Apple Revises One to One Policy, Limits Data Migration to First 60 Days

NT1440 said:

That's a normal genius bar repair, not the one on one service being described. Two different services.

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Nope that is the one to one transfer.

Bar appointments are 15 minutes according to the schedule. No way could you do a full data migration of any decent amount of data in that time. Thus you leave them and get them back in a day or two

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jdechko said:

On the front end, there was no need for a genius to get involved. As a specialist, I could handle the initial transaction and then hand off the computer to a genius who would perform the migration in back of house. No genius appointments necessary, at least not when I worked there.

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The techies do the paperwork now. My guess is too many sales folks getting the paperwork wring and/or making promises that couldn't be kept. So now the people doing it do the intake

And given that the intent is to setup your new computer I think 14 days after activating your one to one is more than enough.

iMikeT said:

Just my personal thoughts, some people should never be allowed to use a computer due to how computer illiterate they are to begin with. No amount of training or a One to One will ever get some people to use a computer properly.

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Think that through: Then there would be zero computer users.

I have to say that One-to-One was a disappointment. I bought it with the hope of getting training on some more complex OS X stuff, and all they were able to offer me was things like Pages, iPhoto, Aperture, etc. I could get all of the training on that stuff I want by going to the Apple support site.

Plus, given that I work days finding a time to take the class that wasn't already booked was always a challenge.

rdlink said:

I have to say that One-to-One was a disappointment. I bought it with the hope of getting training on some more complex OS X stuff, and all they were able to offer me was things like Pages, iPhoto, Aperture, etc. I could get all of the training on that stuff I want by going to the Apple support site.

Plus, given that I work days finding a time to take the class that wasn't already booked was always a challenge.

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While I agree that the subjects they offer are simplistic, this is ultimately something that anyone computer literate would pass on. It's a cheap way to learn for people new to Apple technology. Expecting kids in retail to teach you the inner workings and hidden features of OS X for such a low price - and for a service that's obviously designed to keep a n00b loyal to the brand - is a pretty tall order and unrealistic. Take a course or hell, read that stuff on the Internet.

I have to say that One-to-One was a disappointment. I bought it with the hope of getting training on some more complex OS X stuff, and all they were able to offer me was things like Pages, iPhoto, Aperture, etc. I could get all of the training on that stuff I want by going to the Apple support site.

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I had a few similar experiences as rdlink. Once I made an appointment, specifying that I needed help doing color correction with video I had in FCPX. Unfortunately, for me, I knew as much as the fellow who was supposed to assist me. He suggested that I go to another Apple store in the area. I did and, pretty much, had the same experience, but this time with Motion.

Both Apple people tried hard to help, but simply didn't have the detailed knowledge of these feature-rich products. It's too bad. The concept of one-to-one is great. The reality for me, not so much.

sockrolid said:

uh oh. Just wait until chinese "consumer rights" groups hear about this.

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:d

needfx said:

meanwhile, at the other side of the bar

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heh, reminds me of that horrible bonzibuddy back on windows.

I don't see a problem with this at all.

If you pay for the one-to-one you might as well get the migration done right away. It will ensure a faster turn-around time and less headache for the tech. Sure, it's not impossible to do later down the road, but it can be a PITA as already stated. Any complications can prolong the time you're deprived of your machine.

musique said:

I had a few similar experiences as rdlink. Once I made an appointment, specifying that I needed help doing color correction with video I had in FCPX. Unfortunately, for me, I knew as much as the fellow who was supposed to assist me. He suggested that I go to another Apple store in the area. I did and, pretty much, had the same experience, but this time with Motion.

Both Apple people tried hard to help, but simply didn't have the detailed knowledge of these feature-rich products. It's too bad. The concept of one-to-one is great. The reality for me, not so much.

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I don't think you understood what the purpose of one-to-one is.
They're just supposed to teach how to use OSX for regular consumers,if you need help on such apps as FCPX you either need to contact direct support for that app(which will be trained on that software) or search support forums.
You're basically asking a salesman to help you fix your engine,obviously he can't do that.

DMH3006 said:

I don't think you understood what the purpose of one-to-one is.
They're just supposed to teach how to use OSX for regular consumers,if you need help on such apps as FCPX you either need to contact direct support for that app(which will be trained on that software) or search support forums.
You're basically asking a salesman to help you fix your engine,obviously he can't do that.

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You used to be able to get more in-depth training. One-to-one used to be able to train for FCP, Logic and Aperture in addition to some advanced capabilities of OS X. Most of the time we had certified trainers who either used the software in personal ventures or had trained on software. This was/is the "creative" position and is separate from the Specialists (sales) and geniuses (support).

My theory is that just like the Genius Bar, the creative has become a victim of apples own success. There are just too many new customers that need basic support that the needs of the professional have fallen by the wayside. Trained creatives have left the company to pursue more lucrative ventures to the point that only larger stores (San Fran, New York 5th Ave, London) are able to maintain a staff capable of training people on FCP, etc. and Apple is adding new stores at a blistering pace. I'm sure they would love a full creative staff, but they just can't do it.

Additionally, iOS devices are hugely popular and so training for iPhones, iPads and iPods also has to be thrown into the mix.

As a result, basic training is handed off to specialists who mainly only know simple stuff like getting started with a Mac.

EDIT: The one to one page still advertises training for Logic, FCP, Motion and Aperture. It's just that many stores don't have properly trained staff.

Data Migration

On the Mac Data Migration is one of the easiest things to do. Just search for instructions. We are not talking windoze software here.

Here's an honest question? What percentage of users actually think after two months of using their computer "Hey, I should transfer all my files from the old one?" I suspect very few.

itryanditry said:

While I agree that the subjects they offer are simplistic, this is ultimately something that anyone computer literate would pass on. It's a cheap way to learn for people new to Apple technology. Expecting kids in retail to teach you the inner workings and hidden features of OS X for such a low price - and for a service that's obviously designed to keep a n00b loyal to the brand - is a pretty tall order and unrealistic. Take a course or hell, read that stuff on the Internet.

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Ridiculous statement. They charge a premium price for a service that I could get for free by attending group classes, or reading on the internet. Problem is that they don't tell you the limitations, or give any real expectation about what you can learn for your $100 (on top of the $2000 already spent) before you buy it. They hold it out as something special, which it is not. And they won't even let you buy it unless you're buying a new computer. And, you have to buy it on the spot or no deal.

rdlink said:

Ridiculous statement. They charge a premium price for a service that I could get for free by attending group classes, or reading on the internet.

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No they don't. They charge $100 for a data transfer intended, and not enforced, to be for your new computer to set you up to use it AND a year of classes of various types with the only limit being you can only have 1 of each type booked at a time. But depending on your flexibility you could easily get 1000 hrs of training in that year, perhaps more. So you are paying pennies for each hour. Rather than $75 for maybe 5 hours in some community college class, $20 a month for something like Lynda.com.

As for that data transfer, private shops often charge an easy $20 a hour with a 2-3 hour minimum for transfers. If anything like data recovery is required the price often goes up. Even places like the Geek Squad often charge like $50 for a mere 5 GB of data and more for every GB above that. And sure they will install software for you but in some cases they keep the licenses so you have to come back and OS again for any reinstalls.

THAT is premium pricing not what Apple is charging for this

And if you bother to read or even ask yes they do tell you

charlituna said:

No they don't. They charge $100 for a data transfer intended, and not enforced, to be for your new computer to set you up to use it AND a year of classes of various types with the only limit being you can only have 1 of each type booked at a time. But depending on your flexibility you could easily get 1000 hrs of training in that year, perhaps more. So you are paying pennies for each hour. Rather than $75 for maybe 5 hours in some community college class, $20 a month for something like Lynda.com.

As for that data transfer, private shops often charge an easy $20 a hour with a 2-3 hour minimum for transfers. If anything like data recovery is required the price often goes up. Even places like the Geek Squad often charge like $50 for a mere 5 GB of data and more for every GB above that. And sure they will install software for you but in some cases they keep the licenses so you have to come back and OS again for any reinstalls.

THAT is premium pricing not what Apple is charging for this

And if you bother to read or even ask yes they do tell you

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Here we go, another person speaking out of their a**. A direct quote from the One-to-One marketing materials that you linked to:

"Then, we’ll work with you to create a curriculum tailored to your goals, learning style, and experience level."

So, not sure what you read from that, but what I read was that I could get classes on more advanced topics should my "experience level" be such. But when I tried to get classes on more advanced features of OS X, I was told that they didn't have the expertise to offer it. And further, when they started offering One-to-One there was nothing out there that described it in this much detail. Believe me, I dug around.

As far as being flexible, I suppose you mean not having a job? And being willing to schedule a month ahead of time, which is what I had to do for the one class I took.

Finally, the data import that they're now selling as part of One-to-One was at one time offered for free with a new Mac purchase.

Look, I like Apple. I own three Macs, an iPad, an iPhone, an Apple TV, and a Time Capsule. Apple sells a lot of great products. One-to-One, IMO is not one of them.

rdlink said:

Here we go, another person speaking out of their a**. A direct quote from the One-to-One marketing materials that you linked to:

"Then, we’ll work with you to create a curriculum tailored to your goals, learning style, and experience level."

So, not sure what you read from that,

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I read from the fact that I wasn't at the end of the page that there was more information. I would think someone that owns so much tech could do the same.

Apple sells a lot of great products. One-to-One, IMO is not one of them.

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You aren't the target audience, that isn't really Apple's issue but rather yours. That's really what it comes down to. Even if they were going to offer a program just the way you want it in terms of topics, schedule etc you would be unhappy because it won't be $99 a year and you will be made that they are 'raping you' with an 'unnecessary' high cost.

charlituna said:

I read from the fact that I wasn't at the end of the page that there was more information. I would think someone that owns so much tech could do the same.



You aren't the target audience, that isn't really Apple's issue but rather yours. That's really what it comes down to. Even if they were going to offer a program just the way you want it in terms of topics, schedule etc you would be unhappy because it won't be $99 a year and you will be made that they are 'raping you' with an 'unnecessary' high cost.

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Since you are such an expert at knowing what Apple's target audience was for One-to-One, perhaps you could tell them that they sold it to me incorrectly, and get them to refund my money...

rdlink said:

Since you are such an expert at knowing what Apple's target audience was for One-to-One,

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If by expert you mean I possess basic reading comprehension and logic skills sure.

perhaps you could tell them that they sold it to me incorrectly, and get them to refund my money...

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Because despite all your tech and advanced skills you don't know how to ask for yourself?

charlituna said:

If by expert you mean I possess basic reading comprehension and logic skills sure.



Because despite all your tech and advanced skills you don't know how to ask for yourself?

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What exactly am I missing here? They said they would tailor a class to meet my needs, and then said they couldn't when I asked them to. Pretty basic to me.

Wouldn't getting rid of One to One altogether be better? It would make me feel better Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch TV shopping channels Anyone want to join me? Bring diet coke and crisps