English | EN Has Apple gone crazy?
Jun 5, 2015
The answer is “yes.” Probably, when you read the title, you had guessed the answer to be “no,” and thought that this was just a teaser to draw your attention. Unfortunately, it’s not so! In fact, I was in California a couple of days ago and had visited an Apple store there. The experience was …. quite an experience. I needed to buy a small and a big thing. The small one, because I forgot my chargers for my iPad mini and MacBook (Damn!). The big one, because this would be a great excuse for me to buy the new MacBook.
Conversation with an Apple store’s ‘Genius’ guide:
Store guy: Can I help you, sir?
Me: Yes. Actually, I need a small thing and a big thing.
Store guy: Ok sir. What’s the small thing? Can help you right away.
Me: A charger for my iPad mini.
(Showed my iPad and he returned with the charger. I could pay on the spot, so that was perfect).
Store guy: And the big thing?
Me: I need a new machine. The new MacBook. Only one question. I do a lot of presentations. How do I connect the thing to a “beamer”?
Store guy: A “beamer”?
Me: Yes.
Store guy: What’s that?
Me: Maybe it’s not proper English. It’s something that can project images from the computer.
Store guy: Never heard about that!
Me: OK (#wtf) so, …. a projector maybe?
Store guy: I’ve heard about that. But to be honest, I’ve never used it myself. Never presented anything. I want to be completely transparent with you about that.
Me: OK, sure (#wtfisgoingonhere)
How does the new MacBook project slides or images with only one output from the machine? Need to connect the projector to it…
Store guy: Let me see. (And the guy starts putting the words “beamer” and “projector” into Google and search for images.)
Ah! An additional device is needed for that.
Me: I know.
[And then, after a visual search and showing the interfaces I need, (which I knew of), I asked him to get the machine itself.]
Store guy: It will take 5 weeks sir…or more. We only get a short supply, initially. Once it gets viral with people talking about it, we receive a fresh stock.
Me: That means, I cannot buy one now!
Store guy: Yes.
Lesson 1: The Apple guys try to do their best.
Lesson 2: The real use for me (connecting to a projector) was not well understood.
The real issue is not the lack of knowledge of the sales guy, but the fact that I will have to wait for more than a month to buy a newly launched product!! What is the definition of a ‘launch’ any way? I guess it is costing Apple a lot of money by saying “no” to an existing market / loyal customer base. You never know what will happen when you lose the momentum in a fast-changing tech environment. At least, they have lost me.
So, any advice on how I should deal with this (what to buy?)
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