Thread

Apple Stores - please be more interesting!!

· Software · 17 posts · Jul 7, 2004 View original thread ↗

#1 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 02:49

Hi all - mac user of 2 years here. Love my Powerbook to bits (had an iBook before that). Anyway�

A PC-using friend of mine brought up an interesting point today. We often talk (read: argue) about Macs Vs. PCs and something he said to me today was actually a fairly poignant observation. He said (paraphrased):

Why aren't Apple Stores more hands-on with their machines? Sure, I can go in and use them, but there is never anything on-screen! They look so boring!

Which got me thinking. He's right. I'm not sure of the situation in America but in the Apple Stores or Apple reseller retail outlets I have been to, this is more than often the case. Shouldn't there be some kind of complete revamp of display model methods / policy?

I mean, the market that Apple really wants to capture is the switcher. As a former Windows user and now mac switcher, I am continuously impressed by the mac platform - its all those little things, the things that �just work�. Those are the kinds of things that will create a switcher. Its all very well giving any customer free reign over the computer when they go into a store, but for a potential switcher who hasn't used OS X before - that's not really useful as they won't be familiar with a lot of the benefits we routinely enjoy - and probably won't discover them at all in the few minutes they spend playing with a system.

Why not create (sounds cheesy) cardboard displays to go along side the computers? Or at least for a select few. Use the dock icons on the display - show potential switchers �ok this is the iPhoto icon, click on this and you can import and catalogue digital images�, TELL them how to use expose etc.

Going one step further, why not invite potential buyers to actually USE the software too? Here are a few ideas:

iPhoto - provide a digital camera and let people upload images that they take in store, or even better, provide some of the more popular cable types and allow people to upload their OWN photos right there: after all many people carry their digicam around with them nowadays. I think many people would be impressed that their camera �just works� with the system without them having to install drivers etc.

Garageband - set up a keyboard and a mic, or even one of those yamaha silent guitars and let people go wild! Put some basic instructions on how to use the software - why not let people purchase blank CDs (come on they are cheeeap) and let them burn a copy right there of whatever they made? I think that would be a great selling point - to go back home and say to your family or parents etc; look what I made in 10 minutes whilst messing around at the Apple Store.

Even better if you could somehow let people play with .mac (maybe a temporary account? Like, a week or something) so they could upload photos or movies they make in the store and again, go and tell people �look I made this at the Apple store and put it all online really easily�.

iChat - you HAVE to demo video chat. Just set it up all over the store, have some kind of competition or wall display for the funniest faces you can get your friends to make on iChat (teach them how to do a screen grab etc).

Can anyone think of any other ideas?

How is the Apple retail situation where you live? Perhaps it is just the stores around my area�

#2 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 06:41

All good ideas. No Apple Stores near me for the forseeable future though.

#3 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 06:49

God, I hope that none of this catches on..

Then you'll have young guitar-nerds playing the guitars in guitar-shops, food shops having little taster trays on the counter and, horror-of-horrors, changing rooms in clothes shops where you can see what you look like in a new outfit.

If that happens I'm going back to mail-order..

#4 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 06:58

Quote:

Originally posted by sambeau:
God, I hope that none of this catches on..

Then you'll have young guitar-nerds playing the guitars in guitar-shops, food shops having little taster trays on the counter and, horror-of-horrors, changing rooms in clothes shops where you can see what you look like in a new outfit.

If that happens I'm going back to mail-order..

#5 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 08:45

Quote:

Originally posted by yongfook:
Even better if you could somehow let people play with .mac (maybe a temporary account? Like, a week or something) so they could upload photos or movies they make in the store and again, go and tell people �look I made this at the Apple store and put it all online really easily�.

You can do that now...

#6 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 13:30

Here in the town where i live we have three retailers (big University over here, much folk that�s interested in buying computers), one is actually kinda "discounter" (don�t know if this phrase is also common in the anglo-american regions; it means they only want to sell, no good support, etc.), one is relatively new, so i don�t know much about it, but the third has very polite and expirienced personel, all actual machines are on display with the usual prog�s installed and you can go there and play around with them, they�re even networked so you can take a trip on the

www

#7 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 13:38

Cardboard displays? Your buddy scared of talking the 'usually' helpful apple people?

iPhoto,iMovie. My apple store is setup so you can take pictures and shoot short movies so you can play with iPhoto/iMovie. Of course they usually have the higher end stuff hooked in so they can really wow you.

iChat, ditto, you can chat with people on the other end of the store.

Hell, they even let me test out my own software when I didn't have a G5, to test a few things, all I had to do was ask.

#8 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 15:08

The Apple Store near me (Northpoint Mall) had 80% of its computers set up with MIDI keyboards last time I went in. However. this was two days after GarageBand was released, so the keyboards may not be on display now that the hype has faded.

#9 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 15:29

Last thing you want is a bunch of kids with nothing better to do hogging the machines to mess around, like you'll find with most video game demo setups.

That said you can use some of the software, I believe Mindfad was famous for getting on iChat a while back...

And lots of the stores, like the SoHo Manhattan one, have free seminars for crying out...

Rather than spend money on bells and whistles, they should invest in a quality staff. I'm hearing too many bad Genius experiences...

#10 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 15:33

Have you been IN an Apple retail store and not a reseller?

The Apple stores from what I've heard, have great customer service why worry about it?

#11 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 15:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Superchicken:
Have you been IN an Apple retail store and not a reseller?

The Apple stores from what I've heard, have great customer service why worry about it?

Hey, I'm just saying I've heard some people say they've had some poor experiences with the Genius's. Not the sales staff, but the tech support. Probably just a couple bad Apples, but nevertheless - the staff is a huge plus for the Apple Stores. My mom switched based (nearly) on the difference between the Apple Store and their helpful staff and the usual CompUSA stiffs...

And i bet I've been to more Apple stores than you!

#12 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 15:44

Pff, everytime I am in an Apple related store all the Mac's have some sort of Demo running on the screen showing off all aspects of using a Mac.

Go over to the PC area and they all have the password prompt on screen.

#13 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 17:16

Quote:

Originally posted by paully dub:
Last thing you want is a bunch of kids with nothing better to do hogging the machines to mess around, like you'll find with most video game demo setups.

You, Sir, are a spoilsport (and a bounder and a cad).
In my world Kids will be forced to play with Macs

(or be beaten).

#14 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 17:34

OK I respect your spirit for the issue, but what store are you near? The store near my house has practically all of those things. There is a Garage Band setup - keyboard and all. There is a pro station with a vidcam plugged in - there is an iPhoto station with a Camera plugged in. Every iApp has a setup with related gear. Granted, there isnt an instruction sheet next to the screen, but are they that hard to figure out?

Hell, my 4 year old walks right up to the kids section and sits in front of an eMac and within seconds he has launched Tony Hawk Pro Skater.

#15 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 17:43

Quote:

Originally posted by sambeau:
You, Sir, are a spoilsport (and a bounder and a cad).
In my world Kids will be forced to play with Macs

(or be beaten).

Step off homes, and kids should learn from their parents, not from some cool store that has cool stuff. And YES I am too slow to get on those fat PS2 demos. But I can kick anyone's ass at illustrator...

#16 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 19:03

ok seems like most Apple stores have a satisfactory attitude towards display. But how many people (especially outside the US) have a chance to go to an Apple store?

I suppose most of the cases I had in mind were resellers - since those are most likely where you will see a mac for the first time unless you are lucky enough to live near an Apple store. In my case - there is one Apple store in Japan (Tokyo) and another opening soon in Osaka. Both of those are so far away from me - I could probably fly to Seoul faster than I could get to Toyko...

BUT around where I live there are at least 2 really good (as in size wise) Apple resellers - one has the entire top floor of a large electronics department store devoted to macs.

These are the kinds of places I mean. Surely Apple can implement some kind of reseller display / demo policy too? I mean, its in their best interest after all. When I walk around these resellers, I see lots of nice macs, but nothing is on screen, nothing is being demo-ed and you just see a lot of people walking around, circling the mouse for a bit and then walking off...

#17 Wed, 7 Jul 2004 - 21:57

The apple stores around here seem to be pretty good.. for the display part.. it's the other part that happens.

The last time I walked into an apple store I saw one person behind the genius bar, about 10 people in line waiting for it (sitting around the middle kiosks and on the list), nobody behind the sales counter, and a few customers.. people were interested all right -- but this actually happened.

Guy walks in and uses a powerbook, he somehow ends up with a powerbook box and while I'm sitting there waiting for a 'genius' to help me.. he walks around for a few minutes and finally asks one a question "Where do I buy this?"

There wasn't anyone to sell him the damn thing. If I had to wait around 10 minutes to buy a computer I'd have left.