Apple Store

Pros:  Incredibly helpful service, beautiful stores, a true gold standard of service

Cons:  The online store experience is not great; this is about the retail operation.

The Bottom Line:  The Apple Retail Stores offer the best experience you'll ever get in a computer store. Not to be confused with the online store, though.

Full review
I know you're feeling skeptical. You've heard all the hype about the Apple Retail Stores. About Steve Jobs snapping one day after a trip or two to CompUSA, comparing the normal retail experience to shopping for a used car. Except worse. And I know that what you really wonder is this: When the chips are down, how's the service? Well, the good news is I had the perfect test. The bad news is that I had the perfect test. The great news is that the Apple Store came through, with flying colours.

I had bought a slightly used Titanium PowerBook G4 (see upcoming separate review) and it crashed mysteriously. A bizarre "cracked Mac" logo appeared when I switched it on. I feared that I would have to deal with the seller and the original store somehow, but figured taking it to the Genius Bar first would not hurt. At least I'd know what was going on.

So I packed it up, took it to the store and visited the Genius Bar. Jenn, a very nice redheaded lady, who knew me from my many previous visits, sent me off to their resident Genius Robbie. Robbie recognized the problem straight away: A broken system folder.

For about an hour, we tried to get the machine to work. The disk repair program was crashing in the middle of operation, saying it didn't have enough RAM. We tried a whole bunch of solutions, but nothing worked. Finally, it was obvious we would have to reinstall the operating systems. They took my data off the system using a FireWire drive, and helped me reinstall everything and restore the system to good health.

This doesn't sound like all this much in the telling, but it took three hours of more or less constant attention. Everyone was very nice, attentive, and obviously knew what they were talking about. I was impressed at the sheer level of ungrudging service, long after most stores I know of would have given up on me and told me to exchange the system.

So if you have a problem with your Mac, the Genius Bar is the place to go. Free Evian, too.

*

But what about the rest of the store, seeing that I'm writing the first review? Well, Apple has a concept that seems to be virtually unique in the world of computer retailing: Let people use fresh, newly configured systems, with plenty of digital cameras and other toys to play with. Give free gold-standard Internet access. Don't give any sales pressure, but stand ready to answer questions and assist. Hire intelligent people who know what they're talking about. Make people like you and your company, and they will buy your systems. Those who are cheap will buy them elsewhere, and that's OK. People who appreciate quality service will buy direct, and that's more than OK.

My report from the field says that it's working spectacularly. When I visited the store to get my system taken care of, there were maybe fifty people there, all chatting away with sales staff, playing with the systems, and all in all having a good time. I saw two PowerMac G4s go out the door while I was there, so it looks like the formula is creating substantial sales. And there is no doubt it's increasing interest in the brand: I was outside of the store using my PowerBook a few days ago, and a stunning willowy brunette spent fifteen minutes quizzing me on it!

The store definitely showcases Apple's competitive advantages; I think the formula is going to be tough to duplicate. Somehow I can't imagine, say, Compaq stores having quite the same impact. If you are anywhere near one of these stores, I encourage you to take a look; I think you will come out impressed and a bit awed by the experience of it all.

(PS As I have said in other reviews, service in the Apple ONLINE store has struck me as a bit snooty - and they're slow to deliver; you'll get your product at Fry's before you'll receive it from the online people. Avoid if at all possible. This paragraph is here purely because this "should" be a review of the online store).