Non-Genius Bar: Part One

Happy Saturday my friends.

I know you were expecting a cat story, but this channel is called Cats & Tech for a reason

Today I am going to write about tech.

Specifically, I am going to rant about my Apple Store Genius Bar experience from just the other day.

Here is Part One of a two-part story.

Don’t want to lose you too fast!

So here’s a little background.

Those that know me know that I am an Apple fan.

I’ve had every iPhone except the 5C and the 12 Pro.

I have several desktop Macs and several Mac laptops.

I have had many iPads over the year and still adore my nearly 8-year-old Air 2.

I still lament the loss of the iPod, having sold my last iPod Classic last year.

That being said, they are machines, and machines aren’t perfect.

Sorry, HAL.

Sometimes, they need service, and, for years and years one of the BEST parts of the Apple experience is the Genius Bar at the Apple Store.

No other tech company can match the experience.

Have a problem? Have Apple Care or under warranty?

No problem. Make an appointment, go in, and they’ll take good care of you.

I’ve had to bring iPhones in for service in the past and never had an issue.

Usually, they just swap the phone for a new one on the spot, or make a quick repair.

It’s one of the major reasons I stick to iPhones for fifteen years already.

I’ve always SWORN by Apple’s support.

Until the other day, that is.

To say the Genius Bar experience has declined dramatically in recent years is without a doubt the understatement of the century.

Thus, my title: non-genius bar.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK did you do to the Apple Store Genius Bar, Apple?

Here’s what happened to my 13 Pro Max.

Ever since it became available, and despite the warnings, I always install the iOS public beta, which I will refer to as PB for the rest of this blog, on my daily driver iPhone because I like to test drive new features and provide feedback, which Apple actually pays attention to.

This July was no different.

While iOS 16 isn’t exactly going to reinvent the iOS wheel, I was curious about the new lock screen, the ability to edit texts, and so on.

So, when the PB was released, which is actually the third developer beta, I jumped right in.

Now, yes, they warn you that it is a BETA. It won’t work perfectly, there will be bugs, yes yes I know.

The fun of the new features almost always outweighs the bugs, and new versions of the Beta come out almost weekly, so the bugs get worked on, so I have always found it to be worth the risk.

This year, for the first time, I found the reverse to be true.

The biggest issue my 13 Pro Max has developed is…..warmth.

This monster iPhone with the amazing camera (love macro photos) gets so hot I can fry an egg on the back.

Turning the screen brightness down does not help.

Plugging it in, not plugging it in, magsafe charger, regular wireless charger.

Nothing helps.

It has gotten so bad that I literally have a small desk fan sitting behind it when I work, which actually does help.

Finally, it got to the point where I reached out to Apple for advice.

Apple support, being as good as it usually is, has a great iMessage option, which is where I started.

I described the issue, and was asked to send a diagnostic report, which I was walked through. Very easy. A few taps in settings and ZAP, they get the report. Wirelessly.

A few minutes later, the report was clear.

Hardware issues.

OK, then, no worries, right? I only got the phone in late December of last year, so it is still under the usually amazing one year warranty.

I made an appointment at my local Apple Store, in my case Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, NY, for during the week and…..that was it.

Or so I thought.

Here’s where things start to REALLY go downhill for what was once a stellar experience.

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow!