Of course the 'group training' is free vs One-to-One $99/yr. Either way I find the stores too noisy and distracting for those Free Workshops. Wish they had a separate area away from the noisy sales floor for that purpose.
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Confirmed: Apple Retiring 'One to One' to Focus on Free Workshops [Updated]
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The one to one was great that is what made Apple special now I feel that all they want is sales the free classes are few .
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.
Article Link: Confirmed: Apple Retiring 'One to One' to Focus on Free Workshops
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.
Article Link: Confirmed: Apple Retiring 'One to One' to Focus on Free Workshops
I know you think $99 is only for 1 session, but your wrong, like a previous reviewer wrote, what will I tell my Grandmother? It's true the one to one program to most the older generation has become apart of the life they depend on to show them how to catch up to teens and young adults. The grandparents could come in for their questions all year long, for a squinkle price at that! .... It's a lose and gain ... A communities loss over a Companies Gain and Margins.. Or the One to One trainers, are no better with the products than my grandma? I have no idea, but generally speaking, I do like free things, I think everyone else will too... If it's free...
EX Family Room Specialist here. Worked my way up from PT Specialist to Business Specialist and was one of the first people to be promoted to FRS in our store back in 2009. I don't know how it is now, but back then the roll was kind of half Genius half Creative with your time split between the two duties. Basically it meant management could throw you into any and every situation needed. My least favorite part of the job was doing One-to-Ones for pretty much the same reasons as have been listed by other former employees.
It was a program where customer expectations were set all over the place vs. the reality of what the program really was. 50% of the sessions pretty much became extended Bar appointments just answering a list of unrelated questions, or the persons general computer time to check email and facebook. 30% were fixing a mess someone created in iWeb. 10% were people that just wanted to come in and unleash all their frustrations with technology and apple directly at you despite the fact you were there to help. The remaining 10% were the ones that actually came in and would actually want you to teach them something with some structure. Then you had managers pulling you away to do things like answer sales questions about a Mac Pro because you are one of the 5% of the staff actually qualified to answer those questions intelligently... And, to the former employee that mentioned Mobile Me: yes, being expected to convince the guy dropping $6,500 on a MacPro with his own photography business that he really needs MobileMe, that was always a very special kind of hell.
Apple stores also evolved into horrible learning environments. More crowded, more noise. I can't imagine what it is like now. I was recently in a store two weeks ago, helping my parent's choose a new Mac. I almost regretted taking them to an Apple store because of how uncomfortable it was to actually have a conversation and move about the store.
I think it is great they are starting to re-examine the service part of the stores. I really feel like the format and layout of the stores are a bit of a mess right now and need a 'reboot.' I really hope they bring back the theater areas and/or find a way to set aside quiet(er) spaces for group training. They could definitely take the large amount of sales floor is dedicated to the Watch and change it over. They've given it pretty much 1/3 of the space, and half of that is taken up by the lighted display table. That area in every store I've been in is absolutely dead and just causes people to pack more tightly into the other areas of the store.
It was a program where customer expectations were set all over the place vs. the reality of what the program really was. 50% of the sessions pretty much became extended Bar appointments just answering a list of unrelated questions, or the persons general computer time to check email and facebook. 30% were fixing a mess someone created in iWeb. 10% were people that just wanted to come in and unleash all their frustrations with technology and apple directly at you despite the fact you were there to help. The remaining 10% were the ones that actually came in and would actually want you to teach them something with some structure. Then you had managers pulling you away to do things like answer sales questions about a Mac Pro because you are one of the 5% of the staff actually qualified to answer those questions intelligently... And, to the former employee that mentioned Mobile Me: yes, being expected to convince the guy dropping $6,500 on a MacPro with his own photography business that he really needs MobileMe, that was always a very special kind of hell.
Apple stores also evolved into horrible learning environments. More crowded, more noise. I can't imagine what it is like now. I was recently in a store two weeks ago, helping my parent's choose a new Mac. I almost regretted taking them to an Apple store because of how uncomfortable it was to actually have a conversation and move about the store.
I think it is great they are starting to re-examine the service part of the stores. I really feel like the format and layout of the stores are a bit of a mess right now and need a 'reboot.' I really hope they bring back the theater areas and/or find a way to set aside quiet(er) spaces for group training. They could definitely take the large amount of sales floor is dedicated to the Watch and change it over. They've given it pretty much 1/3 of the space, and half of that is taken up by the lighted display table. That area in every store I've been in is absolutely dead and just causes people to pack more tightly into the other areas of the store.
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Seriously? Wasting time searching through virtual reams amateur on-lines videos to find one that answers your questions? Have you never asked an expert in any field a question? Remember, One-on-One was not for the technically sophisticated type that blogs on MacRumors but for novice or even for the more knowledgable who has a more sophisticated inquiry. If you used it, it was a hell of a bargain. Sad to see it go.
This is how the bean counters get the upper hand. Snip, snip, snip.... They're getting closer. Multi-coloured watch band? Too expensive. Black and white is the future. Curated music service? Computers can do that. Snip, snip, snip...
I wonder how many "Creatives" will lose their jobs over this change?
Surely they are not going to need as many running around in blue T-shirts! They'll have two-four tables of Group Sessions which require 2-4 people not the 10+ they might have today. All this, of course, depends on the size of the store.
Surely they are not going to need as many running around in blue T-shirts! They'll have two-four tables of Group Sessions which require 2-4 people not the 10+ they might have today. All this, of course, depends on the size of the store.
and those tall black stools the most uncomfortable seating imaginable. if you could find 2 (or more) free for session as usually filled with less than happy folks waiting for their genius bar appts.
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]
While I've never signed up for this it has to be said that many of the group sessions I've taken have been a complete waste, and 99% of the time it has come down to one or two participants who are dumb as stone and therefore wind up hogging most of the time dealing with really simple stuff. This strikes me as yet another example of Apple's now relentless cost cutting.
I was coming from 20+ years of DOS/Windows and it was a great help to me when I got my first Mac. I've been to those group sessions and they were no help because you had to teach at the lowest possible level. The One on One were a big help to me because I could ask stuff on a more accelerated level.
Bad news! When I switched over to Mac years ago and One-To-One was/is a great service that assisted me during the transition. It is worth $99, maybe even under valued! I believe this type of service is exclusive to Apple!
All the time people come to me and ask: "Should I switch to Apple?" .
My answer has always been "Yes ... but sign up for the One-on-One." Every single one of them did indeed sign up for One-on-One ... some went every week for the whole year ... some went a few times and then made it on their own. I suppose a few never went at all.
AAPL won over each one of these customers. The ones who attended every week became devotees because there was always someone there to get them over whatever hurdle was in front of them. I can hear the ones who went a few times saying "Hey, this isn't so different. I can do this!" The ones who never went could have made it on their own in any world. I am sure they cursed me about the $99.
Apple is being very short-sighted about this. It really does not cost them much to keep people coming into their world, especially considering the nature of matching Creatives with Customers.
This program is not for the computer savvy ... although there is certainly stuff to be learned by almost everyone. This is for people who really need help and it is essential that it be one-on-one.
I will be sad to see this program die. Maybe AAPL will come up with something even better ... but in the meantime, when someone asks me if they should switch to Apple, all I can say it "Yes ... but ..."
My answer has always been "Yes ... but sign up for the One-on-One." Every single one of them did indeed sign up for One-on-One ... some went every week for the whole year ... some went a few times and then made it on their own. I suppose a few never went at all.
AAPL won over each one of these customers. The ones who attended every week became devotees because there was always someone there to get them over whatever hurdle was in front of them. I can hear the ones who went a few times saying "Hey, this isn't so different. I can do this!" The ones who never went could have made it on their own in any world. I am sure they cursed me about the $99.
Apple is being very short-sighted about this. It really does not cost them much to keep people coming into their world, especially considering the nature of matching Creatives with Customers.
This program is not for the computer savvy ... although there is certainly stuff to be learned by almost everyone. This is for people who really need help and it is essential that it be one-on-one.
I will be sad to see this program die. Maybe AAPL will come up with something even better ... but in the meantime, when someone asks me if they should switch to Apple, all I can say it "Yes ... but ..."
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Although it was beneficial for you, I think that is exactly the type of experience they're trying to avoid. One to one is/was designed to help customers become more familiar with their devices. But at a certain point, the line gets blurred between just gaining some overall familiarity with your Mac and learning all the ins and outs of the Mac and its applications.
You ask any Genius at the Apple Retail Store and they'll most certainly tell you that they're all about empowering their customers with the information they need to be self-reliant. Well, you're not self-reliant if you have to run to the Apple Retail Store every time you're working on a project to get help completing it.
And I don't believe there is any excuse for not becoming self-reliant, at least to a mild degree.
Most every application on the Mac comes with a built-in help guide (in the Help menu) for how to use it. Every Mac comes with some paper documentation that explains how to access those digital/online resources. There is plenty of online resources outside of Apple's website where you can get how-to help for the Mac too. Also, if you want to approach it from the older-school angle, go buy a book on how to use the Mac.
The point is this: there really is no excuse for not knowing how to use your Mac and I think Apple is trying to focus less on the hand-holding approach and more on the customer empowering approach.
And some food for thought: When you buy a car, the seller doesn't teach you how to drive it. They assume that you've trained yourself already (which you prove by providing a drivers license during purchase) and then they provide some additional resources to help you get acclimated with that particular vehicle.
Why then should Apple be obligated to teach you how to use a Mac? Shouldn't there be an equal amount of responsibility involved in either purchase?
According to a memo obtained by 9to5Mac it appears Apple is ending this program because fewer customers were taking advantage.
http://9to5mac.com/2015/08/28/apple-to-retire-one-to-one-sept-28th/
http://9to5mac.com/2015/08/28/apple-to-retire-one-to-one-sept-28th/
My times at Apple stores, most of the one-on-one training I've seen has mostly been seniors of ages 60 and more.
If it's to do with lower up take then it's self inflicted - they took the foot off the gas with pushing it. Whilst the focus was on iOS it was really left to those managers/staff who were behind it to keep pushing.
Things come and go - just a shame to see this go as no one else could make a business out of cheap training. Must have been a big loss leader.
Things come and go - just a shame to see this go as no one else could make a business out of cheap training. Must have been a big loss leader.
I know someone who did and she hated it. She said it was really basic and a waste of time. She was only 21 when she did it.
Does he go to One to One all the time?
No offence, but maybe he needs to find something else to do What else does he enjoy doing?
With children having being taught computer literacy in lower grades for years, I can imagine that this service would be utilized less and less, except for those who try to use it as a prepaid fixit service. Then, of course, they'd get mad when told that's not what it's for.