My visit to an Apple store

re: My visit to an Apple store

Morpth — Thu, 04 May 2006 18:11:22 GMT

RE:The Not So Good

What exactly were you expecting with regards to the employees knowledge of the inner workings?

Last time I checked, Apple prides itself on never having to know what is on the inside. If it breaks, bring it back and we'll fix it for you aka we'll stick a floppy disc in it and the software will diagnose it for us.

re: My visit to an Apple store

izzy — Thu, 04 May 2006 18:28:53 GMT

A floppy disc??? LOL Apple haven't had floppies in Macs for about 5-6 years. And the guys at the Genius Bar's are Apple Certified to know about the inner workings, they repair them. Nice try FUD-mongerer!

re: My visit to an Apple store

Keith Combs — Thu, 04 May 2006 18:33:29 GMT

Well, I didn't ask any inner workings questions. I asked if they could give me a description of the speed difference between the new MacBook Pro and the G4 laptop. I asked if OS X was better on the G4 or the MacBook Pro. I asked what to expect from a Windows migration to a MacBook Pro laptop. I asked about transferring video to the iPod. Pretty simple questions I thought.

I didn't ask about the MacBook Pro ExpressCard 34 PCIe bus throughput, or if they have a compatible ExpressCard eSATA card, or when to expect a HD TV Tuner, or how fast does Virtual PC for the MAC run VM's...

I asked simple stuff.

This was an isolated visit to a new store on one part of the planet and I'm sure the level of expertise varies greatly. I'm also sure some of the employees were part timers and just need a job. It's a kewl place to have a job for sure.

I am not trying to say all store visits will be similar. I certainly hope not.

re: My visit to an Apple store

Ed Faulkner — Thu, 04 May 2006 20:55:33 GMT

I opened the AppleStore in Plano back in 2001, it was the third AppleStore to open. To prepare the employees for the standards Apple expected, full-time employees went through one or two weeks of product and sales training. Even the part-timers (which I was one) received two full weekends (Sat & Sun) of the same training condensed. We had to learn everything from product info to how to address a customer to how to deal with shoplifting to ADA issues. It was very robust. We also had Conflict Resolution sessions to smooth things over behind the scenes. I noticed that as time wore on we "forgot" most of the strict training, and today I don't see any of those practices used in the AppleStore anywhere. But there is no excuse for bad product knowlege in a computer store - just because it's in a mall doesn't mean it's Baby Gap!

Couple of things of interest to Keith's readers in a Mac topic: running Virtual PC has long been the best (and only) way to run Windows on a Mac. You probably heard about Apple's new Boot Camp, but even more significant is the new virtualization app from Parallels (www.parallels.com). It takes advantage of the virtualization hardware built into the Intel Core processors (PC or Mac), and runs Windows (or any PC-based OS) at 90% of machine speed!! I've been using the beta on my Intel iMac for 30 days and it smokes. I've tried to test it on PCs running on the new Core processors, but haven't had enough time to really try it out. But if you need to run Windows on a Mac or PC (for demos, testing, etc...), Parallels is the lead dog in the pack (right now). I use a LOT of virtual technology in my job, and this new Intel hardware combined with this new software changes the game for me (although the political issues behind it are another issue for those of you who know me!).

Thanks for the assessment, Keith! -e

re: My visit to an Apple store

ChadStrunk — Fri, 05 May 2006 23:56:43 GMT

I think it's more telling that they teach classes right in the store. What better way to make sure people can use their computer than to teach them right there in the store. Yes, others like CompUSA do this too, but they're just not as friendly as Apple Stores and they're more geared towards the commercial markets. It just continues to lend to the idea that Macs are user friendly.

By the way, webcasts wouldn't work here...someone needs to teach the basics. It does no good if the new user doesn't know how to turn it on!

re: My visit to an Apple store

Matt — Mon, 15 May 2006 13:44:25 GMT

I've heard a lot of reports about Apple store staff not being up-to scratch.

To answer your questions. The MacBook Pro outperforms the PowerBook significantly, but only with programs that are Universal Binaries or Intel native. PowerPC compiled apps run in an environment called Rosetta, which translates the instructions and therefore can be slower. Most apps are quickly becoming Universal Binaries, but large programs like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop aren't scheduled until 2007.

You can just drag your movies into iTunes and they will then be available on the iPod (as long as it's a compatible format - don't use DivX etc). Also they'll be available in Front Row, through iTunes (but also from your Movies folder)

Matt