Not everyone lives in a big city. I would have to make an over night trip to go to an apple store
My folks live in the boondocks and swear by Apple phone support. You schedule an appointment, they call you when they say they will, are patient and helpful, and with your approval can connect to your machine to help work through software problems or do diagnostics. Oh, and if in warranty or Apple care it's free.
The Apple Store is a gold standard when close by, but they do remote support too.
