Seamus Byrne19 June 2008, 7:00 AM
So, Macs don't always 'just work'. They're computers, after all. But with the Apple Store opening, Apple is offering a genuinely new benchmark in support for the tech industry.
The Apple Store opens today, and at first glance it really is just a pretty shopfront. The biggest glass panels in the world, lots of Macs, iPods and free wireless to play with, and staff on no commissions are nice features. Though, Steve, please cut back on the staff happy pills — they’re just a little too eager to please.
But all that retail is pure window dressing. No, it’s Level 2 where the real action is — if you’re already an Apple owner, you’re about to discover the kind of tech support reserved for the glitterati.
For all your quick queries and technical issues there is the Genius Bar. Yes, you can probably walk up and test their general knowledge, or maybe their knowledge of general relativity. I’ll take a guess they get that a few times an hour. But Sydney has the largest (read longest) Genius Bar in the world, with 20 Geniuses (Genii? Better ask one next time I’m there) available for around 1,000 customer queries every day. Book ahead online or book a slot on any computer in the store, then get your face-to-face assistance with whatever Apple questions you may have.
If you’re after some training, there are scheduled free workshops on the suite of Apple apps and hardware running three times a day, seven days a week. It’s first-come, first-served availability, but the price is hard to beat.
For more serious users, there is a Pro Labs series. Book ahead online and you can lock in a spot for four two-hour sessions. Aperture, Logic Pro, and Final Cut Pro are the first three apps on the roster. Again, the price is free.
The ‘killer app’ for the Apple Store is the One to One training program. This service gets you a one-hour personal training session every week for a year. Get basic training, with specific help for switchers, or get onto a curriculum of training for video, photo, music, presentations or web training. You can also come with a specific creative project in mind and get personal assistance to make it happen. Without getting too Demtel, how much would you expect to pay for 52 hours of customised, personal computer training? $129. No steak knives necessary.
Clearly Apple is making a loss here, but there is a clear benefit to getting a new user hooked into the Apple hardware plus software ecosystem — if you get first-rate service and training why would you consider ever switching back? And for ‘the faithful’, rewarding everyone from switchers to long-time lovers with a local place of worship.
It’s easy to be cynical about such a hyped store opening — it is after all just a retail store, and Apple has glitzed it up just as much as a fashion label. But the service on offer to existing customers is unrivalled in the tech marketplace. Possibly any market short of ‘white glove’ service reserved for luxury purchases. What would you do if you could get this kind of service from Microsoft, Dell, or even Canon?
We’ve already heard many Apple resellers are worried about this opening. Maybe we should add service centres and training colleges to the list.