Why the Geek Squad has become a Technological Necessity

Get Me The Geeks! How Tricky Technology Is Giving Rise To The Geeks

CBS News – 60 Minutes
January 28, 2007

Ever seen those funky-looking VW bugs driving around town? Have you felt the need to pick up the phone and call the Geek Squad? Well, you are not alone. 60 Minutes reports:

“We are becoming slaves to our own technology €“ addicted to and dependent upon all sorts of beeping, flashing gadgetry that is supposed to make our lives easier. But it has become so complicated to set up, program and fix, that most of us don €™t know how to do it, giving rise to a multi-billion dollar service industry populated by the very people who used to be shunned in the high school cafeteria: geeks, like Robert Stephens.”

Since new technology isn’t always as usable as marketed, the rise of the Geek Squad should be no surprise. Even the beloved and most often pointed-to example of simplicity and usability – the Apple iPod – drew negative comments from readers:

“The same goes with the very simple iPod. No geek required.” You apparently do not work in a retail store that sells iPods. You would be VERY surprised at the number of customers the come to our counter every day with this “simple” piece of technology. The average person with some deductive reasoning or knowledge of Google could find their answers online, and I’m not saying that every one of our iPod customers are bringing them in because they don’t know how to use it, I’m just providing some insight…”

Readers of this CBS 60 Minutes special lash out at unusable and untested technology for the sake of marketing new products:

“Why do we need a computer in the refrigerators? Why do we have so many features that we don €™t need in the appliance that we use? It €™s simply because of money and greed. Products with more features make more money. First to the market gets the business but most of time they are not necessary or not working very well. Manufacturers advertise for these gimmicks and people bought into that. Then they have to call the geeks for help. But lots of time even the geeks don €™t deliver what they advertised thank to the complication or incompletion of the technology. Technology is good but most time technologies are delivered immaturely because of greedy businessman. They make huge amount of money doing that. Simple is be best. Simple things need no geeks. We should use our brain on more interesting subjects then trying to figure out some stupid computer bugs.”

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