Apple May Be Planning Some Big Changes For Its Retail Stores And Genius Bar

Apple is reportedly planning to change some of the policies in its retail stores, especially when it comes to the Genius Bar, according to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman.

One change involves giving customers more time with Genius Bar employees when they're in need of assistance.

As the current policy stands, customers can make appointments in 15-minute increments to meet with Genius Bar technicians. However, you need to make separate appointments for each device you're having an issue with, as Gurman notes.

In the future, Apple will supposedly allow customers to create appointments in varying time durations depending on how many issues they are experiencing.

So, for example, if you have a small issue with your iPhone, you may only need to meet with a Genius Bar representative for 15 minutes. But, if your Mac and your iPhone are both giving you trouble, you may need to book a 30-minute session.

There's no timetable for when this policy would be implemented, but Gurman reports that some Apple stores have already begun training for this change. A small scale roll out could happen over the coming weeks or months.

Another more secretive initiative will also come into effect soon. Apple is preparing to train employees on a new effort between August 10 and 28, Gurman's sources say. This could be tied to training procedures for iPhone 6 in-store activations, but that's unclear at this time.

In her first memo to Apple employee's the company's new retail chief Angela Ahrendts wrote that she wants to "evolve the customer journey online and in our stores," hinting that there could be some changes in the works.