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The Apple store concept was once a revolutionary idea that turned the brick and mortar ecosystem on its side but it is growing stale and Apple is on the hunt for the next big thing. Perhaps the magic that happened with Steve Jobs and Ron Johnson can somehow be repeated, but for the moment it appears that things in the hunt have gone cold.
Every few weeks a different story is published about how Apple is focusing their stores on sales or service or something else. To the untrained eye it seems like a series of ‘band-aide solutions’ instead of a long term plan. The problem with a ship that has no rudder is that it is hard to get from one place to another.
I have limited experience with the inner workings of Apple but I do know that Apple stores have changed over the past few years. I remember bringing in a broken power cord and having a worker pull out a new one without blinking an eye. A few months ago I had another cable go bad and when I went in to the same store I waited quite a few minutes to speak to the entry worker who got me an appointment and then a 30 minute wait. Once I met with the genius I was told how much a new cable is and that was it.
I don’t expect to get free stuff every time I enter an Apple store but the whole atmosphere has changed. I went into an Apple store in Denver last week to look at an accessory and it was incredibly busy. Sometimes I wish there was a register line I could get in to buy something off the shelf. In fact, I hardly buy anything there anymore because getting things online is so much easier. If I need something immediately I often go to Target (gasp!) because they have a good selection, they have an average of 5 minutes in the service department, and they take everything back with no questions asked.
Much in the same way that iMovie or Garageband are pointed offerings towards the non-technical consumer base, the Apple store is aimed at the inexperienced Apple customer. Customers who bought an iPhone several years ago return to the store with more knowledge about the products because they research online and have used the products over time. This group needs an evolving experience which doesn’t necessarily involve the same thing as a first time user.
The point is that Apple needs a direction to move forward in and right now either that vision remains veiled from us mere mortals or they are still searching for it. In either case they have time to do this because even though sales haven’t maintained the same level of performance as in the past, they are still extremely successful and the envy of many other retailers. I’d personally like to see a dramatic re-imagining of the retail experience and hope they find someone up to the task. The pressure to perform will be immense and I imagine this job could make or break someone’s career.
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