Apple Store Employees Can't Correct Your Pronunciation

Walk into an Apple Store and confidently ask for the "iTouch" or the "MacBook Air-o" — and the employee helping you won't bat an eye or correct you. It's not because they didn't notice. It's because they're literally trained not to.

According to leaked training materials and employee accounts, Apple Store workers are instructed never to correct customers when they mispronounce product names. The reasoning? Apple doesn't want employees to embarrass shoppers or create any kind of negative interaction, no matter how minor.

The "iTouch" Problem

The most common victim of mispronunciation is the iPod Touch, which countless customers call the "iTouch." It's such a widespread mistake that Apple has accepted it as a lost cause. Employee training materials specifically mention this example, noting that "trying to correct it is a fruitless effort."

Instead of saying "Actually, it's called the iPod Touch," employees are trained to simply use the correct name naturally in conversation. They might respond with something like, "Great choice! Let me grab that iPod Touch for you." The customer hears the right name without feeling corrected.

Part of a Bigger Strategy

The no-correction policy is just one piece of Apple's famously meticulous approach to customer service. The company has an entire list of forbidden words that employees can't use because they convey negativity:

• "Unfortunately" becomes "As it turns out"
• "Problem" becomes "Issue" or "situation"
• "Crash" becomes "stopped responding"
• "Bug" becomes "condition"

This linguistic engineering creates an environment where customers never feel stupid, wrong, or frustrated — even when they're mispronouncing half the product line.

Training for Empathy

New Apple Store employees undergo intensive 14-day training that goes far beyond technical knowledge. They learn to read non-verbal communication, interpret customer emotions, and use specific linguistic techniques to build rapport. The entire approach is built around the A.P.P.L.E. framework: Approach, Probe, Present, Listen, and End.

The pronunciation policy fits perfectly into this philosophy. Why risk making someone feel self-conscious about saying "MacBook Pro-o" when you can just smile and help them buy their "MacBook Pro" without the awkwardness?

So next time you're in an Apple Store, feel free to mangle those product names with confidence. The employee helping you has been trained to keep a straight face — and to never, ever correct you.