Apple Offers Free Jaguar Tutorials To .Mac Customers

by , 10:00 AM EST, March 20th, 2003

On July 17, 2002, Apple launched .Mac, and was immediately inundated with cries of shock and disbelief from iTools customers used to getting Mac.com mail and other courtesies for free. Many understood why Apple decided to charge for its Internet based services, but many decried the US$99 a year price tag as being far too high for services provided.

A bit more than six months have passed, and much of the negative reaction to .Mac has faded. Apple has steadily increased the value .Mac provides; Virex virus software, and Backup software were the first benefits, followed by online .Mac mail, syncing of local and online address books, and now a comprehensive tutorial on using Jaguar. Apple has unveiled the tutorials, billing them as "for members only," and only available online. From the e-mail announcement that went out to .Mac members:

We added a new link to the Member Benefits page today, providing exclusive .Mac member access to Getting Started with Mac OS X v10.2 (Jaguar). This collection of more than 80 online learning modules covers the Jaguar basics. Whether you're new to Mac OS X or one of the rest of us who's just never really had time to explore the details of how it works, you're likely to find these online learning modules interesting and helpful. Each one contains a QuickTime movie plus Practice and Tips panels, and you can watch them in whatever order fits your needs and interests.

There are eight major subjects covered, including areas like the basics of moving around the Jaguar desktop, to the slightly more complicated topics of Mail and Address book. Apple has also included practice files that you can use while going through the courses.

Apple's Jaguar Training Courses are available to .Mac customers for free.

The Mac Observer Spin:

While some may say, "Big deal," to many it may be exactly that, a big deal. There are lots of new(er) users to Mac OS X from both the world of Classic Mac OS and Windows who can benefit from tutorials like these, and it will certainly add to the value of .Mac to those users.

That said, it would seem that it would be worth Apple's while to make the tutorials available to the general public. If so, they could act as both sales brochures and tutorials. Perhaps Apple feels that they can sell more .Mac memberships with this service, and again, it certainly does add value to .Mac.

What do you think?

Apple's Jaguar Training Courses