Confirmed: Apple Retiring 'One to One' to Focus on Free Workshops [Updated]

[MacRumors]

MacRumors recently learned that Apple's One to One training program for Mac, iPhone and iPad may be coming to an end soon, and we can now confirm that Apple Stores are holding meetings with retail employees about phasing out the membership-based service, which has been available under its current name since May 2007. One to One members should be informed about the changes in the near future.

Apple is retiring One to One to focus on free public workshops such as Mac Basics, Personalize Your Mac, iPhone and iPad Basics, iCloud Basics and iPhone Photography. Group Training and Open Training will be discontinued immediately, while Personal Training will remain available for customers that recently purchased One to One until their membership expires, according to sources.

One to One costs $99 per year and provides customers that purchase a Mac with individualized tutoring sessions from Apple retail employees related to Getting Started With Your Mac, Getting Started With Your iPhone, Getting Started With Your iPad, iCloud, Mail Contacts & Calendars, iPhoto, GarageBand, iMovie, iTunes, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Aperture, Final Cut Pro, Motion and Logic Pro.

Update: One to One will be retired on September 28th per an internal memo obtained by 9to5Mac.

Article Link: Confirmed: Apple Retiring 'One to One' to Focus on Free Workshops [Updated]

 

[Sirious]

Did anyone actually use this service?

 

[JonneyGee]

It makes sense. One-on-one training is much more costly, and if they can answer any pertinent questions in group training, it's a lot more cost-effective use of retail employees' time.

 

[gpat]

So, the knowledge of the userbase is being lowered even more...

 

[j.applewood]

Mullet sighting

 

[jackth29]

Nobody tell my grandpa. This is his life.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

This is the end of an era.

 

[NutsNGum]

So, the knowledge of the userbase is being lowered even more...

Dude, the only people that used this service were people who knew nothing in the first place. YouTube will tell you more in 5 minutes than that $99 will get you in an hour.

 

[Tech198]

i already confirm something in my own way and you are correct about Youtube. However, one-on-one is a more simple approach than finding and searching online. Not all of us can string along exact keywords... My mates types entire sentences out i google search then wonders why its takes him 3 hours to find something it would take 5 minutes for me.

 

[ricktat]

Just great.. Who is going to tell me how to use my Iphone 6S? It's not like there are other resources out there. Apple doesn't even include an instruction manual in that fancy box.

 

[Tech198]

they don't need one, the manual is online.

 

[jonnyb098]

Man these employees have it easy today. ::Old man voice:: Back in my day, I had to sell MobileMe and OnetoOne and we got bitched at constantly on why mobile me numbers were so low........BECAUSE IT SUCKED AND WE ALL KNEW IT! Even Steve knew it and fired some people on the spot.

 

[NightFox]

The Regent Street flagship store in London used to have a whole section of the back of the store set up as a kind of open auditorium with rows of seating and presentation equipment in which they would run all sorts of back-to-back demos and training workshops - you just turned up and went as you pleased. Sadly they got rid of it though*, so it's strange (but good) to see that their focus seems to be moving back to this type of thing.

*or did it just move to Covent Garden when that became their new London flagship?

 

[Ahaulil]

Dude, the only people that used this service were people who knew nothing in the first place. YouTube will tell you more in 5 minutes than that $99 will get you in an hour.

YouTube is a resource, but One on One has been helpful to me. The $99 over a few sessions is a bargain for personized training. I go into a session with a project and get immediate answers.
This free training planned is going to be a zoo, it will end being focused on the least experienced user and will be a waste of time.

 

[nibfiledotcom]

I wonder if the Theater area will return to Apple Stores. I always thought it was sad that that went away.

 

[Robert A Lewis]

Dude, the only people that used this service were people who knew nothing in the first place. YouTube will tell you more in 5 minutes than that $99 will get you in an hour.

That is if the person is comfortable with searching and using YouTube and is patient enough to weed through the thousands of truly awful instructional videos polluting that site. The people who benefit from One To One are not comfortable or able to do either of those things. As with so many things in life, there is no solution that fits everyone. You have to allow for the possibility of differing abilities and learning methods.

 

[mizxco]

As an ex-Creative, I'm so glad to hear this program is finally ending.
I'm sure it has good intentions in the beginning, but at my store, it became a pay $99, solve everything for me program.

If genius bar couldn't stop iPhoto from crashing, managers would comp One to One. Got some crappy NPS? Must be cuz you couldn't teach the 50'yo how to rip his illegal DVD collection. or recover the photos he deleted 6 months ago. or download YouTube videos to his iPad.

Don't even mention all the 3rd party and jailbreak-related questions.
In the middle of your PT? Manager pulls you over for a "quick" Time Machine question.

The program's called one to one? Let me bring my entire extended family; and please, do speak up.

 

[Robert A Lewis]

It makes sense. One-on-one training is much more costly, and if they can answer any pertinent questions in group training, it's a lot more cost-effective use of retail employees' time.

Apple Retail wasn't built on cost effective. You don't line your stores with stainless steel sheet and source stone from one Italian quarry to be cost effective. It was built on user experience and the ideal of taking an iPod purchaser and turning them into a promotor of the company and its ideals. It was welcoming, inclusive and did more to overcome the notion that Apple products were over-priced, hipster, elitists toys than any advertising campaign could have ever done (which is were the value showed on the P&L sheet).
Now it is going the other way. $17,000 for an accessory that will be outdated in a year and official classified as "obsolete" by Apple in 5 years, oh and you have to have an appointment to buy one. Apple was about approachable technology for the people. Computers that let you work on your hobbies without forcing you to make computers your hobby. Not the cheapest, but the best user experience for the price. A $20 MP3 player? Nope. But a $499 MP3 player that was better than any $1,000 player on the market. It was uncompromising in terms of what a user got, without being snooty about it. It was built to do something great. What people did was what was important and One To One got people doing things. It was money, labor and effort that was well spent. Sad to see it go.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Having attended the free workshops, they're worth it. Fun and informative!

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Perhaps to save a bit of money.

 

[bradl]

Did anyone actually use this service?

Yes. My wife did, especially when it comes to accessibility issues with her 2008 MBP, and now again with her rMB.

So the question now becomes: What comes of the money people have spent on it and have them activated? Will they be refunded if not activated for the year?

BL.

 

[mslab99]

Having the one to one program made apple such an approachable brand. If I wanted to recommend a computer to someone who wasn't technically savvy I'd recommend Apple and the one to one program. My grandmother and mother both got apple for this reason. Having the personal one on one training helped them figure up how to set up their email, use facetime, use the photo library. When they would have a problem one week they could go back the next week and figure it out. The class empowered them. After going through the classes they now own an ipad, iphone, mac, and apple tv. I don't think they would have bought any of that other gear if it wasn't for their good experience with the one on one class and the confidence in buying more technology with the apple brand.

At this point why would I recommend apple over some other company? If anything more people are familiar with windows and there are more windows help videos online so that would be the better choice now.

 

[RenoG]

Having the one to one program made apple such an approachable brand. If I wanted to recommend a computer to someone who wasn't technically savvy I'd recommend Apple and the one to one program. My grandmother and mother both got apple for this reason. Having the personal one on one training helped them figure up how to set up their email, use facetime, use the photo library. When they would have a problem one week they could go back the next week and figure it out. The class empowered them. After going through the classes they now own an ipad, iphone, mac, and apple tv. I don't think they would have bought any of that other gear if it wasn't for their good experience with the one on one class and the confidence in buying more technology with the apple brand.

At this point why would I recommend apple over some other company? If anything more people are familiar with windows and there are more windows help videos online so that would be the better choice now.

Oh really? Windows a better choice now that 1&1 is gone eh. I'm just going to chalk your comment up to emotion, overreacting.

 

[mslab99]

Oh really? Windows a better choice now that 1&1 is gone eh. I'm just going to chalk your comment up to emotion, overreacting.

I mean she isn't going to change now, but not having the outlet of 1to1 and being able to go into to talk to someone about her problems with email or photos would really dissuade me from recommending it to someone in a similar situation as her in the future. Especially since most people who aren't good with technology will most likely only have PC experience (if any) from work environments and you are also paying a premium for a mac computer. the premium to me seemed more than justified by the level of customer support you get in the store and phone, but that seems to be getting worse and worse.

To me having the 1to1 made mac the clear computer for anyone who isn't good with technology or who is older. Especially since all the pieces work so well and easily together. I think once you take away 1to1 that gets a lot more shaky and starts to get debatable.

 

[bizzle]

As an ex-Creative, I'm so glad to hear this program is finally ending.
I'm sure it has good intentions in the beginning, but at my store, it became a pay $99, solve everything for me program.

If genius bar couldn't stop iPhoto from crashing, managers would comp One to One. Got some crappy NPS? Must be cuz you couldn't teach the 50'yo how to rip his illegal DVD collection. or recover the photos he deleted 6 months ago. or download YouTube videos to his iPad.

Don't even mention all the 3rd party and jailbreak-related questions.
In the middle of your PT? Manager pulls you over for a "quick" Time Machine question.

The program's called one to one? Let me bring my entire extended family; and please, do speak up.

<-- Ex-Genius. I can confirm this is true. I've worked for an AASP for over five years now and I am sure our training demand is going to increase.