9th Mar 2017 Genius Training Leaves Cupertino

Joe Rossignol writing for MacRumors:

For years, Apple has sent new Genius hires to its Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino, or sometimes an auxiliary campus in Austin or Atlanta, to receive hands-on training for up to three weeks. Recently, however, Apple appears to have stopped offering these group-oriented trips, according to people familiar with the matter.

Apple’s off-site Genius Training program has been replaced by an in-store, self-guided experience using company-provided reference materials, according to a source. The training now involves watching web-based seminars through the Apple Technical Learning Administration System, or ATLAS, another source said.

I was a Mac Genius in 2003, before the iPhone, when Mac OS X was still new and exciting. Training was different then, all the emphasis was on the Mac.

Customer interactions and role-playing took place during the two-weeks of “Core Training” before my store opened. My time in Cupertino was spent learning “wisdom;” how to quickly diagnose machines, order parts, and perform prompt repairs.

Like Stephen I discharged the CRT in a eMac, peeled back the white plastic layers of a iBook G3, and replaced the logic board on a Titanium PowerBook G4. I ate at Cafe Macs, attended a Beer Bash, and saw Steve Jobs speak in Town Hall. As a Mac Genius I got to experience a larger Apple than the confines of my 30-foot store back home. I am sad future Mac Genius won’t have the same experiences as mine.