Genius Bar
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| Genius Bar | |
|---|---|
| Image:Geniusbar.jpg The Genius Bar at the Apple Store SoHo, New York, in 2003. | |
| Opened: | May, 2001 |
| Website: | Apple.com - Genius Bar |
The Genius Bar is a station located inside every Apple Retail Store, the purpose of which is to offer help and support for Apple products. Ron Johnson, the Senior Vice President for Retail, has often referred to the Genius Bar as the "heart and soul of our stores"[1]. Mac Geniuses are specially trained and certified employees who staff the Genius Bar. [2] Their role is to help customers with Apple hardware and software. All in-store repairs of Apple products are carried out by Mac Geniuses.
Contents |
[edit] Store layout
The layout of a Genius Bar consists of at least two 15" MacBookPro/PowerBook computers, often mounted on "floating" stands. LCD screens behind the Bar play looped videos which offer tips to customers waiting to speak to a Genius, as well as updates on the status of the reservation queue. The "Red Telephone" sometimes seen behind the Genius Bar was a direct line to AppleCare's Tier 2 agents, allowing for even the most difficult problems and questions to be answered. [3] This phone is no longer installed in newer Apple Retail Stores.[citation needed]
[edit] Staff
Mac Geniuses are primarily viewed as the local representatives of AppleCare, although they are employees of the store. They offer personal support when customers have problems or questions with their Apple products. Most services carried out at the Genius Bar are free. Non-warranty service (which is paid for by the customer when repairs are complete) is also routinely performed.
[edit] Reservation system
The Genius Bars currently operate on a reservation system. Customers can schedule a reservation time online before coming in (choosing a time up to 48 hours in advance) or may choose to sign up when they walk in the store. ProCare members are able to access open reservations up to 14 days in advance and take advantage of other features, like Fast Track, which allows for priority repairs.[4]
[edit] Spinoffs/offshoots
Recently, two offshoots of the Genius Bar concept have started to appear in almost all new stores, and be retrofitted into existing stores.
- The Studio, which is staffed by trainers who serve customers with questions about many Apple and third-party applications, such as Final Cut Pro, Aperture, as well as Adobe Photoshop, to name a few. [5]
- The iPod Bar serves to separate out the customers with iPod-related questions to allow the Genius Bar to focus on customers with Macintosh-specific queries. [6]
[edit] References
- ^ IFO Apple Store. "Analysist's Conference", 2004-03-01. Retrieved on 2006-10-13.
- ^ ungeni.us, "Mac Genius Training." [1]
- ^ macworld.com "Big Crowds Cheer Apple Store Debut in California, May 19, 2001. [2]
- ^ Apple Store - ProCare [3]
- ^ apple.com "The Studio" [4]
- ^ gizmodo.com "iPod Bar Japan: Great service, but the cocktails need work" [5]
[edit] External links
Apple Inc. | |
|---|---|
| Board of directors | Bill Campbell · Millard Drexler · Al Gore · Steve Jobs · Arthur D. Levinson · Eric E. Schmidt · Jerry York |
| Hardware products | Macintosh · iMac · Mac mini · MacBook · MacBook Pro · Mac Pro · Xserve |
| Accessories | AirPort · Apple TV · Cinema Display · iPhone · iPod (classic, shuffle, nano, touch) · Mighty Mouse · Xserve RAID |
| Software products | Aperture · FileMaker Pro · Final Cut · iLife · iTunes · iWork · Logic · Mac OS X (Server) · QuickTime · Safari · Xsan |
| Stores and services | ADC · AppleCare · Apple Specialist · Apple Store (online) · Certifications · Genius Bar · iTunes Store · .Mac · One to One · ProCare |
| See also | Advertising (Get a Mac, iPods, Slogans) · Braeburn Capital · FileMaker Inc. · History (Discontinued products, Litigation, Typography) · Portal |
| Annual Revenue: US$24.01 billion (Image:Green Arrow Up Darker.svg24.3% FY 2007) · Employees: 17,787 full-time; 2,399 temporary · Stock Symbol: (NASDAQ: AAPL, LSE: ACP, FWB: APC) · Website: www.apple.com | |
