<\/p>\n
I walked out of the store silently repeating what she had said.<\/p>\n
Within days, an unexpected project dropped into my lap and when it was over the money I earned was almost exactly what my new computer cost. It arrived just in time for me to pay my credit card.<\/p>\n
Even though I own an iPad and iPhone besides my computer, I\u2019m not close to being one of Apple\u2019s big customers. I am, however, treated as if I were every time I step into their store.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019re stuck with me for life. After all, their products aren’t the only genius idea that they have.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This week I made my first visit to the Genius Bar at my neighborhood Apple Store. Like the previous ones I\u2019d hung out at in Minneapolis and Las Vegas, this one is staffed with folks who are smart and eager to help. Even though my appointment was at 10 AM, their opening time, the place…<\/p>\n