Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, Retail
Nerd grudge match: Geek Squad vs. Apple Genius
You've seen the Geek Squad with their fancy Volkswagens, spiffy ties and shiny, orange buttons. You've also seen the Apple Geniuses walking around with their crisp T-shirts, swell ID badges and all that knowledge. They're both cool (for professional nerds), but who's happier? According to Glassdoor Blog, it's the Geniuses. They make more money on average and spoke better of their work environments in recent satisfaction surveys. Plus, who wouldn't choose to wear jeans and a T-shirt to work over a shirt and tie?
Actually, I kind of like the Geek Squad uniforms. They're a cross between Men In Black and Waldo from the Hot For Teacher video. But ... nerdier.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Nate Bird said 9:07AM on 9-09-2008
"crisp T-shits" I want one of those. Might want to fix that. ;-)
Reply
Jason said 9:27AM on 9-09-2008
I'm not sure that I would want to wear one of those t-shirts! Check spelling.
Reply
dabull215 said 9:40AM on 9-09-2008
Whether or not it comes with a swell ID badge, copius amounts of knowledge, and regardless of its intrinsic crisp-ness, it has been my experience that a "T-shit" is rather painful.
Reply
ChrisM70 said 9:43AM on 9-09-2008
One difference between the two is that I have never come away from dealing with the Geek Squad being anything but upset and frustrated.
In the few times I have dealt with the Geeks not once did they handle a problem professionally or in a timely manner.
Advantage: Genius.
Reply
Ed said 9:49AM on 9-09-2008
Good to see the QC standards at TUAW HQ are as stringent as ever.
Reply
DerekJ said 9:53AM on 9-09-2008
As a former GS Agent, I've gotta say, the pay is really sad.
However, because of the exposure of the Geek Squad brand, it gives a LOT of young IT people their first foothold in the industry.
An Apple Genius is a great job I'm sure, but when you think of genuine experience with M$, you obviously won't find it as a Genius.
However, I know my advice should be taken with a grain of salt. But I was able to double my income after leaving GS for a professional IT job...
Reply
Kurt Tappe said 9:59AM on 9-09-2008
You like the Geek Squad outfits? To me they scream "This person couldn't find a better job so they got stuck wearing this getup."
Reply
Slobi said 9:57AM on 9-09-2008
Umm, let me get this right. You're talking about Peek Squad?
Reply
Galley said 11:22AM on 9-09-2008
I see what you did there.
Slobi said 9:59AM on 9-09-2008
By the way, who are we to say that TUAW job uniform ISN'T a crisp t-shit?
Reply
Archie Casey said 10:05AM on 9-09-2008
In the morning when I head out to do the work of the people, I love the smell of a crisp t-shit. I am, however, a bit bored with the limited color selection.
Reply
Kev Orng said 11:10AM on 9-09-2008
Zune Brown, right?
Tim said 10:30AM on 9-09-2008
never dealt with the GS, but every time I visit the "genius" bar its a painful experience. Some of the most uninformed, unhelpful people I've ever had to speak with. For only having like a half dozen products in the entire store, they know surprisingly little about anything short of how to tell someone to reboot to try and fix a problem.
Reply
Slobi said 12:52PM on 9-09-2008
For someone not working as Genius (snicker) and having to go and ask for their help (snicker, snicker) you sure have a lot of opinion to spew.
John Doe said 10:41AM on 9-09-2008
I don't think that too many on the geek squad wear their uniform with any pride. On the last visit to Best (sic!) Buy most had loose ties, open ill fitting shirts and pants. They actually looked hilarious (to me) and I bet they felt miserable in those stupid uniforms.
Reply
Eric said 10:48AM on 9-09-2008
I don't know what's more troubling.
The mental (and aromatic) picture of a Geek Squad person wearing a t-shit.
Or the fact that this word is apparently in Dave Caolo's spellcheck dictionary.
Reply
Erik said 11:09AM on 9-09-2008
Where I worked, many of the Genius Bar staff were hand-picked and scouted from Geek Squads. So, presumably, it's a step up.
Reply
xAirbusdriver said 11:40AM on 9-09-2008
Never been near a "Geek" except avoiding being hit by one of their VW's! :-) But have some very good, efficient and friendly help from several Genius'. Maybe I just have smaller problems? They were with a missing foot on a laptop and my new iPhone/AppStore connection password.
Frankly, I don't think the comparison is equal. "Geeks" have a lot more hardware to be acquainted with and a somewhat less than stellar OS(s) to run on it!
Reply
David Huff said 12:01PM on 9-09-2008
My experiences mirror those of ChrisM70 @4. The Genius Bar folks in the Apple Store at Willow Bend Mall in Plano, TX are great. Both knowledgeable and good people skills. The local Geek Squad ? Errr... not so much :/
Hardly a grudge match. For the Apple Geniuses it's more like a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent ;)
Reply
Balls said 2:06PM on 9-09-2008
Professional Nerds don't make an average of $8.50/hr.
Real Professional Nerds make an average of 96k/year.
Reply