In Search of Microsoft GeniusesWhy the software giant should copy the Apple Store.
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009, at 6:31 PM ET
PRINT
DISCUSS
E-MAIL
RSS
RECOMMEND...
Facebook
MySpace
Mixx
Digg
Reddit
del.icio.us
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Sphere
StumbleUponMicrosoft built that store in conjunction with Sony, which runs a few dozen retail locations of its own around the country. The Sony shops suffer from the same problem as Microsoft's early venture. Though they're very pretty and stocked with all kinds of wonderful goodies, the Sony stores are unbelievably boring. They fetishize technology; everything is arranged just so, and you're reluctant to play with the stuff for fear that you might disrupt a gleaming display. The stores are overly big, too, with the staff spread out in far-flung corners, never around to help you when you've got a question. It's been a long while since I ventured into one of these shops, and I have no regrets. Not once have I thought, Hey, I need a new laptop—let me pop in to SonyStyle to see what they've got.
Apple launched its stores in part because it lacked control over how its products were presented by other retailers. CEO Steve Jobs argued that staff at big-box operations couldn't explain what was special about the company's stuff. And though Apple had a great online store, Jobs believed that shopping on the Web wasn't very satisfying. "When I bring something home to the kids, I want to get the smile. I don't want the UPS guy to get the smile," he once told a retail trade magazine.
But Apple's stores—there are now 251 locations around the world, and the company plans to open 25 more during the current fiscal year—are much more than a mere distribution channel. For committed Apple fans, the stores function as a local center of fandom—a place to get the first peek at the new MacBook Air or iPod Nano. For less obsessive owners, the chain is a handy place to get help—you can pop over to buy a new set of headphones or to ask how to sync your iPhone with Google Calendar. And for the uninitiated, the stores are a friendly invitation to the cult. Here's a place to play around with everything before you buy, a place where you can be sure someone who knows what he's talking about will be answering your questions. The store also stands as a promise of future help—you're spending a few hundred dollars more on that laptop than you really wanted to, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that you can bring it back when the battery stops working.
There are two parts of the Apple retail strategy that Microsoft would be wise to replicate: the hiring process and the Genius Bars. Every Apple Store employee I've ever met has at least acted as if she loved to work there. The staff never tries to pressure you into buying stuff you don't need, and, unlike the blue-shirted guys at Best Buy, rarely lapses into tech jargon. The store especially excels when something goes wrong with something you've bought. When your iPhone keeps crashing or your MacBook won't connect to the Web, just go online to make an appointment at the Genius Bar (if you don't make an appointment, you might have to wait in a long line). If they can fix the item for you in the store, they'll do it—usually for free, often while you wait. I've visited the Genius Bar about half a dozen times, and I've always come away impressed. Last year, I went in with a comatose six-month-old iPhone. The fix was easy: They gave me a new phone. Another time, I went in with an old PowerBook with a broken screen. Another easy fix: The resident Genius backed up my data while I waited then sent the machine back to Apple for repairs. A week later, my system was fixed. I had to pay for the backup drive, but because the machine was still under warranty, everything else was free.
True, it'll be tougher to find Windows Geniuses than Mac Geniuses. Because Apple makes its own hardware and software, experts have to know about only a handful of different configurations. Windows machines, by contrast, are made by lots of different computer companies and can include a much wider range of peripherals. Still, there are many kinds of computer problems that a skilled expert could solve regardless of your hardware—for instance, a Windows Genius could help you get your computer to recognize your wireless router, show you how to back up your files, and teach you how to avoid getting infected by malware. The Microsoft stores might also cut down on tech problems by selling a small range of specially designed PC systems, machines that would come with an Apple-like promise of free tech support for life. Indeed, this would neatly solve Microsoft's perennial problem—the perception that Windows computers are cheap and prone to failure. Would you pay a $200 premium for a laptop if you could be sure there'd be someone to help you when you run into problems? Apple has proved that lots of people will.
The Hilarious Results of Slate's "Write Like Sarah Palin" Contest
Does Your iPhone Really Need a Titanium Case?
Vice Presidents Say the Darnedest Things
The Golden Scissors Awards Are the Oscars of Black Hair
Slate's Complete Coverage of the Tiger Woods Scandal
The Awesome Spectacle of Glenn Beck's Live Performance of The Christmas Sweater
