The Genius Bar inside every Apple store has become the go-to for people with a Mac or iPod/iPhone/iPad problem who don’t know where to turn.
It’s great for certain issues, and not so useful for others.
Here’s when you should go to the Genius Bar, and here’s when you should call a consultant like us for help.
Genius Bar is great for:
- Any hardware problem for any item under warranty (warranty is 1 year for a Mac, or 3 years if you bought AppleCare)
- Any hardware problem that is obviously a manufacturing issue, even if the item is no longer under warranty (often the store will replace or fix for free)
- A problem that you think is a hardware problem, even if the computer isn’t under warranty, as they will usually fix it in-house within a few days for a fee
- If you buy a new Mac at the Apple Store, they will often transfer all your data from your old Mac to your new one for free
- Answers to questions like “I forgot how to do…” as long as you don’t mind waiting a bit for an appointment
- Most MobileMe issues
Genius Bar is not so great for stuff like this:
- Urgent assistance (in NYC you often have to wait days to book an appointment with a Genius)
- If you want someone to come to you, instead of lugging your machine to the Apple Store
- Any non-Apple hardware or software issue (even Office for Mac or QuickBooks or Adobe software)
- A problem with something not on your computer–for example a networking problem in your office or your home
- If you think your issue will take longer than half an hour (as the Geniuses are supposed to spend 20-30 minutes per person, although they do often spend longer)
- When you need a customized solution to a problem, including getting software written, or configuring 2 programs to work together
- Google Apps or Microsoft Exchange problems
- Data recovery from a dying hard drive
Do you have any items to add to the lists?