GeniusBar
Latest
Apple stops charging $99 to transfer data to new Macs
If you have a ton of files you need to move to your new Mac, you're in luck. Apple quietly did away with the $99 fee it charges to migrate data from your old Mac to your new computer. The policy change, which went into effect on April 2nd, was first reported by TidBITS. From now on, if you purchase a new Mac or take your computer in for repair, Apple will transfer your data for free.
Apple will replace your iPhone battery even if it passes tests
Apple now has $29/£25 iPhone battery replacements available as an apology for its approach to handset slowdowns. But do you need to wait until your iPhone actually slows down before paying for a fresh power pack? Apparently not. MacRumors has confirmed an iGeneration report that Apple will replace the batteries on iPhone 6 or newer models whether or not they pass the usual diagnostic test (which recommends a replacement if the battery falls below 80 percent of its original capacity). In other words, you can go ahead if your phone just isn't lasting as long as it used to.
Samsung tests Genius Bar-like 'care centers' in co-working spaces
If you've ever spent too much time waiting at an Apple Genius Bar to get your gadget fixed, you know that it can be a pretty boring, sterile moment. There just isn't much to do there, besides checking out Apple Watch bands on your wrist, or trying to find out which set of Beats sound better. Samsung's VP of design, Mick McConnell, felt the same way, but he actually got to do something about it. The electronics company is piloting a program at co-working space WeWorks to let people come in to get help with their Samsung devices. That way, you can get some work done at the various stations while you wait.
Leaked Apple support app could save you a trip to the store
The Genius Bars in Apple's retail stores are supposed to be convenient ways to answer questions and get repairs, but the ever-growing deluge of customers sometimes makes it a pain. Ever waited 20 minutes just to get a Lightning cable replaced? Well, the Cupertino crew may have a clever way to speed up that wait time... and in some cases, save you a trip altogether. Both uSwitch and leaker Sonny Dickson understand that Apple is working on a support app for iOS that would help you get the fix you need. The app would narrow down the cause of your problem by asking questions, and offer chances to contact support, book a Genius Bar appointment or (if it's a relatively minor issue) fix it yourself through how-to guides. Think of it as Apple's support website distilled into a simpler, more powerful form.
Apple rumored to overhaul its Genius Bar, add 'Concierge' service
Apple is reportedly readying substantial changes to how it runs its Genius Bar support service in-stors, according to 9to5Mac. While the current walk-in system requires the customer to explain the issue then be given an appointment soon after, the new 'Concierge' service (as it'll apparently be called) will tap into special algorithms to offer support for customers, giving wait time based on priority. As 9to5Mac puts it, a broken iPhone screen would receive higher priority than a small issue with iCloud when the phone itself still works fine. Employees will input the customers' issues, and the system will do the rest.
Apple ID now required to set Genius Bar appointment online
Apple has implemented a slight, but significant change to the way it books Genius Bar appointments online. Now folks wishing to make such an appointment must have a working Apple ID and password. Previously, users could simply enter in basic identifiable information like their name and email address in order to set up an appointment. TechCrunch adds some insight as to the reasoning behind the recent change: An additional reason for this change, we understand, is to give the control of a Genius Bar appointment to a user directly, who must know their credentials and enter them before being able to confirm a payment. There is also the convenience of having a customer's data automatically filled out with a simple entry of the Apple ID. This could allow Geniuses to look [up] past purchases and communicate with the user much easier now as well.
Daily Update for September 12, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple comes out on top in Consumer Reports tech support ratings
Consumer Reports has announced that Apple has come out on top again -- and bested its previous score -- in providing consumer tech support to its users. The company scored far higher than the other big companies for the elements that make for successful online and phone support: ease of contacting staff, clarity of advice, technical knowledge, patience and time for follow-up. The annual survey found that 88 percent of of customer problems were solved at an in-store Genius Bar, compared to only 70 percent at Best Buy's in-store Geek Squad bars. Consumer Reports also notes that Apple was able to resolve 82 percent of computer problems across all its support lines (in-store, phone, etc.). Overall, Apple scored 86 our of 100 in the survey -- the highest of any computer manufacturer. The next best was Lenovo, which scored a 63 out of 100.
Apple now asking potential Genius Bar customers to reboot iPhone before making an appointment
So, your new iPhone 5 is acting quirky, and you want to make an appointment at the Genius Bar to see what's wrong with it. You go to the Apple website, enter the location of your local store and let the concierge know what device you want to get help with ... and you're promptly greeted with the window seen above, asking you to reset your iPhone before continuing. This little trick often does help, and it's not surprising that a lot of new iPhone customers don't know about this. As Reddit user ehsteve23 pointed out in the first of 368 comments on brewstah's post of this screen on imgur.com, "Suddenly the number of Genius Bar appointments fall by 30%" ...
Apple Store remodel to introduce two-row Genius Bar
The Apple Store of the future could feature not one, but two Genius bars for technical service support, says a report in ifoAppleStore. The Garden State Plaza store in Paramus, NJ is moving to a significantly bigger location and redesigned the store to include the company's first double-row Genius bar. The bar will sit parallel to the rear wall, and customers will be able to walk around the islands. According to ifoAppleStore, this floating Genius bar arrangement was tested last July in the Los Gatos, Calif., store.
Daily Update for August 20, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple Stores have had 300 million visitors so far in 2012
If you thought those Apple stores were pretty crowded you'd be right. The Loop is reporting Apple has had 300 million visitors to its retail outlets in fiscal year 2012 (which started in October 2011). That's a big number. For comparisons, the total US population is 311 million people. Here's another daunting number. The Genius Bar services about 50,000 people every day worldwide. That's a lot of customer impressions for Apple to make, and judging by recent satisfaction surveys, most customers feel they are being treated pretty well by Apple As of July, Apple had 373 retail stores around the world, with about 250 in the U.S.
Best Buy founder wants slashed prices, Apple-style customer service in $10 billion rescue plan
Best Buy founder Richard Schulze is proposing a plan to turn around the ailing electronics store as part of a $10 billion buyout. He's proposing the retailer slashes prices to compete with online rivals like Amazon, while offering Apple Store-levels of customer service. He's concerned that the current closure and size-reduction policy will spell the end of the business, which is rumored to announce another round of closures shortly. It's yet to be seen if his plan, which would mean running Best Buy at a loss for several years, would be accepted by the company's management, who are meeting to discuss the proposals at the end of the month.
Dear Aunt TUAW: My Lion-only MacBook just died. Help! (Updated)
Dear Aunt TUAW, The hard drive in my late 2006 black MacBook died this week. I purchased a new hard drive for it, used my OS X 10.6 install CD and then updated. I then went to the Mac App Store and found I can no longer download Lion, even with trying to hold the Option key down. What can I do other then buy the US$69 USB key? Your loving nephew, Todd Dear Todd, Update: The Lion installer has made a re-appearance in the Purchases tab, so it may be worth trying to download it one more time. Auntie gathers you didn't make a USB install drive from your original installer, yes? As for Apple's USB installer, Auntie's afraid that's no longer available. It must have been removed from shelves when Lion disappeared from the Mac App Store. Pity. She thinks you should head on over to an Apple Store Genius Bar and throw yourself and your MacBook on their mercy. You shouldn't have to pay $69 for a copy of the installer software that you already paid for. Since you did already pay, if you have any friends with copies of the installer, you're probably on reasonable moral grounds to re-install that way as well. Not near an Apple store? You can also try calling Apple Support, although that's generally better to do if you have Apple Care. Mind you this is Auntie's own opinion. And Auntie has a lot of opinions. Like Teen Wolf. It should be on every night, and go for 52 weeks of the year. All Teen Wolf, all the time. And Werthers should sponsor "Dear Aunt TUAW", providing the TUAW staffers with free candies and back massages. See? These opinions are not entirely based in any reality, so check with Apple about your options. In any case, Auntie wishes you an easy upgrade and a quick return to Lion health. Hugs, Auntie T. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Best Buy retail borrowing ideas from Apple Stores
That's the word from the Wall Street Journal, in a report that says Best Buy has a "Solution Central" table filled with Geek Squad employees at a test location in Minnesota. It's similar to the Apple Store Genius Bar. Best Buy is also trying methods to let customers pay at several locations, rather than wait in a checkout line. Best Buy's interim CEO, Mike Mikan, says he is calling the Apple Store-like efforts "Best Buy 2.0." Among the changes is an effort to have lots of employees around to help people. I can relate to that. Finding help at my local Best Buy store is a difficult task. What's worse is the pricing. How can a store that calls itself 'Best Buy' be high priced on just about everything? Have you priced HDMI cables there? Last I looked, some 4 foot HDMI cables were fifty dollars, while similar cables can be found online for under fifteen dollars. When I was shopping for a new flat screen TV, Amazon was almost a thousand dollars less for the same exact product, and of course, no tax. I'd love to buy locally, but at the current Best Buy pricing, there is no chance. Of course Apple products cost the same pretty much everywhere, and Best Buy sells a lot of iPhones and iPads, but Best Buy needs to make some dramatic changes in employee availability and pricing to stay afloat. The company has already announced plans to close 50 stores, and convert 60 stores to the new Best Buy 2.0 format. That leaves almost a thousand Best Buy stores that are still working the old way. How about you? Will having a Genius Bar clone and more employees get you shopping at Best Buy? Or is online shopping your preference?
Daily Update for July 2, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple trying new Genius Bar layout
IFO Apple Store has spotted a new trend in a few Apple Stores around the country: Apple is trying a new layout for the in-store Genius bar, turning it perpendicular to the store wall instead of running parallel along it. The new layout is designed to make things more accessible, and provide more room for users to come in and get their various Apple items inspected and fixed. I think it might make things more chaotic, with both sides of the bench available to Geniuses and customers. But especially for long, narrow stores with little room to spread out lengthwise, the bar metaphor isn't always best. Hopefully this new layout, if adapted chainwide, will help get more Apple users more help faster.
Dear Aunt TUAW: Retina MacBook Pro, buy now or wait?
Dear Aunt TUAW, My brother is getting one of those devilishly good lookin' new Retina MacBook Pro's. Should he order now and wait the 2-3 weeks? Or wait and see when it comes in stock at a local Apple Store? Your loving nephew, Jesse Dear Jesse, Do you need to customize your processor and RAM? You'll probably do better online. If not, and you're close to an Apple Store retail outlet, go ahead and look for one in-store. Remember, the Retina MacBook is not end-user serviceable, so you'll need to purchase a unit with the exact memory and storage you'll use for the lifetime of your system. Auntie recommends buying as much RAM as you can afford. (Feel free to max out any specs you can handle monetarily, but Auntie's particularly a fan of RAM for best system performance.) As to where to buy, Apple's online order system generally gets backlogged quicker than its in-store availability. Auntie suspects that demand for the new Retina Pro won't be as high as for that of a new iPad or iPhone, so store inventory should be steady. Whatever you do, especially as you're planning to buy near the top of the Apple ecosystem, make sure you buy into AppleCare. Yes, this raises the base cost of a system by $349, but Auntie considers it an absolute essential for a Retina purchase, as well as for any MacBook Pro. AppleCare greatly increases the likelihood that you'll have a good customer experience over the lifetime of your unit -- and Auntie rarely buys consumer warranties for anything. By purchasing AppleCare, you're buying into Apple's Genius Bar and telephone support ecosystem for a full three years. It's worth the cost differential. Hugs, Auntie T.
AT&T concept store uses iPads, iPhones for checkout
An AT&T concept store opening this weekend in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights aims to "differentiate the AT&T experience," according to AT&T retail president Paul Roth. Roth told AllThingsD that AT&T needs to do more to lure the shopper into its stores now that most mobile phones essentially look the same (blocks of glass with software underneath). To that end, AT&T is borrowing heavily from the Apple Store model. The Arlington Heights concept store has eliminated traditional cash registers in favor of a payment system using iPads and iPhones, just like Apple does in its stores. The store will also feature wide glass windows, so passersby can easily see what's on display inside and feel more "invited" to come in -- another Apple Store trait. Finally, the store will offer "bar stool-style seats and tables to try out the latest devices and services as well as a spot to get in-store support for devices and software," according to AllThingsD. Throw a logo of an atom with swirling electrons on it and you'd have a Genius Bar. Some non-Apple Store features will also be included in the store, including two large touchscreen walls and an entire section of the store dedicated to "emerging devices," such as new Bluetooth and wireless accessories. Expect whatever features of the concept store that are a hit to make it into other AT&T stores in the future.
Hackintosh repaired at Apple Genius Bar
So, you're in Shanghai, China with your fake MacBook Air when it suddenly stops working. What do you do? Make an appointment at the real Genius Bar for the Apple Store, Pudong in Shanghai and get help. Fortunately for the man who brought the "MacBook Air" into the store, the Geniuses behind the bar were in a good mood and actually helped him out with diagnostics and troubleshooting. I somehow feel this type of friendly and helpful reception might be lacking if a certain colleague of mine brought her trio of hackintosh netbooks into a local Apple Store here in the U.S.
