How poor are the fruit fans living in Xi'an? It is almost 2021, and it has been 12 years since the opening of the first Apple Store in China, but Xi'an has not yet had an Apple Store.
But if you go around the clock tower, you will find many stores that are suspected of Apple Store. These stores are spacious and bright, with long wooden tables on display, some planted with (fake) bamboo, and some with a wax figure of Jobs. When you walk in and stroll around, the clerk will not follow you inwardly. If you really want to buy Apple products, they are also authentic and licensed.
The Apple Store looks pretty
, but after all, the copy is a copy, but it is an upgrade.
In the early years, the fake Apple Store was too wild. It sold the refurbished iPhone as a brand new iPhone and Airpors as AirPods. Finally, it made big news and made headlines in foreign media. It was severely criticized by the government. Blow.
The copycat Apple Store you can see now is basically the second generation after iteration. They do not sell fakes, do not force them to sell, and do not abuse customers.
But if you just search the Internet, there are still a lot of people who have been cheated by the Apple Store in the past few years. Just talking about the Star Ruixingyao with a statue of Jobs next to the clock tower has pitted countless tourists, students and ordinary consumers.
Apple Store has been popular in the past two years to trick customers into buying broken screen insurance. The price is about the same as the official price. You can spend (interest-bearing) installments. You think you bought Apple Care+, but it is actually a broken screen insurance of a different brand. The screen that is really broken is not the original one.
Even if you realize that something is wrong and want to return it later, it is not impossible. First, pay for the "free" accessories. The film is 300 yuan, the wireless charger is 400 yuan, and the protective cover is 500 yuan. "Insurance" is about the same.
online shopping is not enough?
Apple's official website iPhone 12 purchase page
In cities where there is no Apple Store, if you want to buy Apple products directly from the official website, you can only choose between the official website and the Apple Tmall flagship store. The shopping experience on
Apple’s official website is actually very good, all products are free shipping, no reason to return up to 14 days, no need to pay for postage, many products can also be processed for 24 interest-free installments.
But like all online shopping methods, there are two problems with buying things on Apple's official website: you have to wait, you can't touch the real thing.
For example, my iPhone is broken or lost today and I need to buy a new one immediately. At this time, online shopping may not be an ideal way to buy. Image source of
: Apple
And the real touch and texture of a product in your hand cannot be presented in any picture or video, especially Apple products.
For those consumers who don't know much about digital products, they will still be puzzled just by looking at the product introduction on the official website. If it is in the Apple Store, the clerk will provide them with a more intuitive product/function introduction.
Apple Store is so good?
The shopping experience of the Apple Store is definitely nothing to say. The store is spacious and exquisitely decorated. It is pleasant to stay in when there are not many customers; the product display and display in the store are reasonable and orderly, and you can find what you need at a glance , I am also very eager to buy; the clerk is also professional and enthusiastic. If you want to stroll around in peace, they will not disturb you, but if you have any questions, they will immediately appear to answer you.
Apple Store Sanlitun, photo source: Apple
You can try all the machines in the store and then buy nothing, and no clerk will roll your eyes at you; the machine you bought home feels dissatisfied, and you can get it back within 14 days Return the goods, the clerk will handle it for you without saying anythingRationale.
But Apple Store does have two frustrating problems: too few stores and too many people.
Up to now, Apple has opened 42 Apple Stores in Mainland China, covering 14 provinces/municipalities, not even the second-tier cities. Looking to the west from Xi'an, there is no store at all. And, with the exception of a few first-tier cities, even if there is an Apple Store in most cities, this is the only one in the city.
iPhone 12 is on the day of the release. Picture source: Apple
Whenever new products are on sale, holidays, or even just off work every day, the Apple Store cannot be said to be crowded, it can be said to be overcrowded. Don't say I want to touch the new iPhone, try on the new Apple Watch strap, just want to find a place to sit and chill, it is very difficult.
In other words, although the Apple Store can provide the best Apple product purchase experience, its coverage is really limited.
APR to find out?
Cool Motion Xi’an Yintai Store (Apple Premium Distributor)
is actually in Xi’an—and many other cities where there is no Apple Store—there are formal ways to buy Apple products and even get a shopping experience close to the Apple Store.
is through Apple's premium distributors (APR).
The store decoration of these distributors is very similar to that of the Apple Store, but the sign is not the Apple logo, but the distributor's own name and trademark, with the words "Apple Premium Distributor" next to it.
Of course, in order to be foolproof, you can check all APR stores in your city on Apple's official website.
is the same as the Apple Store. These APR stores have no price advantage, but you don’t have to worry about being cheated. Here, the clerk will provide sufficient professional pre-sales and after-sales, and the products you buy must be original authentic products.
But if this is the case, APR seems to be no different from those regular home appliance/mobile phone stores, but in fact the services provided by these stores are much more comprehensive than other third-party stores.
APR store open class, Shangpai authentic Xi’an Daduhui store
APR store will hold "open class" every week. These courses are similar to the Today at Apple of the Apple Store. You can learn little knowledge about product use, photography and office work. There are also winter/summer camps for children. These courses are all free, but booking is definitely easier than Today at Apple.
You can also choose installment services for Apple products purchased at APR stores, but unlike the official website or Apple Store, only certain products can enjoy interest-free installment.
After purchasing a new machine, APR stores will provide free product setup instructions and help customers migrate data; if you want to learn more about the use of Apple products, or if you encounter any problems during use, the store also has one-to-one For personal training services,
APR stores also have a service similar to the official “renew every year”. Buy a new iPhone and add Apple Care+. If you want to change to a new iPhone in the second year, you can sell the old iPhone to the store at half the price. The
APR store also supports old mobile phone recycling. You can take your old mobile phone (other brands can also be used) on the recycling machine for on-site valuation, and the money will be credited immediately. If it is used to deduct new machines, the store will also increase the recycling price by another 10% as an additional subsidy.
For example, suppose you want to recycle an iPhone 11 that has been used for a year, and the estimated value given by the machine is 2,300 yuan. At this time, you have two choices: transfer the money directly to your Alipay, or get a deduction of 2530 yuan when you buy a new phone.
APR store repair service desk, still send authentic Xi'an Daduhui store
repair, you don’t have to worry, many APR doorsThe shop itself is Apple’s authorized repair point, where you can get the most formal repair service.
The biggest advantage of APR stores is of course the number of stores. There are nearly 600 APR stores nationwide, covering nearly 200 cities. In other words, you can easily find an APR store near your home. Even if you live in a city with an Apple Store, it is obviously not as convenient to take a 10-minute bus to go to the APR store if you take the subway for an hour to go to the Apple Store.
"Apple experts by your side"
Apple's premium distributor store, picture source: Apple
I had a misunderstanding about Apple's "premium resellers". I have always thought that these stores do not have any other services besides product sales and maintenance, but they sell at the same price as the official. Who will patronize this kind of store? The misunderstanding of
on APR stores is actually the same as the misunderstanding of many people on the Apple Store in earlier years: it is just that the decoration is a little better and the products are not discounted at all. Who will buy it?
But if you take a moment to understand, you will know that whether it is an Apple Store or an APR store, product sales are definitely not the full meaning of their existence. In addition to providing consumers with the most secure way to purchase and repair products, Apple Store and APR are also an excellent way for consumers to understand Apple products-whether it is functional parameters or usage methods-and such an experience, you are Any third-party stores and online stores are not available.
However, due to the limited coverage of the Apple Store, the remaining vacancies will naturally be filled by APR stores. The latter may not be able to provide the same experience and services as the official, but the gap is not particularly large, and there is enough coverage. It's no wonder that Apple will call APR stores "Apple experts around you."
