The Genius Bar, that "magical" place in an Apple Store where any problem can be solved, was not seen so well by Steve Jobs. Former senior vice president of the division that manages Apple's retail network, Ron Johnson, said that Steve Jobs was not a fan of the Genius Bar idea before its implementation.
According to Johnson, Steve Jobs thought the idea of having a Genius Bar in the Apple Store was idiotic and didn't think it could ever be successful. Steve Jobs did not believe that Apple could hire people who knew its products and technologies so well, so that they could communicate easily and correctly with customers to solve problems.
Johnson managed to convince him to implement the Genius Bar by explaining that only young people passionate about technology will work there. Although he initially resisted the idea, Steve Jobs was finally convinced to allow the testing of the Genius Bar in the Apple Store, and now these spaces in the stores represent a key point of the entire experience.
Steve Job was known for the fact that he was stubborn and that he did not see a great idea even if it was explained to him in detail by the employees. The same thing happened with the AppStore before opening, and so we see that Steve Jobs was not quite as visionary as many see him and that he probably refused to implement many good ideas.
"I remember the day I came in and told Steve about the Genius Bar idea and he says, 'That's so idiotic! It'll never work!' .He said, 'Ron, you might have the right idea, but here's the big gap: I've never met someone who knows technology who knows how to connect with people. They're all geeks! You can call it the Geek Bar.'” And I said, “Steve, kids who are in their 20s today grew up in a very different world. They all know technology, and that's who's going to work in the store.' They're all geeks! You can call it the Geek Bar.”
