Not in the USA, it isn't. Most customer service reps I talk to do try to sympathize with you. Apple stresses empathy, not sympathy. The "Geniuses" objective is to admit no fault of Apple even if they are responsible. Also, all the stores that compete with Apple Store don't require appointments like Apple does (unless it is to arrange delivery of something). Apple cares little about the problem and a lot about brainwashing the customer into buying more/coming back. This, as far as I know, is uniquely Apple.
Kantastic is proof it works. A situation that should have resulted in never entering an Apple Store again except for a refund has resulted in, apparently, a lifelong customer.
I'll reiterate one last time that the Apple store I go to is in the heart of Manhattan, right next to Central Park, and designed after I.M. Pei's Louvre in Paris. It has become a staple of New York City, and for tourists it is arguably a destination more worthwhile to see than Ground Zero or the Empire State. It's true that all the stores that compete with Apple don't require appointments, but there is no guarantee as to how long one would have to wait. I waited half an hour at Best Buy in a remote shopping mall to exchange my Apple Smart Cover for a different color when there were 2 people ahead of me because the employee was busy chatting with her coworker and the customer she was taking care of. If you walked into a Best Buy in the same location as the 59th and 5th Apple store, I'm sure you would be waiting hours for GeekSquad to check out your product. I could have gone to any other Apple store in Manhattan, but I chose that one for the ease of transportation and the fact that it's an architectural marvel that literally took my breath away when I saw it.
Why does it concern me whether or not Apple admits any fault to the product being less than ideal? As long as I walk out with a brand new, perfect iPad (which I did), I can care less about what they do overseas and about what ongoing lawsuits they have against other companies. They even took me into the VIP room so I could shut the door and turn the lights off to test for any backlight leakage. You argue that they brainwashed me. Brainwashed me with what? Great customer service? Insanely friendly employees that were a joy to work with? The confidence that if any of my other Apple products had issues I would be well taken care of? The fact that they're open 24/7 365 days a year so that my downtime if a device should fail is a whopping 2 hours? Yeah, they sure brainwashed me alright. I'm sure nobody else has ever had to go back to a store multiple times to exchange an item. Never. Ever. Never ever never ever never ever ever ever. Ever.
My sister's iPad was perfect right from the beginning, and we purchased it at the same time (same invoice actually). I'm particularly picky with my electronics, so a dead pixel that goes unspotted for days and can only be seen in the darkest images might have been acceptable to many customers. Backlight leakage that can only be seen when the room is pitch black and I have brightness set to max with a completely dark image might have also been acceptable to many customers.
PS - Say hi to the Apple store.