Apple store employees received official notification today of the membership changes in One to One training. Previously anyone could purchase a $99 annual membership, but as of Tuesday, membership will be limited to purchasers of Macintosh computers on-line or at an Apple retail store. Apple has also added new Web resources for One to One membership, including a personalized on-line account to allow members to reserve sessions, review session notes, complete on-line training, and view projects from their own and others’ training sessions. It’s not clear exactly why Apple made the program changes. By limiting membership to Mac buyers, it leaves current Mac owners without a store training option, encouraging them to buy a new Mac to qualify for One to One membership–and increasing revenues for Apple. The change also seems to eliminate any One to One gifting options, and the use of One to One training to help convince potential Switchers of Mac’s superiority.
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We’re confused… when Apple says “purchasers of Macintosh computers ONLINE”, we’re assuming that means that you MUST purchase your computer online at ONE WEBSITE ONLY: The Apple Store Online??
In other words, if you purchase your Mac from Amazon.com, MacMall.com, or any other online Mac website, you NO LONGER QUALIFY, huh? And obviously, you can’t just walk into your local Apple authorized dealer and buy a Mac and then qualify either, huh?
This is a really ridiculous and totally rude change on Apple’s part… it’s forcing people to pay Apple’s higher prices on the Mac and shutting out other loyal retailers of the Mac.
Shame on you, Apple.
I purchased a One-to-One membership for my wife last year. In recent months we have found it difficult to find open training slots at times other than the middle of the workday. Perhaps with the “rightsizing” of retail store staff they don’t have enough trainers to go around and this is a way to ration resources. Seems shortsighted to me, as you suggest in the last line of your post.
As a former Specialist at an Apple Store, this change does not make sense to me. When I worked there (I quit last year), One-to-One memberships were a major source of revenue from the “attachments” category of our products (although we never referred to them as “attachments”). The store managers were happy to sell the One-to-One’s as “stand alones” as well as attached to Mac sales. And the customers who did purchase them – regardless of the context – were always quite happy. I always thought that the One-to-One memberships were the best deal in the store – by far. The only caveat was the availability of time slots, as alluded to by TM, but for $99, I did not consider that a dealbreaker and my customers did not seem to either. TM makes a valid point – the “rightsizing” of staff could very well have been a reason, but my sense is that they have other, as of yet undisclosed reasons for doing this. Speculation at this point will probably be inaccurate (as it so often is), and I doubt that Cupertino has given Retail much information on the matter. District Managers and above may have more information, but anyone below that at Apple is probably clueless, aside from whatever line they were told to tell customers who asked about it.
Joe Smith – you’ve got it wrong. One to One has never been a source of any significant revenue. Think about it – $99 for up to 52 lessons vs the cost of paying a full time creative for a year. Big-time loss in revenue. That revenue was supposed to be made up by the One to One member purchasing more stuff in an Apple Store. Research has borne out that this is not the case. 50% of One to One members buy their Macs elsewhere.
This new policy is marketing at its best – you want this incredible training program? Great – you must buy your Mac from Apple and buy your One to One membership at the time of purchase. Over time, less members = more session availability and more satisfied, loyal Apple customers.
Towing the company line I see Joe(not Smith)
Apple did this purely to make it feel as if the experience can be as unique and as eye-opening as purchasing a Mac. Also, the reason Apple set the rule that you can only get One-to-One with the purchase of a Mac is because Creatives are a unique brand to come across. Sure, anyone can “trained” to be a creative but, people as passionate as a majority of the current ones are are difficult to come across. In addition, I have heard Apple may make further revisions in 2010 to the program to allow new iPhone owners the power to get One-to-One as well.
The reason for the change to the 1-1 program is to help support the new focus for the retail stores, Creating Owners.
Why buy your Mac from an Apple store when you can go to Best Buy or a reseller and get a better price/deal? Well, now you can get the 1-1 membership and learn how to use your computer, learn all of the software that comes on the computer, and even have a place to come work and get help as needed (up to 3 hours). Don’t forget about the exclusive 1-1 workshops too.
New owners also get a complete setup (full file transfer and setup) and an invitation to return the next day at 5p and “meet” their new Mac, a one hour session ideally led by the Family Room Specialist where the new owners get to learn about their computers. [IFO -- Best explanation I've read.]
Existing Mac owners are still eligible to attend the free workshops offered throughout the day at the store, and existing 1-1 members are eligible for the new services starting Tuesday and are able to renew their membership one more time, while new 1-1 members are able to renew twice, making the service last as long as their AppleCare.
Overall, I personally think it’s great concept and am looking forward to seeing how it’s accepted.
That’s “toeing”, not named joe. Not pulling a car behind a truck.
And this is the actual company reasoning.
Apple are sliding down a slippery slope and becoming an ordinary retailer.
The concept of 1-1 is brilliant, what they are doing seems completely unnecessary.
I just hope Apple don’t take their eye of the ball even more.
Apple has trialed this program in a few test markets for, I believe, a few months (or more). The reception in those markets has been excellent. To think Apple would roll this out across all stores at the same time, without a trial run, is silly.
Also, if the program is doing more harm than helping, they can always modify the restrictions. To think they wouldnt is also silly. Apple products are more money, but I think Apple wants their customers to truly feel like their money was well spent. I do hope they offer a one to one gift option, if the mac was bought through apple directly. I also hope they offer a family pack discount.
secret specialist spills the beans, spot on. no need to repeat whats already been explained.
to survive in these times they need to get the benefit of SELLING a product that provides a great user experience which they are providing training on for virtually FREE.
this will free up availability, and quite frankly goes back to Apple’s original retail vision of catering to the end-user who wants to spend $$$$ and receive a GREAT computing experience, worth more than many other consumable products in life, and cannot be measured by specs on paper.
Tom Redford: On the contrary, I think this is showing that Apple is keeping an even sharper eye on the ball now. The focus of One-to-One is turning toward quality of service over quantity of memberships.
This doesn’t really surprise me at all. Half the reason they’re doing this is so they can have Creatives out in the red zone for half their shift. Apple continues to screw with their retail employees, no surprise. It’s stuff like this along with the severe hour cuts for part timers and frozen GYO that makes me not regret quitting. I love the company, but I think any ARS employee would agree that a lot of Apple’s new policies are frustrating to say the least.
Firstly 121 is pure profit. You are selling a service not a product. No one has to make it. Was it cheap? Very cheap. Was Apple overwhelmed by demand? Very much so that they could only come up with this new way of buying it. They were loosing out in people buying computers else where rather than in the store. CAn you blame people? Its much easier to buy it else where when the Apple store is being used like an internet cafe.
And Joe.. the figures show that one2one customers tend to spend more at the stores they tell there friends and there friends tell more friends… They call it Promoters!
I’m not really buying the idea that it’s pure profit, when Apple pays a whole staff of Creatives who are there for the sole purpose of servicing One to One members. I don’t know what the average usage is per member, but if someone takes advantage of, say, one lesson per month, they’re paying $8.25 per hour of Apple’s time. You can bet that hourly salaries at Apple are higher than that.
Mumbo Jumbo: Like ‘not named joe’, you’ve also got it wrong. The figures no longer show that One to One customers spend more in Apple stores. At least half of them do not buy their Macs at an Apple retail store, nor do they buy their accessories and other things from Apple stores. They do all their shopping elsewhere, but go to Apple for training. You’re going by info that’s well over a year old.
Even though they are overwhelmingly Promoters in the NPS system, this has not translated to greater loyalty. The new system should make things better for all involved. More availability for individual sessions over time, the group sessions, loyal customers spending their time and money in the stores… it’s a win-win.
I was going to purchase One to One for for my new iLife ‘09, my imac is only a year old. Let me tell you, I am greatly disappointed. After Mastering imovie. I was going to attempt to learn Final Cut Express, One to One would have been a big help.
[...] IfoAppleStore reports that, as of today, only people who purchase new Macs can also purchase a $99 annual membership to the Apple Store One to One training program. By limiting membership to Mac buyers, it leaves current Mac owners without a store training option, encouraging them to buy a new Mac to qualify for One to One membership and increasing revenues for Apple. The change also seems to eliminate any One to One gifting options, and the use of One to One training to help convince potential Switchers of Mac’s superiority. [...]
If I buy my Mac from John Lewis or Dixons, Apple still makes a fantastic profit, so why shut me out of the learning process in the stores? It is not like Apple makes no money if the computer is brought elsewhere.
Fuzzy thinking by Apple, and will unintentionally annoy people.
Because on the flip side if i buy 121 and cant use it because all the times slots are filled then i feel i wasted my money and am more annoyed than a customer that was unable to buy 121 in the first place. this program will decrease the amount of 121s sold, for the better.
Tom – Don’t be silly. If Apple can do something to get more people to buy Macs in an Apple Store, why wouldn’t they? Getting people in the stores and then getting them to purchase is the sole reason for retail stores to exist. According to your logic, why even have Apple retail stores? You can buy at Best Buy, MacMall, etc.
Buy at Apple, get trained at Apple, give all of your future business to Apple and tell all your friends about your great experiences at Apple. It all feeds into more loyal customers and greater retail sales for Apple.
Wow, this thread is full of apple employees reading the copy they were given last weekend at the meeting. Every apple employee is a drone who forgot to think for themselves.
Wow- This is why Apple is a fantastic company, even when they do something detrimental to a service like 1-1, they can rely on promoters to smooth over the cracks.
I have promoted the one-to-one training experience to every one I meet as a tremendous benefit of owning an Apple Computer rather than another brand. I have convinced people to buy two iMacs, a portable Mac, and a Mac Mini in the past 3 years. I am the vice president of a Mac Computer Club, and a persistent booster of Apple products. I belong to one-on-one and ProCare, and have Apple Care (which will soon run out). I have bought for myself and others a Mac IICi, a 9500, a G3, three 2GHz G5’s, an iMac, and numerous iWork, and iLife programs. I have bought Apple hardware and software at CompUSA, 2 Apple Stores and Online. I am considering buying an iPhone with medieval AT&T service. I know quite a bit about Macs, but can always learn more. I do not think that severing continued training on Macs is a good thing for us long-term customers. I think a great deal of good will can be undone, unless some provision is made for us.