One to One

I found that the learning curve is not very steep when it comes to learning the new operating system. It was quite easy for myself and even my mom uses my computer with minimal help from me...and she used Windows all her life. I would put the money towards something else. If you do have questions just post them here on MR in the Mac basics and help section and people will gladly help you out.

 

Based on your post, I'd actually say One to One is good idea for you. The real value in One to One is not the data transfer, it's in the one-on-one classes you get to take. They can start as simply as showing you basic things on your mac (email, shortcuts, etc.) and go as far as learning Garage Band, iMovie, etc.

A lot of times people think they know Mac OS X really well, but they've actually only scratched the surface. Especially with the iLife/iWork suites.

The data transfer is a nice add-on especially if you're coming from Windows. But I would really do it for the one-on-one sessions. You get a year's worth, so try and schedule as many as you can and take full advantage. You can then teach your kids what you've learned - they'll probably pick it up faster than you.

Good luck.

 

+1 Great analysis and very brief.

One to One is a great investment! One can learn about all Apple products. As stated, a person can share knowledge with other persons, which I did not think about.

 

In terms of value, I think that the biggest feature of one to one is the training part. The data transfer (esp if it's just songs in iTunes) isn't hard to transfer yourself over your home network or an external drive.

Even basic one to one classes aren't super valuable. You can learn the basics of OSX in a couple hours and be able to have your email, iTunes, safari, etc setup for basic use. One to one is great for learning about anything you want to create on your Mac. You have access to trainers who have specialties in the pro apps (Logic, Final Cut, Aperture) as well as the iLife and iWork suites. One to one can help you to use your computer to really work with your interests/passions.

 

When I had a pc, I ran syncback (freeware) to copy all my important stuff to a network drive. I had nothing in iTunes as all my mp3s were already kept on a network drive. When I got my Macbook, I copied all my stuff from the network drive to my Macbook and I was done.

I paid for 1 to 1 so I could go through projects in the Apple store with the help of one of their geniuses. One example was setting up iPhoto the way I wanted it. I got fairly busy later in the year and never went back to use any more time but I thought the time I did use was well worth it. I left my Macbook on the internet with "back to my mac" enabled. Then I could go to the Apple store and use one of their machines to log in at home. Everything was there. All my network drives, etc. I could go through and make everything work remotely and I made a lot of progress during my 1 to 1 sessions.

I've considered signing up for 1 to 1 again so I could get some help tweaking my iPhoto and iTunes setup again. I want to swap my internal hard drive and replace my 160 G drive with a 320 G model. Once I do that, I might consider letting some bulkier multimedia stuff back onto my internal drive, possibly music.

Bottom line: 1 to 1 is worth more when you have specific goals in mind and the Apple geniuses will work through it with you. An effective technique is to show up at the Apple store empty handed and use their machines via "back to my mac" to do stuff remotely. Make sure you log out of your MobileMe account on their system before you leave the store!