Samsung demoing a Genius Bar-style kiosk with a twist in the United States
Walking into any carrier store these days will usually give you two kiosks of phones to play with; the iPhones and the Samsungs. That’s something that’s been true for a few years now and it looks like Samsung is looking to take their branding domination one step further by demoing some Genius Bar-style kiosks with a twist at locations across the United States.
Samsung’s partner in the effort is the startup WeWork, which helps large companies get collaborative workspaces set up across the United States. Samsung is starting with three service centers that it’s dubbing Care Centers in Detroit, Miami, and Williamsburg, New York. The idea is that you can go into a Care Center to get your Galaxy S8 serviced, but you’ll have access to a workspace so you can get work done. Here’s how Samsung VP Mick McConnell describes the Care Centers.
“Service is a hassle. I know I’m going to have to take time out of my day to do it. The concept was, if I take time out of my day, at least I can sit in a conference room, make phone calls, and do work, as opposed to sitting in a busy room with a bunch of angry people.”
This isn’t the first time the company has partnered with startup WeWork, either. Samsung used the company for a VR setup with tablet stations in Austin in order to showcase their hardware. If this arrangement goes well for both WeWork and Samsung, it could be the first baby steps toward Samsung tackling Apple’s 500 stores across the US.