“Creative leaders ask empowering questions and their answers can guide the brand for years,” Carmine Gallo writes for Forbes. “Steve Jobs asked better questions and his vision continues to inspire Apple today.”
“When Apple opened its first store in 2001, many experts thought it was a crazy idea. Skeptics misjudged its success because they were crunching numbers instead of considering experiences. The critics were correct that — compared to its peers — Apple would have to generate a lot more money per square foot to pay for its expensive space in shopping malls. What they didn’t realize is that Jobs and his team didn’t set out to sell computers,” Gallo writes. “Most computer makers asked, ‘How do we move metal and sell boxes?’ Jobs asked, ‘How do we enrich lives?'”
“The vision—enriching lives—has served as the Apple store’s true north for 15 years. It’s still at the heart of the company’s vision as it embarks on the most significant redesign since the stores first opened,” Gallo writes. “When [Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail Angela] Ahrendts first introduced the concept behind the redesigned stores, she said the position of the Creative Pro was inspired by Jobs’ philosophy that Apple is ‘technology married with the liberal arts.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Nearly 16 years and counting! (The first Apple Retail Stores opens on May 19, 2001.)
I give [Apple] two years before they’re turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake. – David Goldstein, Channel Marketing Corp. President, commenting on Apple’s plan to open retail locations, May 21, 2001
SEE ALSO:
Here’s CBS this Morning’s interview with Apple’s Angela Ahrendts – April 25, 2017
Apple is overhauling its stores, and wants them to be the new Starbucks, says Angela Ahrendts – April 25, 2017
Apple’s retail chief Angela Ahrendts on turning stores into town squares – October 18, 2016
how about a white and black dairy cow retail theme, gotta spend that enormous cash reserve somehow
Remember those rumors about Steve Jobs being a ninja? There’s a funny sci-fi book about future Apple/Google wars, with a ninja sword fighting Steve Jobs. Free today, April 26:
http://amzn.to/2ngwPJ3
The original Apple Store was a response to the horrible way Macintoshes were being marketed and sold through the chain.
A dealer in Memphis had one table in a rather large store of high end Stereo equipment with a lonely iMac on it. Another- a Department store- had a single iMac not even plugged in, much less connected online. The third, an electronics big box chain had sales staff that were quick to steer potential Mac customers to a brand new Wintel PC. The abysmal marketing got the metro the 4th Apple Store to open (not by assigned store number, but by date opened) and I remember opening day.
Every kind of Mac available, aisles of Mac software, scanners, cameras, MIDI keyboards and other Mac accessories all in one place. The computers were all on and online- unlike the usual model of an unbooted PC or one that was on but locked by a password. That was Steve Jobs’ Apple Store.
Today the Macs are a Red Headed Stepchild and you can buy a DJI Drone but you cannot buy a Thunderbolt Dock for your Mac. Unlike the knowledgeable Apple Store staff back in the day, the Hipsters now populating the store know more about Tattoo Shops (obviously) than the Macintosh or any application software.
Someone might remind Apple management that customers can get iPhones damn near anywhere but Mac accessories not so much. Maybe a little advertising and in store marketing to help the Mac business grow faster. And hiring people who have more than casual knowledge in Apple’s most iconic product.
“she said the position of the Creative Pro”
??????
Ahrendts keeps talking about ‘Creative Pro’, in the video interview shown elsewhere she talks about pro photographers etc.
But the Mac Pro has not been updated since 2013.
The SVPs promised to at least drop the price of the CURRENT Cylinders but the high end model is listed as UNAVAILABLE on the Apple’s retail page ( which Ahrendts runs!) weeks after the MP apology . (this is a double slap to a face to Pros, make an apology and a promise and then take forever to deliver… )
(not that a D700 is really that great as PC GPUs are 4-5 times faster. It’s just that failing in fulfilling their promise quickly leaves a bad taste … )
Note also for SEVERAL YEARS Ahrendts had Aperture listed on the Mac Pro page AFTER Aperture had been DISCONTINUED . That’s how much shows knows about Pro stuff…
The new Macbook Pro is actually a luxury Macbook AIR, an executive laptop. Low end creative pros and executives love the new MBP but as shown it’s GPU is pretty weak for high end graphics work, an external eGPU with newer cards like the GTX 1000 series have benchmarks FOUR times faster (so much for ‘Creative Pro’ ).
The heavier more ports, more expansion, 32 GB, powerful GPU ‘Trucker’ real Macbook Pro is missing. Talking about Pro photographers, I’ve read so many complain they can no longer easily drop SD cards etc from their SLRs into the new MBP on the run…
and for those who say Macs are ‘passé’ try sorting and tagging thousands photos on an iOS device.
etc etc.
so for pete’s sake Ahrendts shut up about ‘Creative Pros’, you are just making us more angry.
————-
Personally my No.1 goal for an Apple Store is that because they are so crowded nowadays is that if they can fix them so that the time to get service to buy a product or fix an issue be HALVED. (one way is to get more highly trained TECH staff, not fashionistas… ). But Ahrendts focus seems to be making them more comfortable to WAIT.
Most Creative Pro’s don’t need a Mac Pro. I know a few professional photographers that are making good money with an iMac.
The Mac Pro was not for creative professionals.
so? i need one.
I’ve seen artist pro’s make saleable artwork painting with matchsticks as brushes, doesn’t mean others don’t need high end equipment. Why do companies build GPUs 4-5 times faster if there is no demand? Even Apple execs CONTRADICT your statement as they apologized for the MP fiasco and promised more high powered machines both iMac and MP . The new Pro iMac is supposed to come with way more powerful GPUs, so why is that when you keep saying in numerous posts there is no need?
You’re misinterpreting what’s being said.
She’s referencing a new position at Apple retail stores. Kind of like there are Geniuses and Sales Specialists. The “Creative Pro” is a job title in an Apple Store.
She’s not talking about the Pro market for high end desktops…
Ahrendts:
“Photo Labs bring in talented photographers to experiment with new techniques and styles or uncover a new point of view in hands-on sessions. Similarly, Music Labs explore different genres and beats to introduce new tools to musicians of all levels.*
Pro Series take advanced users on a deep dive into Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X with sessions on color correction and grading to post production, or audio mixing to editing for emotion, and more.*”
etc etc etc
FCPX and Logic Pro is NOT for the Pro market?
will you guys check before arguing with me?
the Creative Pro guy is supposed to be running those “Pro Series take advanced users on a deep dive into Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X sessions “
First, I’m not arguing with you. I’m trying to point out facts. Your argument (as you are categorizing it as such) is based on the incorrect interpretation of what is meant in this article by the use of the term “Creative Pro.”
Notice I capitalized that title…here’s why, quoted from the article (I suppose you could say this is me checking before I argue with you):
“-A new category of employee with the title, Creative Pros. These are the ‘liberal arts’ equivalent of tech Geniuses. According to Apple, they will teach topics ranging from photos and video to music, coding, art and design.”
You are frustrated there hasn’t been a new Mac Pro desktop computer released in nearly three and a half years. That’s understandable. If I needed a machine like that, I’d be furious.
Since I don’t need a machine like that, and more importantly since this article is not at all talking about which computers they are or are not releasing in your specified preferred timeframe, your original “argument” is invalid. You have justifiable frustrations for the state of Apple’s computer lineup.
But please don’t come to a comment section to vent on it when the subject of the article in question is not talking about it at all. Also, please understand that while YOU may very well need the most powerful video cards available (how many times more powerful are the PC video cards?? Oh yeah, 4-5 times. You mentioned it a lot), that the majority of people do not need that. And many creative pros (notice I did not caplitalize those two words, as I’m talking about people in the specific artistic field and not the Creative Pro job title in an Apple retail store that’s explicitly mentioned in this article) simply do not need that much computer.
So thank you for your opinions. They are valid. They are true. They just don’t apply to the content of this article, and you’re being rude.
I didn’t even read your post to the end AS…
AS YOU DIDN’T EVEN READ THE FIRST LINE OF MY FIRST POST:
I QUOTE my first post:
“she said the position of the Creative Pro”
SEE: I already said the ‘POSITION’ of creative Pro (that’s why I don’t know what you are getting at and i followed up with what I said , I KNOW “creative pro” is a new position she set up. I said it in my first post! )
then I said, I quote from my post ;
“Ahrendts keeps talking about ‘Creative Pro’ , in the video interview shown elsewhere she talks about pro photographers etc”
see you didn’t even read my line “SHOWN ELSEWHERE” and you have the gall to say “But please don’t come to a comment section to vent on it when the subject of the article in question is not talking about it at all.”
I can’t quote Ahrendts complete agenda as shown elsewhere like the video interview to get CONTEXT when it’s all about the store?
I think my first post I’m pretty on track discussing a main point of the article which is the Creative Pro who is to help in creative endeavours (art, music etc as described in other articles ) helping people including Pros (that why i quoted her store initiatives about FCPX and Logic Pro). Why is Ahrendts talking so much about all that — FCPX lessons etc — when the last few years Apple’s neglect of a large segment of high end pros is so obvious? Ahrendts who didn’t even take out the discontinued Aperture from the MP page (she runs the store pages) years after it was discontinued and Apple not even delivering the high end discounted Cylinder as promised.
Besides it’s MY THREAD, I started , I can pick area I want to concentrate on — who gave you the snotty airs to decide what i write or not or decide parameters of a post? Am I talking about so far topic like Amazonian mudfish or something? Don’t like what I said skip or start your own thread.
as for your “many creative pros … simply do not need that much computer. ” Eh, So why did TWO SVPs (the highest rank staff next to Cook) and a VP make a VERY UNUSUAL meeting to apologize about their MP screwup? Saying that they got it wrong. They talked specifically about the mistake with the GPUs. And also hinting they will be building a way more powerful iMac as well. The meeting was so unusual that they talked about a future product the new MP without even a prototype to show (practically never done before) If the Pro complaints are SO INSIGNIFICANT as you are hinting why did they do all that?
When said “will you guys check before arguing with me?” and you say that is ‘rude’ yet you obviously didn’t check or read my post carefully (as I’ve shown) , yet you say things like “you vent” etc , that’s not rude?. I think you reply is a heck a lot more rude that mind with way less justification.
thinking about this… Looking at my first post I can’t really see where you thought I got Creative Pro position mixed up with creative pro consumers especially when the second line was “in the video interview shown elsewhere she talks about pro photographers etc.” (i.e she did talk about creative pros — the consumers — elsewhere).
I guess for semantic fault finding people (i.e people who pick on one point of semantics to dismiss the overriding logic and concerns of a post) I should have written a way LONGER post and maybe go like this :
—————–
she said the position of the Creative Pro”
??????
Ahrendts keeps talking about ‘Creative Pro’, a POSITION in the store to help creatives including pros as elsewhere she stated they would be running classes on FCPX and Logic Pro etc which are high end programs. Also in the video interview shown elsewhere she talks about pro photographers etc.
So why is she doing this talking about Creative Pro POSITIONS to help creatives including pros like photographers, videographers etc when there has been so much neglect for the Pro consumer today.
The MP had not been updated since 2013… etc etc
——————————–
I really need to spoon feed like that?
Jeez take a deep breath, guy. You have a hard time even writing sentences that are coherent. Have fun with YOUR thread.
so when people throw back at you factually you go “jeez take a breath”.
Go and look at your OWN post above is it SHORT ?
see you like calling people stuff, like : rude, vent etc , take a breath but you do it all yourself and worse.
Look at the mirror , see the idiot?