I was thrilled when I saw this article. About a month ago, I wrote a diatribe on here, about Staples and their deplorable business practices, and now out in the real news is an anonymous Apple employee doing the same. If you've ever been to a large mall in your area you may have seen the big white Apple stores. These medical looking stores look very sterile, clean, and quite frankly, pretty freaky. Minimilism is obviously what they're going for. You can touch, play and fondle all the available apple products. I really really despise going into these stores, the staff is always dressed down in tee shirts, trying to be "everyday" looking. I actually do own apple products, and find nothing wrong with their merchandise, but even I must admit, their marketing, and is so obnoxious. Apple started out as a small company that really strove to be different for the sake of change. Now because Apple is so mainstream, they just like being "different" for the sake of keeping up their facade. Anyway, this anonymous Apple employee, whom we'll call...'Aaron', gave us an inside look at an Apple retail store. What strikes me as the most glaring, is that Apple employees can actually lie to their customers about jail breaking, or switching carriers. All to make a buck. This is exactly what bothered me about Staples. Taking advantage of someone who doesn't know just so you can turn a profit. Like Staples, Apple employee's sales numbers are tracked and posted for other employee's to see. Which makes competition amongst employee's stiff, causing employee's to push the envelope further and further into getting better sales.
Has anyone here ever been lied to by an Apple employee? Has anyone had a good or bad experience at one of their stores?
Read the summary article for yourself, or pick up the full article in Popular Mechanics this month.
http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/confessions-of-an-apple-store-employee-we-lie-to-customers-all-the-time-535959.html
I've never been into an Apple store. Now that I think about it I've never seen an Apple store, and from the sounds of it I'm lucky. I agree with you, I have no problem with apple products but the marketing is obnoxious and pretentious. That being said, the Mac mailbox is pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteWow, I must say that's pretty bad. I do own an ipod, but in general I think the whole 'apple image' is silly
ReplyDeleteiDon't Like Apple. They're too greedy, to corporate, too controlling. Too like what they were trying to NOT be back in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteBut why would they tell their customers about jail-breaking? It's illegal. It's like them saying, here's how you can illegally download our software. Of course they're going to deny that you can, because they want to discourage you from doing it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article of all of those "confessions," it just seem like common sense. I don't exactly see the controversy here.
very interesting and i agree with what your saying.
ReplyDeletemacs, are for wannabe-elitists who think their white boxes are more powerful and "aesthetically pleasing" because the cost more, when they are actually getting paying twice of what its worth.
ReplyDeleteI bought my Alienware for 2500, almost 8 years ago. It just 2 years ago started becoming iffy, and this year its way too old.
You can now buy about at least 4x better PC for maybe 800. PCs are going down rapidly because of constant customizable advancements.
Macs are fine for some people, but when they act like a-holes because they are Mac users, it really grinds my teeth.
don't really care for apple, and when i did see one of their stores at the mall it freaked me out, and i wanted nothing to do with it....i rather subjected my self to the hell that is build a bear right in the middle of hannukah and a couple weeks before christmas.
ReplyDeleteWell i always like the apple stores, but a little less after reading this...
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to think of the "most respected" businesses acting like this.
ReplyDeleteI saw that article, it's pretty ridiculous that the salespeople can sell you a piece of technology the day before a new one comes out without issue, even though it's pretty immoral.
ReplyDeleteHow 'bout them Apples? x3 well doesn't surprise me since this world revolves around survival of the fittest or better yet, whoever has the most profit...
ReplyDeletewow, those assholes... im glad i buy my own shit online...
ReplyDeleteI've never owned an Apple product and don't plan to own one. Good post, by the way.
ReplyDeleteI still think Apple would have to get a lot worse before I would use another laptop. It just is great quality. I never owned a laptop for that long.
ReplyDeleteApple is way too expensive.
ReplyDeleteI bought my Powerbook G4 2nd hand years ago.
ReplyDeleteIt did well, but I need something new. Don't think I'll go apple this time though.
For all Microsofts faults, I still prefer pc over mac tbh
ReplyDeleteI've never had any bad experiences like this but then again I buy my apple products online =]
ReplyDeletei can't even remember the last time i was in an apple store.
ReplyDeleteApple I find it ok. I have a mac and it seems to do what i want it to do most of the time! No crashes like my windows pc!
ReplyDeleteGot an apple store near me, cannot bear to be in it with all the scene twats...
ReplyDeleteAlso, macs = bars of soap
i absolutely hate apple. PC's are the way to go. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Apple's marketing is incredibly obnoxious. I know someone (friend of my gf) who got a job working for apple. That person was then told (during her training period) that Apple invented the mouse, something that is not true. The sad thing was, this person didn't believe me even though I've been repairing computers over 10 years. That and other things they've told her lead me to believe that apple actually lies to their employees so that they can spew more pro apple garbage. Thanks for this blog post, I needed to blow off some steam. Following ;)
ReplyDeleteInteresting article. The only time I went into an Apple store I was bombarded by an employee who insisted on trying to sell me something above my price range. Even after I made it clear I couldn't afford it, he asked if I had family or friends I could borrow from. I left and haven't been back.
ReplyDeleteApple have amazing control over their marketing strategy though I have to admit, I do find it kind of annoying.
ReplyDeletenice post
ReplyDelete+ followed:)
lol @ title pun ^.^b
ReplyDeleteDO WANT! Mailbox! I'm re-posting this.
ReplyDeleteThat poor little Mac isn't going to fare very well outside in the sun.
ReplyDelete