3 hours and counting to talk to someone at the Genius Bar... Ridiculous, oh and let's not forget that Cambridge Side Galleria parking isn't free. read more

Limited selection of products - but the staff and genius bar more than make up for that. I tend to buy my techie stuff online, so the lack of certain product availability does not bug me. But, when I have questions or need help with my iPhone and/or MacBook I want hands on, quality customer service! Previous apple stores I have dealt with (Boulder, Denver, Minneapolis, Boston) have had days of waitlists for the Genius Bar. That is a problem if your computer or phone are on the fritz! Waiting 5 minutes let alone 5 days is painful. Losing touch with the multitasking electronic friends and family is stressful enough before you have to wait in line and fear the worst! At the CambridgeSide Apple Store, I got in the next day (and it was a Saturday)! The staff and the tech were super helpful, pleasant and took great care of me! They did not try to keep my computer for hours/days either (common occurrence for even the most simple issue it seems). If you have to bring your Apple in for service, this is probably one of the better locations in the area for availability and customer service. For product, I would go online or to the Boston stores. read more

I have two stories to share but let me start with the most recent one. My iPhone 5 have dusts/particles in both front and end camera. I chat online with AppleCare and they told me this is covered by my warranty and I can just go to AppleStore to replace it, as one of the three options. Unfortunately I didn't save that chat log, and went to this Apple Store directly. The technician asked to open the iPhone. He went to the back room and came back after 10 min. He claims that he ran tests on the camera and found that the picture quality is not affected. I certainly do not agree with this conclusion. Anybody knows that if you have things blocking the light coming into the lens, you lose picture quality. There were more than 5 particles in the front camera, two standing right in front of the blue lens. The technician asked me to show him pictures that demonstrated degraded quality. First of all, I do not have pictures to show that since I never tested it thoroughly, assuming particles should automatically warrant replacement. Second, Apple Care online support never asked for this, nor did they tell me I need such evidence. But common sense, if not optics expert opinion, means particles degrade picture quality. The one lady up the hierarchy of this genius claim the same thing, if she doesn't see degraded picture quality, there is nothing she could do. And she was very impatient, using the "Is there anything else I can do for you today" and repeating it at least once. That is so rude, I told her, I don't think this is resolved yet. And I am going to complain to Apple directly if she doesn't help me. She offered me to talk to the manager. The manager tried to help, but she decided to rely on the first technician's opinion whether the hardware has issue that needs to be replaced. So there was no visible dusts in back camera under Apple Store lighting. After I got home, one bigger particle in the back lens disappeared or went somewhere else. The manager offered to place the front panel, which they say will take an hour. This is because we all can see the particles in front camera. But I declined because I don't believe there is no issue with back camera. So I went home after over 30 mins talk with them, not to mention over 20 min wait to get to a "genius". Fortunately when I take picture of solid light color, I notice this dark shadow on picture and live view on the lower left corner. Later it moved to top left. This allowed me to finally get it replaced, fairly easily, the next day. ==== Another story short is that I have this 20% off store coupon, which another Apple Store in CA gave me due to service issue (not that I am difficult customer, but I increasingly feel Apple Store is not there to serve you any more,but to sell you stuff only). This Galleria Apple Store told me I cannot use it within 30 days of new product release: some secrete internal policy? Why is not written on the coupon? That's just not the right way to treat your customer, especially the coupon is to make up for previous bad experience. So this store really deserve 1-1.5 star. I don't know. Is Apple no longer the same company? Or is that expecting high quality product and service from Apple is too much? read more

Had an IPhone emergency! My aunts IPhone 4 accidently went for a wash in the washer... Verizons insurance would cost $170 for a refurbished IPhone 4 (their customer service at their kiosk in the mall was terrible). I opted to look in the apple store to see what we could do for a second option. The account had an upgrade available on a different line and Ben quickly solved everything and even called Verizon to cancel their insurance for us was a huge help! Ended up upgrading the phone to a new 4s ($99) and purchased apple care (which you cannot purchase through Verizon stores) for another ($99). Ben was very helpful and brought up the new ios6 that was introduced today and informed us of workshops and such to help with Siri and the new ios features. Definitely will return for any other Apple hardware! read more

Had appointment to have battery replacement. Got there early. I asked rep. If i could see someone before appointment time but said it would be ok if i cant. She said yes and asked what i was there for. I said for battery replacement. She straight up said, "we are out of batteries." She did not even ask what phone do I have. I asked her why did they allow me to make appointment if they were out of batteries. She told me that they probably had it and replaced for people walking in. Really? Whats the point of making appointment then? Waste of time. Before making appointment with them, call to make sure they have what you need. read more

I hope the woman I spoke with is not representative of the sales staff. When I said most of what I do is "coding" and "programming", her blank stare told me this was going to be a useless conversation. I had one simple question: is a new computer going to be faster than what I use now? She had no clue. She thought since my current computer is 2.4 GHz and a new one might be 1.7, a new one would be slower. What?! "But it's a different processor," I protested. Moving on, she tried to convince me a new computer wouldn't run Photoshop. I asked why and she didn't know, and tried to google search it. When she landed in online forums, it was time for me to leave. I went to BestBuy where a very knowledgeable sales rep answered all of my technical questions. Two stars instead of one because they did a quick repair for me a few months ago. read more

This apple store is conveniently located in the Cambridge galleria mall, but as others have noted, service can be incredibly slow, and behind schedule. The three stars are for the fact that I had a laptop charger replaced for free once, after its cable got frayed. In general, I prefer going to the Boylston location, which although it is also very busy, at least when you set up an appointment for a certain time, they provide service not too long afterwards. read more

I had an appointment at 7:05pm. I got there earlier then I thought I would when I made the appointment Saturday afternoon. So I asked the greeter if I could be seen earlier. He got snappy. And said no there is a three hour wait. Made it seem like he just wanted me gone. So I came at 6:55 pm. Took my seat. Almost twenty minutes late. Not impressed. I make a appointment at a certain time I expect you guys to be on time or close to it. The guy I worked with was a little helpful though. read more

Made an appointment, put it in my calendar, it was removed from my phone. I called the store, was connected to West Virginia. Was told they could take care of the issues over the phone. Apparently there aren't enough geniuses in Cambridge. read more

I have to give props to Richard. Richard - whom I am not sure if he is an official 'genius' or not as they now all wear the same outfits - was more than just a great help to me. He knows how to work under pressure. That pressure, you ask? Well, it wasn't a fried hard drive or a cracked screen or even a crazed complaint. No, it was me. I came to the Apple Store during the last hour of business and tried to weasel my way into getting an iPhone4 without having to get on the waiting list. And Richard laughed with me the entire time. And didn't get one of the phones from the back that no one was going to pick up that day. Most people would be pissed, right? Not I. I mean, sure, I wanted to have my shiny new toy to take home with me right then and there, and I didn't want to have to wait on a list to get it either, but it's not very often you meet someone who would trade taking an excellent sale and commission for being honest and true to his company. He stood by his morals and made me laugh while doing so. Not sure if it was pure luck or his good graces that had me taken off the waiting list within 24 hours (I have the phone in hand, even!) - but I have nothing but love for the Apple Store in general, and a ton of high-fives and huge props to Richard for being Richard. read more

I've been addicted to Apple since my Mom got us an Apple IIe. I love this stuff! My new workplace is PC only and I have to try to keep myself under control every day and not throw my PC through the window every time it does some insanely annoying thing like pop up a window that says my document just printed. I know it just printed, I just sent it to the printer two seconds ago, there is no need for you to pop up a window that just gets in my way to let me know you just did what I told you to do. Thankfully, I get to return home every day to my blessed Mac. I've had a few minor problems with my Macs over the last couple of years, largely when the computers have been getting a bit older. The genius bar at this store has been awesome in fixing all of these issues. These guys are great! They do all they can at the store and help you sort your way through corporate Apple, if necessary. They really bend over backwards to try to fix your problems and to not rip you off. I definitely recommend making a reservation online. Today, I showed up a few minutes early for my appointment, and only had to wait about 10 minutes for a "genius" to help me out. He diagnosed and fixed my problem toute de suite, and sent me on my way. The store itself is also pretty great because they let you try out stuff, but sometimes the place is too crowded to get to some of the stuff you want to check out. They have things set up so you can access the internet and try out iPods with all kinds of speaker systems. They don't care if you turn things up LOUD. This is a place to play around with stuff. That said, I usually go online to check out the specs on stuff and then head into the store to check them out. I guess you could check the specs out online in the store. Even if you hate Apple, I'd head in here to play around with some of their cool stuff. read more

I have been coming to this store for over 5 years and even tho I've had 5 star treatment before I haven't felt the need to express this until now. I got the iPhone 5 a year ago and some change. All things good as far as that goes. I keep it close to me at all times. It's one of those security blanket type things that make me very aware of where it is at any given moment. I had a lapse of reason while making a trip to the dry cleaner. I left it there and didn't realize that was a possibility for nearly 2 days. Once I had it back the screen was all weird. My iPhone was broken. No mater what actually happened, I broke it. It was broke coz of me. I went to the Apple store and made a genius Bar appointment. I was given the diagnosis and quoted a price. I was very pleased a price was available to start the conversation rather than saying something like; well, that depends. When I asked about my options I was given precise direction. Yahor, the guy who helped me, was patient with my questions and was VERY patient when I expressed my frustration at having a broke phone. He was able to diagnose my phone then made steps to fix it. I didn't want to pay the money coz, well... it's money. He worked with me to exhaust all other options. I approved the repair and came back at the time Yahor said it would be ready. Within moments of my arrival I was given a repaired phone. It just doesn't get better than that. read more

Appointment at 730pm, arrived 20min earlier. No one showed up until 750pm. It was not a busy evening and couple of sales persons Just hanging around and doing nothing. read more

The employees are nice, but there aren't enough of them here! I came in at 11:30, thinking I would beat the lunchtime rush, and I was only third in line. Sounds good, right? Not so much. I had to wait 45 minutes for someone to help me. read more

Steve Jobs is rolling in his grave. Took two hours to buy a computer that was in stock. Horrible experience. Asked to wait by computer then asked to give name then asked to order online then asked to wait an hour for the computer after paying. Apple stores are the Comcast of retail. read more

I no that everyone probably has some apple product by now. A computer, an iPhone or at least an iPod. Apple products really nice but I have to give them a negetive review for taking away the "educational discount"! I really want a new iPod and I'd prefer to just walk into the Apple Store and pick one up, but now that there's no deal for college students I think that I'll look for a deal online. read more

If you're at the Apple Store, you're probably unhappy: either a) you're saying goodbye to a few paychecks in exchange for a new phone/laptop/tablet or b) that phone/laptop/tablet is now broken. Considering these circumstances, this Apple Store is relatively calm. Josh at the Genius Bar was a huge help. He clearly explained what he was doing and what my options were for repairs. He also offered to recommend third party repair companies, which was super appreciated since he easily could have taken a "my way or the highway" approach. -1 star because it's a little stupid that there's only one person in the store with the ability to check you in for a Genius Bar appointment... read more

This place sucks! I'm carrying my son into the store to get my brand new iPhone fixed. Paid for parking in the mall walked. Through the whole mall to get to the Apple Store. When I finally got here they can't help me because their machine broke. Why couldn't they notify me or help me or try to do anything else to help me out? This is example of bad customer service. Apple is a multi billion dollar company but they can't do anything to remedy my inconvenience read more

This store is the worst out of all the apple stores. It's always super crowded with teenagers. I avoid this place like the plague, but it's still an apple store so it gets an automatic 3 stars. I'd strongly recommend the Chestnut Hill one or the one in Burlington is good too. read more

I want to be friends with everyone who works here. Matt fixed my achy-breaky Macbook in a jiffy and he did it with a smile. Of course, it's still an Apple Store in a Mall where I can never find parking...so yeah. read more

I just had a really good customer experience with my iPhone at the Cambridgeside Galleria Apple Store. I walked in and grabbed a new headset - and when I went to pay for it, I also said I had been having issues with the battery life getting drained quickly. So the guy looks at my phone and suggests changing a push setting or two. Then he shows me how to do a restore on my own if that didn't work. And if the restore didn't help, he showed me how to make an appointment online to get my iphone checked out by their service folks. Very civilized! Then he looked at the headset I picked out and said that I should get the better one (same price) which was designed for my iPhone because it had volume controls... I have to say things like this really build customer loyalty! read more

I was having trouble charging my iPhone for a few weeks, and the special pressured charging system I set up had been a huge hassle. Within seconds of entering the store I was being helped by Scott and within my minute my phone was fixed. Solid customer service. I was expecting at least a half hour wait and a $50 repair charge. read more

The very model for a great retail experience. No other place knows how to do retail better than Apple and their Apple stores. There's never any pressure to buy, the staff is extremely helpful with anything you ask for, and they don't care how long you loiter in the store. They act like theyre there to solve problems for you rather than sell you things and that makes for a great shopping experience. I could buy the same products on Amazon for a little less money, but I always find myself getting my Apple stuff at the stores because of the great experience and customer service they provide. And judging by how busy the stores usually are, I think a lot of people feel the same way. read more

Was super stressed that I would lose everything on my computer but the guys here not only made me feel better, but they kept me calm and made me laugh while we were trying to figure out what was wrong! They made me feel like a person, not just someone on their list that they have to help and it made a stressful situation much more bearable. I will always be an Apple person, not only because of their products, but also because of their continued quality customer service! Thanks, apple! read more

I was very disappointed. I had made an appointment to have my Macbook Pro checked out. The problem was the charger/battery, which is a common problem with their laptops. I had them check it out and they wanted to bring it in over night to a couple days. I said that it wasn't possible. I am a college student and I need my computer. Not only that they wanted me to back up everything I had first, and I don't have the money for an external hard drive. I had read reviews about the charger problem before I went to the store and heard of people getting things fixed right there, so that is what I was expecting. I ended up leaving my computer there, since it was useless and by the time I got home it was done. So they hassled me for no reason. GO TO APPLE STORE ON BOYLSTON!! read more

I hadn't been to this store in a while and was so excited to pick up my purchase, but the manager here was just too rude and even hostile to ever come back. Wow. I would suggest others use other apple stores in the Boston area. read more

I've had mixed experiences here. One time, I had a real difficult time chasing down a free staff member so that I could pay for a software that I was trying to purchase. The other time, the service was just excellent although that was probably because I was buying a laptop. Overall, I think it's a well-organized store with good presentations and services. It always feels nice to walk into a clean store unlike some dingy ones. read more

Ok well just got my self an Apple iPhone after waiting in line for 5 hours! Great staff in the shop and free water for all us people in line. Great service also! read more

The worst apple store service. Actually no service.it seems that the people working there only work special section of the store. Watch people only seems to work watch section. The door person only works the door. I was kind of surprised at how bad the customer service was for an apple store Today I will go to Prudentials apple store for better service. read more

I got my stuff fixed don't listen to other Karen's named sarah or Jane writting negative reviews on Yelp

Bought a new iPhone 8! Tyler was extremely helpful and made the process extremely seamless! Thanks so much! Definitely a go to place for all you Cambridge Apple needs read more

This apple store sucks compared to the one in Boston. The genius bar people think they're smarter then they are and in my opinion were super rude. I had an appointment and unfortunately wasn't seen for an hour beyond my scheduled time. I'm not a stickler for punctuality but dang they made me late for work! When I was finally seen, the genus bar person I had was unfriendly and might I add uppity. So I took my comp on over to Boston and had THE best experience there. Actually, I should be writing positive review for that store instead of being super rude/honest on this review... Peace out. read more

I went in to the CambridgeSide Galleria Apple Store a few days ago because I lost my phone. I was pretty miserable knowing I would have to spend and unexpected $200-$300. Tyler absolutely turned my mood right around. He put up with and even participated in mine and my boyfriend's crazy antics, even going so far as pretending to use a soup can phone. I will absolutely go back to this apple store and I will most certainly ask for Tyler. Thanks for a great experience and turning a crappy day around! read more

Does anybody work here who doesn't have an armful of bad tattoos, purple hair, and piercings? Anyone over 22? Newsflash kids: the Apple store maybe cool, but you aren't. Cracked screen on my daughter's Iphone. Fairly simple, no? In the world of smarmy, self-absorbed "geniuses", no. The story changed with everyone I asked. First it was $150. Then free, if I waited. Then $50, if I waited and upgraded. Then it was $150. Three separate trips, about 5 hours of aggro. Save yourself the aneurism and get your phone repaired by an independent. It's cheaper, and you don't have to refer to the guy who's doing the high tech equivalent of an oil change as a "genius". read more

I love this Apple Store. In the past two years, I have purchased three computers and two iPods here. It's so convenient. I like to wander around and just play with things. Unfortunately, sometimes the staff doesn't have a clue, like the day after they updated the iMac's and the staff told me they had not done so... But that's ok. It's my dream to one day work here. read more

So I make a trip here to get my iPhone fixed/replaced (they replaced it) and what happens when I get there? I'm told there is about an hour wait and I would have to put my name down. So I put my name down and go out and about in the mall to kill some time. I come back about 5 minutes early and they tell me I'm next up, GREAT! Well, little do I know that the people who work in that "Genius" whatever place each specialize in different Apple products, and there's only one guy working on iTouch/iPhones at the moment. There's some clueless old guy who looks like he could be a Haaaahvaaahd prof asking a million useless questions about his iPhone, I mean, he's obviously getting a new one, can't he ask any other simple questions about the product to some other salesperson? My turn FINALLY comes nearly 30 minutes after the time they originally told me and all they do is replace my phone, I literally was at the genius thing for less than 5 minutes. All in all, it's nice customer service, but that's pretty shit if I had to wait over an hour and a half for a 5 minute quick switch on phones. They need to fix their system on how to go about the customer service area. I pretty much knew they were going to give me a new one, so why couldn't they just do that right away so I wouldn't have wait a million years. read more

just like any other apple store - whatever. Smaller maybe tho too. My problem with this apple store is that it is in cambridge and in the mall. Why does apple like being in malls so much? Move to downtown Boston is my advice. read more

A little wait but it was really busy. Apple s customer service is the reason why I did not switch to Samsung.

Richard, you are the worst. There I was looking to drop some $ on an iphone 4 and your anti-social personality disorder just wouldn't shut up long enough to make the sale. Your awkward joke-cracking and general cluelessness did not impress and then it went even further downhill. Yes I understand I'm at an Apple store, and you will try to sell me Mobile Me, etc. But if I know what it is, and I don't want it...your reaction should not be a rude "well maybe you should just go to AT&T..." Really Richard? OK fine then...watch this sale as it leaves. You putz. read more

I love Apple Store. No other store can I walk in, have them start a little sales pitch, then give the little look, and they know and bow out in reverence. Yes, they know, that I have been suckling the teat of Apple Computer (now known as Apple) since the days of the Macintosh 512Ke (The e standing for Enhanced, which means the system came with an 800k floppy (well, hardy) drives instead of the standard 400k). If I really wanna seem elite, I will make the noises of the Apple Imagewriter II, in all of its dot matrix printing glory. Eeeee uuuuuhhhhh gthhhhhhhhhh gthhh.. EEKkkkkkkkk thhhhhh... eeeeckhhhhhh thhhhhhhhh... The geniuses cower, the sales folk panic, as these are the unholy sounds that do not belong in the land of brushed aluminum, pure white shiny plastic, and liquid crystal displays. Continue doing these sounds, and the great holy duo of Steve and Woz will come down from the heavens upon the mighty steed Gilbert Amelio (it's not like he's doing anything better with his time these days) and service you. Okay so it's not really that cool. Doing these noises MAY get you by the genius bar's stupid self evident questions (no of course not, that's not a scratch on the back, it's just a design flaw by your stupid machines, I swear to god I didn't drop that iPhone from my polo shirt's pocket while running to catch the train, it's your fault I'm fat and pregnant why don't you love me anymore) It's full of stupid teenagers who think it's a free internet cafe who go on myspace or whatever, while the employees groan and sort of shrug their shoulders whether or not to support this behavior if it's supporting Apple, or if they're just being a pain in the ass. Low pressure sales, which I love. I walked in there, picked up an iPhone, and walked out in 5 minutes. That's it. I like that. Plus, I'm like, totally in love with the girl in glasses who works there sometimes! (I realize that doesn't narrow it down much but y'know!) So uh. Yeah. Buy an actual frickin' computer sometime instead of another iPod. They're nice. read more