Signed,
Someone who knows a lot better than the author.

One of the tenets of the Toyota Production system (which is the basis for Lean) is that you can’t improve what you don’t measure. Continuous improvement requires metrics and dedication to accurate measurement.

You might argue that they’ve chosen the wrong metrics, but I’d bet anything that the metrics were chosen after a great deal of study and research rather than relying on a Mac Specialist to tell them what is important.

I enjoyed being a Mac Specialist back before I was promoted to Mac Genius. The only thing that I disliked was the attention paid to metrics. Sometimes, it seemed that attach rates for Apple Care, Mobile Me, ProCare, etc. were more important to management than the actual dollar value of the sales, and the amount of computers and iPods/iPhones sold. That’s unfortunate. Sometimes, the extra items are not appropriate for the customer’s needs. That’s why I always had a hard time meeting those attach rates goals. Oddly enough, I became much better at selling the extras after I was no longer a Mac Specialist and didn’t have to worry about my metrics anymore.

“Straight from the horse’s mouth, here’s a breakdown…”

Is this information published by Apple somewhere or has this come from a contact at Apple? Thanks.