New Apple Mac Pro - Episode 2

GeeBax wrote on 1/20/2014, 2:46 AM
So.. Today I went to the Apple Store with my son, who was having his iPhone replaced because it broke under warranty. He was met by one of the staff members of indeterminate sex and led away to be serviced, leaving me standing alone.

Not wanting to be conspicuous, I whipped out my old iPhony 4 and pretended to be working on it, but it did not work, as one of those staff members came up and tried to engage me in conversation. I lamely told them I was waiting for my son, and he/she said to come and sit down on a seat while waiting.

I was placed on a minimalist stool designed to provide no support whatsoever, probably so you will hand over your cash quickly and get out. However, I was surprised to notice I had been seated right in front of a large acrylic sign that said 'Genius'.

I was immediately touched by this, had they been advised I was coming? Was this implicit acknowledgement that I was recognised in this surreal world as a Master of the PC, and despite it being an opposing product, worthy of elevation to the highest level of Apple Store adoration?

Nope, I was quickly informed by another person that this was simply where they parked people who defied classification, and it meant nothing of the sort.

My ego deflated, I decided to get up and wander around again, and very soon found myself in front of a *NEW* Mac Pro. I looked, touched, poked my fingers down inside the top, licked it, noted it was quietly humming and emitting warm air, but otherwise doing nothing. It did not even taste exciting.

I was very disappointed. Nothing should be contained in a vessel that shape and size but beer.

I went off to find Sushi.....

Comments

ushere wrote on 1/20/2014, 5:01 AM
the few times i've been in an apple store (with family or friends with problem devices) and been approached by a genius i've said that i'm very happy with my amiga 2000. they very quickly leave me alone....
JohnnyRoy wrote on 1/20/2014, 8:53 AM
My first experience in an Apple store was quite impressive. All of the products are available for you to experiment with and touch. Next to each is an iPad with all the specs for you to check and a button that says, "Ask for Assistance". So I pressed it and it told me that I was second in line for assistance, then first, then someone showed up. I guess setting and meeting expectations was an important part of the Apple experience. There was no waiting on line to purchase your product. The person who helps you rings you up right then and there and you're on your way.

Now I have the Apple Store app on my iPhone and when I was there last week and I walked into the Apple Store, my iPhone reminded me that I had a $50 Gift Card from Christmas that I had completely forgotten about. Of course, I don't even have to interact with anyone at the store anymore if I want something off the shelf like an adapter or other accessory. With the Apple Store app, I can walk into the store, find what I want, scan it, pay for it, and walk out.

This is the experience that many retailers like Sears, Best Buy, Target, etc. are striving for in the future. Eliminating cash register lines by having the people on the floor with mobile devices that can check customers out, and having mobile apps to help customer shop. For them it's the buying experience of the future but for Apple it's the buying experience of today (...or actually yesterday since this was a few years ago now).

~jr
Chienworks wrote on 1/20/2014, 9:52 AM
Amusingly enough, our local farmers' markets here have already been like that for a couple years. Yes, there are some cash boxes set up in various points for those who like to pay cash, but if you want to use credit/debit, pretty much every participant has a card scanner on their phones and will happily check you out right there where you are and email you a receipt.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 1/20/2014, 10:17 AM
> Posted by: Chienworks " pretty much every participant has a card scanner on their phones and will happily check you out right there where you are and email you a receipt."

Yea, devices like the Square are revolutionizing the retail industry. They're really big in flea markets now and 3rd world countries. Anyone, anywhere in the world can accept transactions on their mobile device. I mentioned Sears because I read that they placed a large order for iPad's to equip their sales force in the stores to eliminate cash registers having to disappear into the back room to check if something is in stock. My local Stop-N-Shop supermarket offers me coupons on my phone when I enter the store. This is definitely the wave of the future.

~jr
VidMus wrote on 1/20/2014, 12:20 PM
What is to keep problems like what happened at Target from happening with these things?

How do I know that the person who has the device does not take my card info and use it illegally? A bad person can pretend to be the real deal and walk away with your credit card info.

Sorry, but there ARE real security issues!

Until the security issues are really taken care of, this is not the wave of the future as far as I am concerned.

Maybe I am a bit too cautious or whatever, but recent news has not helped my confidence in something like this!

Chienworks wrote on 1/20/2014, 12:31 PM
I have one of those scanners for my phone too. Except for the moment i have your card physically in my hand, i have no access to your information. Sure, i could memorize your name and 16 digit card number and glance at the CCV code, but i could do that if i were running checkout at a large chain store too.

Actually what i've done is hand the phone and scanner to people and let them swipe it themselves. That way i don't even get to see the card itself. The ONLY thing i get back in the end is the name of the purchaser, the amount of the transaction, and the date/time it happened.

Could my phone be hacked and someone reading the card information as it goes through? I suppose it's possible. That too has happened at the big chain stores. Overall, our society seems mostly comfortable with the ease of shopping with cards over cash despite the risks.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 1/20/2014, 1:18 PM
> Reply by: VidMus "How do I know that the person who has the device does not take my card info and use it illegally? A bad person can pretend to be the real deal and walk away with your credit card info."

Every time you go to a restaurant and give your credit card to the waiter/waitress and they go in the back with it... what are they doing with it? You have no idea! So this poses no new problems that haven't already been there for ages.

I've been a victim of identity theft from information that I had given to a hospital. You have no idea how easy it is to apply for credit in someone's name with a few simple pieces of information. After I went to NAB 2012 in Las Vegas there were transactions from on my business credit card from a shopping spree in Europe. Since I only used my credit card to buy meals, I assume some food vendor at NAB wasn't exactly honest or careful with my information. It happens.

The credit card system in the US hasn't changed since the 1960's and is an embarrassment. Banks aren't even making any attempts to make them more secure. A scanner on a phone is no different than any other credit card scanner but is at least better than the carbon copy swiper they use to use and throw the carbon copies in the trash for thieves to find later in the trash bins out back.

So simply don't give your credit card to someone you don't trust. At flea markets, I only pay cash. Even if someone were to swipe your card and do something dishonest, the credit card companies don't hold you accountable. I guess they feel it cost less to not charge you than to actually fix the system to be more secure.

~jr
GeeBax wrote on 1/20/2014, 3:30 PM
Perhaps you could start a topic on credit cards, this thread has nothing to do with them.
Chienworks wrote on 1/20/2014, 4:10 PM
It didn't really have much of anything to do with the Mac Pro either.
DavidMcKnight wrote on 1/20/2014, 4:59 PM
"It didn't really have much of anything to do with the Mac Pro either."

SCS really needs to implement a "like" button. :)
Guy S. wrote on 1/20/2014, 5:01 PM
<<I was very disappointed. Nothing should be contained in a vessel that shape and size but beer.>>

I am VERY disappointed in your "review". First, your assertion above is merely your OPINION - the shape is also well suited for miniature bundt cakes.

Second - and by far most important - is your egregious omission of the most important piece of info: what did it TASTE like??
Rob Franks wrote on 1/20/2014, 6:06 PM
"This is the experience that many retailers like Sears, Best Buy, Target, etc. are striving for in the future. Eliminating cash register lines by having the people on the floor with mobile devices that can check customers out, and having mobile apps to help customer shop. For them it's the buying experience of the future but for Apple it's the buying experience of today (...or actually yesterday since this was a few years ago now)."

I remember just a short time ago at Best Buy there was a guy who actually tied up the line because he wanted to pay with cash. Best Buy (in Canada anyway) isn't really set up to take cash much anymore. We live pretty much on debit/credit cards here.... and if you're paying debit or credit at our best buy you don't need to stand in a cash out line at the front. They'll ring you out right in that department. It's been this way for years. Even home delivered Pizza these days comes with a high speed LTE enabled debit/credit machine. As far as I know this is not something Apple started either ;)

I was just in an Apple store a few days ago (my first time). Nothing special. In fact I found it pretty cold and empty. Kind of like walking into a sony store to be honest.... too much floor space for the little (as in not enough) product that is offered.

"Eliminating cash register lines by having the people on the floor with mobile devices that can check customers out," You're not eliminating lines.... you're just spreading them out so they don't appear as easily.
See how easy it is to fool an apple believer ;)
Rob Franks wrote on 1/20/2014, 6:09 PM
"Every time you go to a restaurant and give your credit card to the waiter/waitress and they go in the back with it... what are they doing with it? You have no idea! So this poses no new problems that haven't already been there for ages."
Maybe it's different where you are but here they don't go anywhere with your credit card. They simply bring the machine to the table
JohnnyRoy wrote on 1/20/2014, 6:35 PM
> Reply by: Rob Franks "You're not eliminating lines.... you're just spreading them out so they don't appear as easily."

Actually, I'm pretty sure you are. The old way I first have to wait for someone to help me, then I have to wait to check out. The second way I get checked out while I'm being helped. I just eliminated the second wait and thus the second line. ;-)

> Reply by: Rob Franks "...and if you're paying debit or credit at our best buy you don't need to stand in a cash out line at the front. They'll ring you out right in that department."

Unless, of course, someone else from the department is already using the cash register with another customer in which case you wait until they are done. Having everyone have their own portable cash register is what's new. BTW, in the Apple case, even I get to carry my own cash register because I scan the objects with my phone, I pay with my phone, and I walk out of the store with my purchase. So I'm not waiting for anyone.

BTW, Apple has had the EasyPay button on their App Store App since 2011 so it's no longer "new" or unique to Apple (I can check myself out with my phone at the local Stop-N-Shop supermarket too) but the first time I encountered it, no other store at the mall operated this way.

~jr
JohnnyRoy wrote on 1/20/2014, 6:37 PM
> Reply by: Rob Franks "Maybe it's different where you are but here they don't go anywhere with your credit card. They simply bring the machine to the table"

Yea it's different, hence my explicit rant that the US is in the dark ages when it comes to credit cards. In Canada they obviously don't take your card away from the table. I was recently in Italy and come to think of it, they did not take our credit card away from the table either. Only in the US are you allowed to take off with someones sensitive information unsupervised.

~jr
VidMus wrote on 1/20/2014, 6:44 PM
"Only in the US are you allowed to take off with someones sensitive information unsupervised."

That is why I will only pay with cash at a restaurant.


rs170a wrote on 1/20/2014, 6:56 PM
Only in the US are you allowed to take off with someones sensitive information unsupervised.

I go over to the Detroit area a lot and never ever ever let my card leave my sight. If that means that I go with it as they swipe it, that's what I do.

Mike
ushere wrote on 1/20/2014, 7:02 PM
depends where you eat ;-)

in general when my wife and i go out it's either

a. pay upfront (pub meal)

b. device to table (thai / chinese)

c. at 'counter' (indian / coffee shop)

HOWEVER, when we're taken out by any of hanna's collectors to very high end restaurants the bill is usually presented in a discreet (HA!) leather folder and the payee simply put's their card in it and hands it over to the wait person.

NOW, if i was going to rip off anyone i certainly know where i'd get a job as a waiter ;-)
Rob Franks wrote on 1/20/2014, 7:07 PM
"Actually, I'm pretty sure you are. The old way I first have to wait for someone to help me, then I have to wait to check out. The second way I get checked out while I'm being helped. I just eliminated the second wait and thus the second line. ;-)"

Yes... that's the ..... OLD way for sure.... having to get help when it may not even be needed i mean
You see, you have ADDED one 'help' by being helped in the first place. At Best Buy if I know what I want then I just grab it off the shelf (a few products not included) and go stand in line. The few times I have needed help at Best Buy that ONE SINGLE person has served me, rounded up my product for me, and cashed me out. In fact he even went a step further and helped me load the product (a 60" tv) into my van.

"Unless, of course, someone else from the department is already using the cash register with another customer in which case you wait until they are done. "
What makes you think they can't move to another register (which has happened to me before)

"Having everyone have their own portable cash register is what's new. BTW, in the Apple case, even I get to carry my own cash register because I scan the objects with my phone,"
And that would be a really great thing if it was standardized across the board so your apple cash register would work at best buy or sobeys, or the coffee shop.... etc. You see.. if it was standardized then you would only need one account with one password and one set of protection standards... etc.

Oh... wait a minute! It has been standardized! It's called a debit card! Now granted we can't YET scan for payment with our phones. Most of our Canadian banks aren't convinced security levels are high enough yet for that sort of thing on a cell phone. . and judging by that 130 page thread entitled
"iTunes store account hacked".... it seems our banks may be right!


EDIT:
Actually I'm going to backtrack a bit there.... it seems our bank has just put out a scan 'N pay app for purchases up to $50.
GeeBax wrote on 1/20/2014, 7:24 PM
Only in the US do they go away with your card and cut it up if it is overdrawn. One of the most frightening things for an overseas traveller.
GeeBax wrote on 1/20/2014, 7:26 PM
Second - and by far most important - is your egregious omission of the most important piece of info: what did it TASTE like??

Actually no taste at all - so it had perfect synergy with the rest of the store.
riredale wrote on 1/20/2014, 8:20 PM
Another interesting wandering thread. I was surprised by the comments regarding credit cards at restaurants. In my many thousands of restaurant meals paid with credit cards over many decades, I cannot recall a single time the processing was done at the table. Almost always I give the card to the server and he/she brings it back with something to sign a few moments later. Never (to my knowledge) any fraudulent charges.

There is an Apple store a few miles away. Novel appearance, all white and rectilinear and all. Very few accessories on the walls and everything at list price, but still an interesting experience. But as a PC hacker, give me a Fry's Electronics any day with 100,000 items on the shelves.
Chienworks wrote on 1/20/2014, 8:30 PM
I can't recall ever having the scanner brought to me at the table either. However, of the two usual methods: staff taking my card to the scanner, vs. paying at the register on the way out, it seems like the latter method is slowly becoming the more popular of the two. Several places i frequent that used to take the card now do it the other way. I wonder if this is due to pressure from the customers not wanting to part with it. On the other hand, there are two places i go to semi-regularly that don't have customer-accessible checkout counters at all, claiming that it causes too much congestion with whole dining parties queuing up and blocking the doorway while one person stands there to pay.

I'm still old fashioned enough though that i always live the tip in cold hard cash on the table. That way not only does the wait person get the full amount without a credit card fee deducted, but they get it right then and there and know how much i've left them.
Rob Franks wrote on 1/20/2014, 9:23 PM
"Only in the US do they go away with your card and cut it up if it is overdrawn"

Yeah, clearly the US is still very much in the dark ages with regards to transactions and such. I guess it's not hard to see why Apple would be such a "forward thinking" operation. :)

Merely in an (honest) effort to see exactly how far behind Americans are in this area...

Do you have self checkout in some of your stores?
Can you pay all your bills (water, hydro, cable... etc) on line (that includes through your smart phone)?
Can you deposit checks through your smartphone?
Can you use debit cards everywhere or just some places which have the machines?