Frivolous but Friendly Distractions
Well, the new iPad mini was released today. I know this mainly because of the industry in which I work. Also, I had no choice but to go into my nearest Apple store because my exchange server crashed on my iPhone 4S and therefore my work emails, calendar and contacts weren’t syncing. After spending 4 frustrating hours on the phone with my corporate IT guys yesterday, I was told that my only hope in finding a solution was to go seek help from an Apple Genius.
When I walked into the store today, there was 1 genius available; Jeff was his name. He is very nice and informed me that I actually have 15 days left on my warranty. That factoid was shocking because my major technical issues typically occur merely a day after my warranty has lapsed.
While I was waiting for Jeff to backup my iPhone, a woman named Barb pulled up next to me at the genius station to setup her new IPad mini. She shared that she had bought it for herself a day after her 79th birthday. How nice was it of Apple to have launched the perfect gift for her—even though it was a day late?! A glitch occurred though while Barb was trying to link her device to her email account(s). The problem was that she couldn’t remember any of her passwords. Jeff, who I was now forced to share because of the growing store traffic, tried no less than 40 passwords to her numerous accounts. He was extremely patient, I must say. After many attempts, Barb’s husband sauntered over and tapped his older version iPhone and proceeded to pull up every single one of her email passwords. “Oh, thank the LORD, good man!” was what I thought. As excited as I was for Barb to get her mini up and running, I certainly didn’t want my newfound genius friend, Jeff, to lose sight of my problem. (Unselfishly, I sure hope Barb’s husband never loses his phone with all of her private data!)
Barb was very sweet and talkative. During our visit, I also learned that her son lives in China. She asked how she could Skype him on her new mini. I told her that Facetime works the same way and that she could forgo Skype if her son had an Apple product with internet connectivity. Then we demonstrated by Facetiming her device with another Apple rep’s phone. (I would have shown her on my phone but Jeff had run away with it to do some diagnostic tests.)
I noticed that Barb had chosen a very functional yet boring grey cover for her mini. What? No way, Barb. You have so many other colors to choose from AND there are probably other covers available on the Web that could be personalized with a fabulous monogram OR even a personalized pet photo. C’MON, BARB! She said she didn’t realize. Clearly! “We need to get you up-to-speed on buying necessary and fabulous accessories for your device,” is what I told her. She added a pink cover to her growing pile of goodies just to appease me. That touched me.
Barb and her husband left but not without a nice, warm hug. I wished her a happy birthday. It was a pleasant surprise having come into the Apple store with the intent of digging myself out of my technical conundrum only to meet some lovely folks in the process.
Shortly thereafter, Jeff brought back my phone and handed me my problem ticket. He said, “It seems to be working now but watch it closely so that if the problem persists we can swap out your phone.” (Between you and me, I secretly hope that I will get to turn it in; only this time I will choose my replacement in white!)
What’s the point to my story, friends? Simple errands can sometimes turn into friendly and unexpected distractions along the way. Diversions are helpful while we impatiently wait for our children to arrive--even if it is but for a millisecond.
When I walked into the store today, there was 1 genius available; Jeff was his name. He is very nice and informed me that I actually have 15 days left on my warranty. That factoid was shocking because my major technical issues typically occur merely a day after my warranty has lapsed.
While I was waiting for Jeff to backup my iPhone, a woman named Barb pulled up next to me at the genius station to setup her new IPad mini. She shared that she had bought it for herself a day after her 79th birthday. How nice was it of Apple to have launched the perfect gift for her—even though it was a day late?! A glitch occurred though while Barb was trying to link her device to her email account(s). The problem was that she couldn’t remember any of her passwords. Jeff, who I was now forced to share because of the growing store traffic, tried no less than 40 passwords to her numerous accounts. He was extremely patient, I must say. After many attempts, Barb’s husband sauntered over and tapped his older version iPhone and proceeded to pull up every single one of her email passwords. “Oh, thank the LORD, good man!” was what I thought. As excited as I was for Barb to get her mini up and running, I certainly didn’t want my newfound genius friend, Jeff, to lose sight of my problem. (Unselfishly, I sure hope Barb’s husband never loses his phone with all of her private data!)
Barb was very sweet and talkative. During our visit, I also learned that her son lives in China. She asked how she could Skype him on her new mini. I told her that Facetime works the same way and that she could forgo Skype if her son had an Apple product with internet connectivity. Then we demonstrated by Facetiming her device with another Apple rep’s phone. (I would have shown her on my phone but Jeff had run away with it to do some diagnostic tests.)
I noticed that Barb had chosen a very functional yet boring grey cover for her mini. What? No way, Barb. You have so many other colors to choose from AND there are probably other covers available on the Web that could be personalized with a fabulous monogram OR even a personalized pet photo. C’MON, BARB! She said she didn’t realize. Clearly! “We need to get you up-to-speed on buying necessary and fabulous accessories for your device,” is what I told her. She added a pink cover to her growing pile of goodies just to appease me. That touched me.
Barb and her husband left but not without a nice, warm hug. I wished her a happy birthday. It was a pleasant surprise having come into the Apple store with the intent of digging myself out of my technical conundrum only to meet some lovely folks in the process.
Shortly thereafter, Jeff brought back my phone and handed me my problem ticket. He said, “It seems to be working now but watch it closely so that if the problem persists we can swap out your phone.” (Between you and me, I secretly hope that I will get to turn it in; only this time I will choose my replacement in white!)
What’s the point to my story, friends? Simple errands can sometimes turn into friendly and unexpected distractions along the way. Diversions are helpful while we impatiently wait for our children to arrive--even if it is but for a millisecond.
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