![]() ![]() Johnson didn’t return requests for comment. Penney (where he struggled to replicate the Apple magic before being pushed out). Then, in 2011, he left to reboot the department store chain J.C. During his tenure, Johnson oversaw the opening of 350-plus stores and expansions into more than a dozen countries, including Japan, Australia, Italy, China and Canada. Over the next few years, the Apple Store’s uncluttered look was emulated by Microsoft, Samsung, Tesla and others.įor a decade, Apple’s retail experiment flourished under Ron Johnson, a former Target executive whose efforts earned him a mostly deserved reputation as a retail pioneer. Before long, people were lining up for days to get their hands on the next iPhone or iPad, and kids were hanging out after school taking snapshots on the Mac Photo Booth app. But Apple pulled it off - transforming the retail experience with airy, minimalist stores and industry-disrupting innovations such as the Genius Bar. Consumer gadget companies had tried similar experiments with mixed results, and the stampede online was already underway. Skepticism greeted the 2001 opening of Apple’s first two stores, in Glendale and near Washington, D.C. Ahrendts didn’t respond to requests for comment. Weeks later, Chief Executive Tim Cook announced that retail chief Angela Ahrendts was leaving and would be succeeded by veteran Apple executive Deirdre O’Brien.Īn Apple spokesperson declined to comment and didn’t make O’Brien available for an interview. Although weakening demand for Apple’s most important product largely reflects a maturing smartphone market, the problems at the stores weren’t helping. stunned Wall Street, warning that revenue for the holiday quarter would come in well below forecasts, mostly owing to slowing sales of the iPhone. ![]() That’s a significant drawback because people are hanging on to their phones longer these days and need them repaired. The Genius Bar, once renowned for its tech support, has been largely replaced with staffers who roam the stores and are harder to track down. Meanwhile, they say, the quality of staff has slipped during an 18-year expansion in which Apple has opened more than 500 locations and hired 70,000 people. They say the stores have become mostly an exercise in branding and no longer do a good job serving mission shoppers such as Smith. In interviews, current and former Apple employees blame a combination of factors. Only a few years ago, the raves easily outpaced the pans. Smith’s sentiment is shared by legions of Apple customers who vent on social media, on customer forums and in conversations with reporters. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |