An Apple Specialist Wows Me Enough To Write This
Way to go, me. A few weeks ago my 2008 MacBook Pro met an early grave. Yes, totally my fault – ugh, the shame. Needing to get on with things, I decided to walk over to the local Apple Store and give the ‘ol credit card a swipe-a-roo. Macs… so expensive. Here’s to first-world problems, friends! Along for the trip, my partner-in-awesome, Laura.
It started out as a typical trip to the Apple Store. A ton of people, lots of busy specialists, very little walking room, and a plethora of Mac items lining the walls to drool over. Laura and I parked ourselves at one of the computers and tapped the neighboring Smart Sign to get on the Specialist wait-list. An aside, if you’re not familiar with said Smart Sign, it’s basically an iPad running an in-store app designed to let you compare Mac models and seek assistance.
After ten minutes our Specialist, Jason, approached us — but he wasn’t saying anything. Laura and I just sort of traded glances with each other. However, our initial confusion was put to rest when Jason waved hello and placed the Macbook Air he had been carrying with him in front of us. On the screen, in TextEdit:
“Hello, my name is Jason – I’m the Apple Specialist assisting you today. I’m deaf, so I’ll be communicating with you on this computer. So, how can I help you?”
Brilliant! What followed was a combination of us typing back-and-forth and gestures like, “thumbs-up” and “OK.” The whole experience was smooth (smoother than I thought it would be) and basically, special. I mean, where else do you find a company that equips its staff like this? Tip ‘o the cap to Apple. Using their own products in-store to tout a product’s effectiveness is one thing, but helping someone who’s completely capable but has a disability – like being deaf – that’s shear greatness.
Jason was a personable guy too. At one point I gestured a double-thumbs-up. I got wide-eyed for a second and typed, “I really hope double-thumbs up doesn’t mean something else in sign.” He laughed, but I’m pretty sure I accidentally told him to screw-off and he’s just really forgiving. Sorry, Jason! That, or I was rambling about milking a cow or something.
I’ve heard before that products like iPads and iPhones are “pure potential.” A fair statement. We’ve got these great tools at our disposal, they’ve been on the market for years, and their uses keep growing thanks to developers and the companies that foster their ideas. Even with all the new apps flooding the market, you can still be amazed by a basic program, like TextEdit, and the potential someone saw in it to create better user experiences.
