Ryan Christoffel’s ‘Today at Apple’ Experience ⇥ macstories.net

Ryan Christoffel, MacStories:

It took nearly 18 months of Apple’s regular Today at Apple promotions through keynote events and press releases, but I finally had my interest in the program piqued. As I wrote earlier this month, whereas every other Apple product is analyzed to death by writers, podcasters, and YouTubers, the company’s retail stores and Today at Apple program are often ignored by tech media. But Apple’s increased trumpeting of its retail initiatives, in the face of a collective shrug from the press, made me wonder what exactly we’re all missing out on here. I mean, if the company is passionate enough about Today at Apple to host over 18,000 sessions per week, then there must be something special about the program.

So I attended my first session.

It might be hard to set aside the cynical view of “Today at Apple” as product tutorials in the company’s retail stores, but I think Christoffel’s experience is reflective of how great this can be for such a broad cross-section of customers. Whenever I’ve passed by my local Apple Store during one of these sessions, I’m struck by how crowded the tables get. I’m not sold on Apple’s — I think — overly-ambitious idea to make their stores feel like town squares; they’re stores, after all, operated by a single company. But there is something unique and truly good about their approach of bringing these custom creative exercises to all of their stores.