Does Having a Mac Eliminate The Need for Technicians?

[Sevrilis]

Ok yes I know there is always network setup and general knowledge about what programs to use when and such, but im talking more along the lines of repair, virus and spyware removal, tweaking, registry cleaning, etc..

 

As a technician of 15 years and one who would like to open a computer store, does the drastic increase in mac sales mean bad times for technicians trying to make a living servicing computers? Windows machines break down all the time constantly because end users make all kinds of mistakes and windows is just vulnerable to these more then any other OS.

 

I am familiar with macs but not nearly to the degree I know windows OS, do macs truely have issues all the time that a technician could make a living servicing them outside of working for apple?

 

By selling macs to people and telling them how great macs are, am i in essence shooting myself in the foot by selling them a problem free, easy to use, hard to mess up computer?

 

Do macs get bogged down over time and need to have temporarily files, prefetch files, registry cleanings, virus and spyware removed, popups blocked, etc.. etc..?

 

Thanks for the replies ahead of time, sorry for the potentially silly questions.

[FUKKU]

Macs don't have spyware issues/popups/etc really so that's not a source of income you can rely on.

 

Things do get messed up though (no computer is perfect), and you could become an Apple certified technician if you wanted to, which would give you more credibility when dealing with Mac users. This can work out to be pretty profitable for you too if there's no Apple store in your area (or even if there is, but they're always really busy, they might refer out to you).

 

It's far from the same work you'd do on Windows when it comes to software/OS, but there is still work to be had. And the hardware side is pretty much the same thing (i.e. new hard drives, memory upgrades, etc.)

 

edit: I also have to take issue with you as a businessperson caring more about a recurring revenue stream than your customers' satisfaction with this line:

By selling macs to people and telling them how great macs are, am i in essence shooting myself in the foot by selling them a problem free, easy to use, hard to mess up computer?

Guess what, if you sell quality you WILL get repeat business and word-of-mouth business. If you sell {censored} you'll get customers who are pissed off at your recommendation when they come in to get their issues resolved.

[Tetrasoft]

You still need Technicians but only at the start. Just to get it setup and the network running.

 

The only other thing Techies are needed for with a mac is probably upgrading to the latest OS and thats really easy so...

[Sevrilis]

edit: I also have to take issue with you as a businessperson caring more about a recurring revenue stream than your customers' satisfaction with this line:Guess what, if you sell quality you WILL get repeat business and word-of-mouth business. If you sell {censored} you'll get customers who are pissed off at your recommendation when they come in to get their issues resolved.

I understand what you are saying, and customer satisfaction is a priority, but as in any business making a living is #1 priority, otherwise you wouldent be in business in the first place. Customer satisfaction is #2 so that you can have repeat business and it feels nice to make people happy aswell, but it cant be at the cost of your lively hood.Also keep in mind that selling a computer that requires no servicing is not a good business model. Stores, especially small computer shops, make VERY little money on the sale of a brand name computer like Apple. You could not make a living on that alone. Service is where you make all the cash because its pure profit. Windows machines are VERY profitable because they break down constantly and need regular servicing. Mac machines do not, and that is what im trying to determin, wether i want to support something that could undo my lively hood or not. May seem cruel to you, but you have to understand, people need to make a living.

You still need Technicians but only at the start. Just to get it setup and the network running.The only other thing Techies are needed for with a mac is probably upgrading to the latest OS and thats really easy so...

See this is what i was thinking aswell, i just need to know from experienced mac users if this is really true. Do they really require no upkeep from basic use?

[FUKKU]

\Also keep in mind that selling a computer that requires no servicing is not a good business model. Stores, especially small computer shops, make VERY little money on the sale of a brand name computer like Apple. You could not make a living on that alone. Service is where you make all the cash because its pure profit. Windows machines are VERY profitable because they break down constantly and need regular servicing. Mac machines do not, and that is what im trying to determin, wether i want to support something that could undo my lively hood or not. May seem cruel to you, but you have to understand, people need to make a living.

I don't think it's cruel, but I still think that as a business owner you're being extremely shortsighted about possible revenue sources in the future from Mac users. Think about this for a second:

 

You become Mac certified as a tech. You learn some basic Mac software inside and out (i.e. iPhoto, iTunes, Office, GarageBand). You then teach people how to get the most out of these applications by holding training sessions or workshops (for a fee of course). I'd pay $20-40 to sit in on a class that taught me a lot about GarageBand for example, or maybe even some more for private instruction time.

 

In this scenario, you're teaching people how to get the most out of what they paid for and how to use it right, rather than relying on some part or software to go wrong for them to come in and visit you. Your customers are a lot happier in this scenario since they feel their purchase was more than worthwhile, and they're learning new things all the time. Doesn't that sound like a more satisfying business model than wiping trojans and malware from a customer's computer?

 

Your fear of adaptation to new things will be your downfall in the business world. The sooner you learn that the more successful you'll be in the future. Think about it.

[GBK.Xscape]

Like mentioned above, no computer is made so good that it would never need a technician for anything from software/OS problems to Hardware failures.

My Macbook Pro has had a problem already with the screen not closing shut down on the keyboard so i took to my nearest apple store and had it fixed. My many iPods have had many problems too, such as replacing a battery, hard drive failure, cracked screen, just all sorts of things that will always happen to any company if they made a similar product.

[Embio]

Of course you still need technicians! My friends Macbook was doing very odd things which I traced to a dodgy stick of RAM. Just because it runs Mac OS X doesnt mean technicians arent needed anymore. Another example was getting Safari to identify itself as IE so a guy at my current work could access a website he needed.

[Guest Ramm]

Barely. If you are computer proficient, even, it probably raises the need for technicians. Some modifications that are second-nature to a PC can be a huge hassle for a Mac. Take the Mac mini, for example. To do something as simple as adding more RAM, it is recommended you either visit a technician, or use a putty knife.

[A Nonny Moose]

You do, but it's for the much more rare hardware repair (covered under AppleCare) rather than "I downloaded the smiley face application and now Windows won't work" kind of idiot care.

[EFI]

...do macs truely have issues all the time that a technician could make a living servicing them outside of working for apple?

 

I wouldn't go as far as making a living by servicing Macs, unless you work at an Apple Store at the genuis bar. There are two factors that play a crucial role in why this is so. One, because the simple population of Macs vs PC ratio will put you in a great disadvantageous position, thus automatically cutting your client base by more than 70%. Two, becuase Macs do not get virus threats/keeping virus updates recent/spyware/adware protection issues...so this is another reason why solely servicing Macs will not be financially profiteering in any way.

 

By selling macs to people and telling them how great macs are, am i in essence shooting myself in the foot by selling them a problem free, easy to use, hard to mess up computer?

 

You are doing the correct thing by HELPING the people. If you want to do it for personal gains by lying and being dishonest to your customers, then anyone can say that Macs have viruses, and they constantly crash, blah, blah, blah. However you are putting your customers first before yourself...which is the right thing to do. If I were to work at a computer shop that sells 70% Macs, and 30% Windows PCs, and a customer came up to me and asked if Macs could do hardcore gaming...I would be honest and say no. I would say that if you want to do gaming, of any kind, Windows would be the way to go, becuase not only do they wider hardware support, however they drastically have a higher catalog of avaliable games to play. This is not to say that OS X cannot game...it can, and there are many games for OS X, but you tend to get tired after playing Doom 3 and WoW (the most common suspects) after a while. Either way the amount of games for OS X vs Windows is like in the rage of 1:5

 

If you were to be dishonest and fool the customers into thinking the wrong idea of either Macs or PCs, then when they find out the truth someday (or that very day)...you just lost a customer right there, and probably more now that they will get the word around about your service.

 

Do macs get bogged down over time and need to have temporarily files, prefetch files, registry cleanings, virus and spyware removed, popups blocked, etc.. etc..?

 

Nope, there is no such thing as registry in OS X, and most browsers for OS X (Camino, Safari, Firefox, Shiira) already do an excellent job of blocking ads by default. Once in 3 months, you might just want to repair permissions, but that's about it. My previous C2D Macbook Pro (non-santa rosa) runs just as fast if not faster (due to updates) from when I got it in November 2006 which was from day 1 up to now.

[Colonel Ingus]

Take the Mac mini, for example. To do something as simple as adding more RAM, it is recommended you either visit a technician, or use a putty knife.

What do you think they use?

[CLiDE FTW!!1]

Oh God no, it doesn't eliminate the need to techies...

 

I was a tier 1 support agent for Apple (now I'm an iPhone trainer... in training ), and IF anything, there is MORE opportunity for technicians.

 

Apple's product line seems to attract morons. I was listening in on a support call last week, and the agent was speaking with a woman about a "screen issue". Basically, this is how the conversation went.

 

Lady: "My TV isn't displaying my computer right! I tried turning it off and on and it's still off to the side!"

Agent: "Ok, well, lets try a few things, go into Sys Pref and change your resolution..."

Lady: "WOW OK EVERYTHING IS SMALLER! But I still cant see half the computer screen... maybe I need a new Mac?"

Agent: "Ma'am, have you tried moving the picture around the screen through the monitor settings?"

Lady: "On the TV? No idunno how to do that"

 

The whole call took half an hour whilst the agent tried to explain what Horizontal positioning was. Why she kept calling the monitor a "TV" is beyond me.

 

In fact, our iPhone que is FLOODED with calls regarding their air time minutes. HELLO, AT&T IS YOUR PROVIDER, NOT APPLE. DO YOU AIRHEADS CALL SONY ERICSSON WHEN YOU WANT TO PAY YOUR PHONE BILL?!? How about all the people who call in about why their iPhones don't turn on (dead battery), or where they can download music for free?

 

Not to mention the need of technicians to install more ram, upgrade processors, and not to mention replace the crappy Maxtor hard drives that Apple seemed to cheap out on.

 

I worked for HP in a call centre, and let me tell you, Apple customers are definitely from another world.

 

Well, not all Mac users, but arrogant Mac-fanboys are the scum of the earth, so I don't care if I offend them.

[EFI]

...and not to mention replace the crappy Maxtor hard drives that Apple seemed to cheap out on.

 

That's not the only make they use. They use Seagate, Hitachi, and Samsung HDs as well.

 

and IF anything, there is MORE opportunity for technicians.

 

That's not only theoretically impossible, but physically impossible as well. Simple statistics tells us that overall there are only around 25,000,000 Mac users in the entire world. If you put together all the PC manufacturers market share together, it equals 52.9% as of Q4 2006. This is not even including the custom home built PC's, which will increase that percentage even further. Apple's global market share, is 2.8% as of Q4 2006.

 

Statistics

 

In detail, the total units sold in the Q4 06 for all the PC manufacturers were 65,061,000. The total units sold in Q4 06 for Macs is 1,606,000.

 

Thus:

65,061,000 : 1,606,000

= 40.511

 

That means the ratio of Macs to PC's is 1:41, which more or less translates to losing 41X more customers than you do now. It's as simple as that.

 

 

I'm not saying that all Mac users are smart when asking questions to tech support. Infact what you mentioned is very much a possibility. However, that being said, with a larger population base on the PC side...I have seen 10X more dumber questions asked than that. I've worked at a Best Buy in the past...and there were people who had significant knowledge in computers...and there were others that just knew how to work word...barely.

 

I will give you an example of a tech support question that I received when I was still working.

 

PERSON: "Hi, I just bought an laptop the other day at your store and I have some troubles with it"

ME: " I see, what manufactuer is the model you purchased from maam?"

PERSON: "It's a PC"

ME: " Yes, it's a PC maam, but the manufactuer...is it Sony, HP, Toshiba or some other make?"

PERSON: "Oh, it's an Acer I think"

ME: "Great, can you please describe the problem that you are having?"

PERSON: "Sure, I was typing an e-mail, and all of a sudden the keys turned into these weird symbols"

 

* I kid you not, that was the exact description *

 

Me: " Looks like you might have the NUM lock turned on in your keyboard by accident, it's very simple to turn it off "

 

* then I proceeded to tell the lady how to turn the lock off...for 10 mins, because she couldn't understand the difference bettwen caps lock, NUM lock, and F lock.

 

^ That was one of the common experiences of tech support that I had to give at Best Buy. They're not all like that, but some of them just make you wonder. So you see...its not just the Mac users...there are much, much, much more PC users who are on the same level if not worse.

[Ayanami]

I can't imagine you'd face any kind of trouble.

There's a small Mac store in a small nearby town, that does great ammounts of business as a used Mac reseller, and repair shop. They get tons, and I mean TONS of peoplewho come in asking for help with their old Macs, because they don't want to shell out the big bucks for a new iMac. The Apple store isn't very helpful for people like my Grandparents, who needed to upgrade from OS 9, and only needed some more RAM. They always get great reviews, and he is one of my resources for MAC info.

And believe me, there are still brainless people who use Macs. And think of the people who crossover from PC to Mac. They won't know half of the features right away.

[sarahbau]

If you ever have doubts that there is a market for this, just go to any Apple Store. The genius bar is almost always crowded, even when there are no customers there shopping. While it is normally true that Macs have a lower rate of problems than PCs, most companies also don't have in-house Mac support, but they will have in-house PC support. When I was a Mac Genius a lot of our repairs were coming in from small businesses and schools. When I worked in graphic design, the art department would have to drive 100 miles to the closest Apple authorized repair center, and it's like that in a lot of places.