Apple testing larger retail Genius Bars with emphasized iPad use
Apple is experimenting with tweaked a Genius Bar service center at one retail store, featuring a larger table removed from the back wall that has replaced the kids' seats and tables.
Details and photos of the new design come from Gary Allen of ifoAppleStore.com. He revealed that the new Genius Bar tables have been rotated 90 degrees so that they are perpendicular to the rear wall of the store, rather than up against the back wall as the Genius Bars have traditionally been positioned.
The new Genius Bars will also reportedly emphasize the use of iPads to manage customer service records, giving Apple's touchscreen tablet an even greater presence in the company's retail chain.
The placement of the new Genius Bar at one test store takes up more room, and thus replaces the kids' tables that are usually found in the back of Apple's stores. The new Genius Bar is about 15 inches from the rear wall and features at least one currency drawer, with no visible outlets on top of the table.
The new table found at one test store packs in 12 total stools, up from 7 stools that were previously found at the 30-foot-wide store.
"Apple is in the midst of enlarging or moving several early stores to increase their size to improve the ability to accommodate more visitors," Allen wrote. "However, not every shopping mall or other venue has space available for a larger Apple store. This new 90-degree Genius Bar turn solution would be particularly effective at narrow stores where there is limited room for seated customers."
While the new Genius Bar layout is being tested at one specific Apple Retail store, Allen said it's unknown if the design change will eventually make its way to Apple's other retail locations.
Details and photos of the new design come from Gary Allen of ifoAppleStore.com. He revealed that the new Genius Bar tables have been rotated 90 degrees so that they are perpendicular to the rear wall of the store, rather than up against the back wall as the Genius Bars have traditionally been positioned.
The new Genius Bars will also reportedly emphasize the use of iPads to manage customer service records, giving Apple's touchscreen tablet an even greater presence in the company's retail chain.
The placement of the new Genius Bar at one test store takes up more room, and thus replaces the kids' tables that are usually found in the back of Apple's stores. The new Genius Bar is about 15 inches from the rear wall and features at least one currency drawer, with no visible outlets on top of the table.
The new table found at one test store packs in 12 total stools, up from 7 stools that were previously found at the 30-foot-wide store.
"Apple is in the midst of enlarging or moving several early stores to increase their size to improve the ability to accommodate more visitors," Allen wrote. "However, not every shopping mall or other venue has space available for a larger Apple store. This new 90-degree Genius Bar turn solution would be particularly effective at narrow stores where there is limited room for seated customers."
While the new Genius Bar layout is being tested at one specific Apple Retail store, Allen said it's unknown if the design change will eventually make its way to Apple's other retail locations.
Comments
I see the possible benefit, but if I were an employee I would prefer the clear separation from customers with the old design. People too often have a poor sense of personal space, questionable hygiene and carry diseases. ;-)
So you agree that getting rid of the kids section is a good thing. ????
Getting rid of the kid's section is a good idea. It's more important to help Apple users with any technical issues, than to be a nursery school or babysitting service for annoying and whiny kids.
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Originally Posted by SolipsismX
So you agree that getting rid of the kids section is a good thing. ????
Hey those emoji are pretty cool! ???? ????
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
Getting rid of the kid's section is a good idea. It's more important to help Apple users with any technical issues, than to be a nursery school or babysitting service for annoying and whiny kids.
Your opinion will change once you have kids.
I think the kids table was one of the more brilliant things Apple did. A safe, comfy place to park the kids while you attended to business/buying.
Parking them in front of an iPad is probably actually better (most little 'uns seemed to be clicking madly on a Mac game that was confusing them.), but you can't park a 4-year-old safely on a 4-foot stool unattended.
Trading this to allow Geniuses sit next to you instead of across from you is questionable. Won't be catastrophic, but I don't think its particularly productive in the bigger picture of making people welcome.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
Getting rid of the kid's section is a good idea. It's more important to help Apple users with any technical issues, than to be a nursery school or babysitting service for annoying and whiny kids.
I think the kids section was considered the indoctrination center. Now with iPad so popular they are being sufficiently indoctrinated at home. ????
FYI: If you are on Lion, go to Edit > Special Characters > Emoji (alternately go to the top right menu select character viewer)
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQB
Your opinion will change once you have kids.
I think the kids table was one of the more brilliant things Apple did. A safe, comfy place to park the kids while you attended to business/buying.
Parking them in front of an iPad is probably actually better (most little 'uns seemed to be clicking madly on a Mac game that was confusing them.), but you can't park a 4-year-old safely on a 4-foot stool unattended.
Trading this to allow Geniuses sit next to you instead of across from you is questionable. Won't be catastrophic, but I don't think its particularly productive in the bigger picture of making people welcome.
You're probably right about my opinion changing, if and when I had kids of my own. But since I don't have any at the moment, I tend to stay away from other people who do have them. I was at the movies recently, for the first time in quite a while, and some idiot parents who brought their small, crying kids pretty much ruined the whole film. Those parents were pure ghetto trash and their kids will most likely also grow up to be trash, and the cycle continues.
Or use TextExpander to setup a bunch of simple text-based shortcuts to facilitate fast and easy posting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
You're probably right about my opinion changing, if and when I had kids of my own. But since I don't have any at the moment, I tend to stay away from other people who do have them. I was at the movies recently, for the first time in quite a while, and some idiot parents who brought their small, crying kids pretty much ruined the whole film. Those parents were pure ghetto trash and their kids will most likely also grow up to be trash, and the cycle continues.
You'll be happier once you do, if only because they'll no longer bother you.
wow @ the kids will grow up to be trash too.
Be mad at the parents for bring their kids to the movies. But don't take it out on the kids.
That's what kids do, they cry!!!
Your the Idiot you idiot!!!
Dumb ass new college grads.
Go drink some beer you douch!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by super8sean
Your the Idiot you idiot!!!
That sentence is quite ironic, though I'm not counting on you to know why that is the case.
And yes, the kids will eventually turn out bad too, because they will emulate their poor parents and pass on the undesirable traits to their own children.
I don't care for this idea... 1. I like the separation between me and the genius. 2. The kids section is one of the best features of the Apple store. If it weren't there, it's unlikely that I would visit Apple stores very often unless I absolutely had to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
That sentence is quite ironic, though I'm not counting on you to know why that is the case.
And yes, the kids will eventually turn out bad too, because they will emulate their poor parents and pass on the undesirable traits to their own children.
Are there bad parents? Of course. Are the kids destined to follow them? No. I saw good and bad examples of parenting from my own parents and friends of mine and their folks. I pick and choose which of those methods I use myself (if I use any of them) and go about being a parent b/c I am a rational human being. You are just asking for flames today aren't you?
About the kids section, my youngest is 4 and my oldest is nearly 7. The Apple Store is their favorite store in the mall, partially b/c they could go in there and click around on a Mac or now use the iPad. granted, at home they have an iPad 1 that my wife has prety much ceded to them. Which is good b/c they frequently lose the Apple TV remote and have to use the iPad to watch things on Netflix
Quote:
Originally Posted by SSquirrel
I believe removing the kids section company wide would be a mistake.
The article did say that this was mainly in older stores or stores without a lot space, so I guess that the kids section will still remain in most Apple stores.
Personally, I wished the Apple Store was less of a clusterfuck so it is not so hard to look at anything with a stroller or a toddler. For example, there are two Retina MacBook Pros front and center in my area with dozen or more people surrounding them. It is a pain in the butt navigating past the crowd, although the sides tend to be clear since those are usually the less popular hardware (iMacs, etc).
I could care less about the kids section, I just wished the store was more family accessible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
The article did say that this was mainly in older stores or stores without a lot space, so I guess that the kids section will still remain in most Apple stores.
Yeah but MOST Apple stores that I have seen lack space
Quote:
Originally Posted by GQB
Your opinion will change once you have kids.
I think the kids table was one of the more brilliant things Apple did. A safe, comfy place to park the kids while you attended to business/buying.
Parking them in front of an iPad is probably actually better (most little 'uns seemed to be clicking madly on a Mac game that was confusing them.), but you can't park a 4-year-old safely on a 4-foot stool unattended.
Trading this to allow Geniuses sit next to you instead of across from you is questionable. Won't be catastrophic, but I don't think its particularly productive in the bigger picture of making people welcome.
I'm sure the kid's area is popular, but it certainly does introduce a host of liabilities for Apple. I don't think the Apple Store should be thought of as an arcade for the kids to hang around. They should jettison any kids without parents unless they are making a purchase or consulting with a Genius.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
Getting rid of the kid's section is a good idea. It's more important to help Apple users with any technical issues, than to be a nursery school or babysitting service for annoying and whiny kids.
Spoken like a bachelor with no kids. Given that I shopped at an Apple store just yesterday with my 5-year old daughter, I can tell you that having that kid area available is a godsend to any parent trying to do anything in a crowded understaffed store. The point of a kid area is to ensure that he/she doesn't have a meltdown while the parent is trying to demo a product, flag down help, or get some questions answered. And it's an area entirely scaled and curated with kids in mind -- the furniture is right for their height, and the apps loaded onto the demo units are age-appropriate. If you think that kids don't influence the parents' purchasing decisions, well, again that's spoken like a bachelor with no kids. A kid playing with an iPad is going to tell their parents that they want an iPad, and a kid whose family already has an iPad is going to tell the parents that they want that cool app they just played with. To that end, it just works -- Apple made a few more bucks off of me in the process, as my daughter discovered some a couple of new iPad apps at the Apple Store that we bought from the App Store when we got home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
You're probably right about my opinion changing, if and when I had kids of my own. But since I don't have any at the moment, I tend to stay away from other people who do have them. I was at the movies recently, for the first time in quite a while, and some idiot parents who brought their small, crying kids pretty much ruined the whole film. Those parents were pure ghetto trash and their kids will most likely also grow up to be trash, and the cycle continues.
Bringing kids to the movies and bringing them with you on shopping errands are entirely different things. Even to this day, we don't bring our daughter with us to the movies because we know that she won't stay still or quiet for 2 hours, as people are expected to in a movie theater (of course, kids have an excuse because they are kids, but adults who text or talk during the movies don't). But, that's not the same thing as bringing her with us when go to the mall or do everyday errands. Apple makes accommodations to the little ones at their retail stores. That makes us want to visit and shop there more often, and in turn spend more money when we're at the Apple store. If Apple did not make that accommodation, we would either need to arrange to leave her at home or prepare to cut the shopping trip short if she starts throwing a tantrum.