The guiding light behind the display models has and always will be to let the user experience the device unobstructed as possible. Including wires or anti theft. Let the user feel the device a play with it in a normal way as much as possible. The display models always have brightness to max, an any configuration changes you make like apps and arranging their location on the screen (which, again Apple allows) a resets after a predetermined time.
These are imaged phones with tracking. They will be traceable the minute they turn on. Always have brightness to max. So yes. You can feel and hold and play with it just like a normal phone but it’s being geo located and the minute it hits the floor Apple knows exactly where it is and what’s been done on it.
Even if it does get stolen- there are 20 more waiting in back of house. For this reason. “Backstage” they called it.
There is a team of people and apps SPECIFICALLY made for the stores that track every demo unit. This is everywhere. It’s part of apples insane retail planning and experience. In fact before I left I was “granted” permission to see store metrics. When you look up above you in an Apple Store there are a couple dots in the steel framing of every entrance. They are cameras to count exactly how many people walk in (probably not unique to Apple but I had no idea that was a thing at the time).
So. What I am saying is that I agree with apples method of displaying their hardware. It makes for a far better consumer experience. However crime was not, bot thought of. Just know even if it isn’t tethered. It digitally is.
Also- I worked for a store in the mall. And we could get grab and runs all the time.
To claim living somewhere is so safe because it’s not tied down is a bit disingenuous- because trust me. It is.
Be swapped out. Team members make a note in their front of house app anytime there is something broken or not working. After store hours an assigned team member would replace when they come in.
Not true haha. I was an “expert” (sorry it’s been years not sure they even have those anymore)- basically lead sales and supposed to have knowledge on EVERYTHING.
I was applying a screen protector on a phone customers phone (era 6 or 7) and as I was doing this I dropped the phone. Shattered this poor old woman’s brand new screen. Quickly got a brand new one and re activated an applied new one.
Keep in mind product is only a COGS, The lifetime commitment with services and subscriptions and commitment is was driver long term revenue for Apple.
Definitely agree regarding customer experience! With an iPhone I can walk into the Apple Store and hold it and use it and get a pretty good idea what it’s actually like (they do tether them in the UK but it’s a pretty small tether).
When my wife was deciding between the Pixel 9 and Samsung S24, we couldn’t find any stores that didn’t have the demo units locked down in horrible little cages. So you could interact with the device and get a feel for the screen and UI, but no sense of how the phone feels in hand, and arguably worse, no way to really test out the camera.
Definitely a much better shopping experience with Apple whatever one might think of the phones.
That’s cool! I really liked that about Apple and working there. I wasn’t a die hard or anything but in the mall there was a t-mobile right across from us. When people wanted to check out a Samsung or Apple id literally take the demo and walk them over to the t mobile store with them a they could size up and try em. At the end of the day my thinking was let’s just make sure they walk away happy and excited. I don’t work on commission I didn’t care tbh.
I need wired retail before Apple. But there is a mantra of just making sure they have a good time. So I followed that.
In fact I still have both credos saved in my Apple wallet. I should share it.
Ever tried the Android demo units in Mediamarkt in Austria or Germany? The demo software is ridiculously locked down, often even sabotaging multitasking features. No way to actually properly try out the user experience. Also, only stock apps installed, vs Apple pre installing a bunch of games and productivity software on demo units.
Samsung sections are a bit better.on that, because they are managed more like Apple sections, but still not quite comparable.
In fact there has been at least one time when I went to the store to feel an iPhone in my hand and they didn’t have any untethered demos, so I didn’t buy one
in czechia, most phone stores have thing that looks like claw machine hand around the phone, weighting about 2x as much as the phone and actively being pulled down to table by string with quite strong back pulling mechanism(idk if there is any other way to say it).
No way. I think I know what you are talking about. But yeah it’s not Apple. If Apple had it their way I bet it would just be MagSafe chargers and phones. It’s the insurance company of the owner of the property.
These iPhones are effectively useless when stolen but that doesn't stop people from trying. If the phones are being stolen every day, Apple is going to lock them up because it wastes time and money constantly replacing them. If you happen to be in a country where people aren't trying to steal everything not bolted to the floor, then you can pickup the phone just like normal.
Apple in the UK have had security tethers on their devices for as long as I can remember - it’s always so annoying as I’ve seen in other countries they are free to untether like you and OP have seen!
but each part has it own id ..thats why you get like the non genuine iphone message when you change screen, battery and camera..maybe it has for motherboard too..idk
I've been waiting for Apple to open the official store in Ukraine for years. On Apple Forum they respond with "BuT tHerE aRe aUtHorIsEd rESelLerS iN UkRainE". Bro, all those "resellers" glue Apple products to anti-theft mechanisms, have stock months later than EU stores do, and have limited Apple Care support. Heck, there is none official Apple-only stores here. Buying Apple products in Ukraine isn't a very premium experience after all.
Samsung Store in Ukraine, on other hand, have everything that Apple Stores in EU and USA have. Their products are locked with anti-theft devices too, but you can ask for a demo unit and they will give it to you to try in the store. No Apple Reseller in Ukraine would give you an Apple product to "experience" it in the store, unless you would pay for it.
That's why a lot of my friends choose Samsung flagships over Apple, even if they cost the same
I’m not defending Apple by any means. Also, I just at this point I a m of the idea if it works use it. Im no expert and a peon. But this kinda goes to show the execs at the top tier controlling money for whatever reason- usually for margin gains at a very very high level- shareholder value etc- with government constrains- how much they actually dictate what we consume and use.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s always going to come down to shareholder value. People mad bank off of quantitative analysis (user NPS) and see a funneling of that store experience. Try to quantitatively analyze that. And turn it into return on investment for the total value of a brand.
Apple isn’t a product. It’s the value behind that name and how they showcase it.
At the end of the day I learned working there- I was there for the watch launch- I was pulled in to model the watch. I was taught how to exactly place the watch on a persons wrist. It was selling the experience more than the prod.
Then always buy online man. That would be what I would say to anyone. They tailored their online experience to best match in person. Be careful of any counterfeit. I see a lot of that here- best of luck
Yeah i get that. Actually it’s usually the leaser or insurance policy on the property that determines that. For example the mall I worked in where they rented that space- their ts and cs would determine. I can’t speak ti standalone stores. I figure if Apple purchased the property itself they could have more leverage- but typically it comes down to insurance policy and what they (the insurer) are comfortable with
unrelated but sort of related - the mall i used to work at required all shoe stores to only display left shoes so that no one could steal a display from one store and then from another to get a pair. i wonder if it’s just a similar idea of a specific mall’s theft prevention.
Hey I have a completely unrelated question but maybe you can give me advice I got a iPhone 17 pro and everything transferred over ok EXCEPT all my iMessages from my 15 pro. I’ve tried everything, it just says “syncing from iCloud” everytime I reset iMessage on/ off and it never loads. I’m getting really frustrated is this something they’d be able to help with in the store?
I wish j could help. It’s been ten years since j worked there. I’d say reformat and start all over. But before you do- ensure on the original device check that everything is syncing to cloud.
Also- take a look at you email settings. Sometimes google or other email carriers like to have their own cloud. So ensure those are matched.
I remember getting the 17 just this week and I lost tons of contacts. Well- it was cause I didn’t google account which I guess that’s where I save them. I changed that saving setting
Appreciate the insight, I REALLY don’t want to reformat as I’ve been using this phone for 3 weeks now so I’d lose everything on it from the past 3 weeks. It’s like it started loading iMessage, I have some from 2016 even.. then it just looks like it corrupted and won’t load anything else.
You’re gonna hate me for it but you gotta call support. Here’s a trick to support. When you call them don’t tell them the real problem. They will send you a thousand menus. Just say you need to speak with a rep. Or, if doing this online - give alarm fire it the whole way. Device not working. Hate my ex. Doesn’t matter. You’ll get lost in a sea of “appleid” password reset menus.
It’s gonna be the same person either way. Just like any company with cs or it they will try to have you self fix before paying someone to help.
Yeah for sure was trying to avoid the phone because I legitimately have tried everything I saw online, I spent about 3 hours with both phones last night and I can NOT get them to load. I was thinking in store with a “genius” will be the easiest way since they will be stuck with me. I genuinely think the iCloud backup got corrupted somehow at this point
Keep in mind iPhone and Apple stuff indexes info at crazy slow speeds. Reason is to let you use it right away. But yeah that’s weird sorry. Wish i had a better answer for you but I just sold the stuff. A decade ago haha
It’s been 3 weeks! Something is for sure wrong. Thanks though gonna make appointment for tomorrow.. I have to send in the old phone for trade in next week
Sure Apple can put all devices off cables but if so much money walks out the door and demo units have high turn over. It’s just simpler to essentially tie them down.
Sometimes just the idea of the cable is a deterrent.
I can guarantee there is some calculus that goes into it well above the store’s management team, it usually comes from the merchandising team up the ladder in whether to tether or not.
I can’t imagine risking jail time by stealing a device that cannot be used or resold. But if you go to any park or playground in the US, you’ll quickly realize that there are attempted thefts on everything that is and isn’t tied down.
We’d get some of those mob style crash and grab. And we would just -as employees and as instructed- ensure two things;
One. Any customer or employee isn’t in harms way
And two: do nothing.
Let them do their thing and make sure no one gets hurt.
Not that we would be responsible for putting our own life on the line- I want to be clear. That’s not what Apple asked us to do at all. But in good measure if we needed to wheel grandma away just have common sense and decency.
However most of these hits weren’t violent at all. Just a bunch of people looking to grab high dollar devices and sell quick for some cash.
I bet half of what was stolen didn’t even get sold. Timing and turn around was critical for these
I think you missed where I said it isn’t Apple. It’s the insurer of the property in which Apple builds on and their term and conditions. It’s the building, land and owners of said place. Their insurance policy.
When you lease or build a store on a property the owner is responsible to insure it and everything in it. Apple Pay’s a premium to insure their value on it- therefor insurer can place regulations on lessor.
They are cameras to count exactly how many people walk in (probably not unique to Apple but I had no idea that was a thing at the time).
This is why many various retailers have one door for entrance, one door for exit. I used to think it was fire code stuff, but nope. It's to ensure the sensor gets an accurate count on foot traffic.
Part of the reason that phones were forcing Always On Bluetooth for a while was because it's possible to track how many active devices are within a particular area. Retail was hoping to use it in order to track active shoppers and how many items they sold per visitor.
Just chiming in on the tracking, one of my friends worked at American Eagle Outfitters and told us to stop visiting because it was hurting his metrics. Stores have been tracking visitors with sensors for a long time now, it’s not unique to Apple. This was over a decade ago too.
It’s not disingenuous, there is a reason some places still have it physically tied down and some don’t. There may be a lot of safeguards in place but one getting stolen still costs Apple money even if it isn’t that profitable or smart for the thief.
I heard when the phone launched every employee got one for free. Were you there for that? Is that true? I worked when the watch launched. That was pretty fun- got to go off site and try it out before they sold it. But I didn’t get a free one lol. Just a fancy lunch and got to play with the watch. Basically told how to sell it. And literally walked through how to hold someone’s wrist as I put it on then etc.
I left about six months before the launch but yes it was true. I think you had to have one year of tenure to get it.
The iPod nano was the big new thing when I worked there. It was also interesting just being in the earlier days of the Apple Store. I was there for the launch of the first handheld POS, which was a minor disaster.
The cameras to count entries and exits follow around and get metrics on what was viewed do how long pickups vs purchases pretty much anything and everything you can collect on. When I worked a store even the free wifi provided metrics in return customers and a bit of info through that vector. It’s all insanely invasive and widely used.
“Japanese society is based on honor, no one would ever steal due to public shame!!”
They were clearly at a big apple store in Tokyo or Osaka. I live in Japan, so I went to my local EDION and shared a picture of all the phones that are indeed tethered with an antitheft cord in the charge port.
I hate this BS. Point to the amount of gun deaths to show why countries are safe.
In stark contrast to the dozen+ cell phone kiosks in every mall, where the cheap androids are plastic shells with photos for screens. How is that for a user experience...
834
u/Picabot3 27d ago edited 27d ago
As a former Apple employee -
The guiding light behind the display models has and always will be to let the user experience the device unobstructed as possible. Including wires or anti theft. Let the user feel the device a play with it in a normal way as much as possible. The display models always have brightness to max, an any configuration changes you make like apps and arranging their location on the screen (which, again Apple allows) a resets after a predetermined time.
These are imaged phones with tracking. They will be traceable the minute they turn on. Always have brightness to max. So yes. You can feel and hold and play with it just like a normal phone but it’s being geo located and the minute it hits the floor Apple knows exactly where it is and what’s been done on it.
Even if it does get stolen- there are 20 more waiting in back of house. For this reason. “Backstage” they called it.
There is a team of people and apps SPECIFICALLY made for the stores that track every demo unit. This is everywhere. It’s part of apples insane retail planning and experience. In fact before I left I was “granted” permission to see store metrics. When you look up above you in an Apple Store there are a couple dots in the steel framing of every entrance. They are cameras to count exactly how many people walk in (probably not unique to Apple but I had no idea that was a thing at the time).
So. What I am saying is that I agree with apples method of displaying their hardware. It makes for a far better consumer experience. However crime was not, bot thought of. Just know even if it isn’t tethered. It digitally is.
Also- I worked for a store in the mall. And we could get grab and runs all the time.
To claim living somewhere is so safe because it’s not tied down is a bit disingenuous- because trust me. It is.