Why should I subscribe to Apple's Support Professional program when I can find some of the same information on Apple's World Wide Web (WWW) page at www.info.apple.com? How do the two services compare to each other?
Apple's Support Professional Solution Series is a new approach to the delivery of vital Macintosh support information. Combining CDs, Support Notice! email service on important support issues, product and technology teleconferences, and fax transmissions, Support Professional is a comprehensive solution that helps you assist Macintosh users more efficiently and cost effectively.
With Support Professional, support administrators can reduce training costs, improve response time, and manage support resources more efficiently. It frees you to spend more time analyzing long-term support needs and strategies instead of dealing with day-to-day crises. It also provides information on new products and technologies and their impact on your support operations.
Both the Support Professional Solution 500 Series and 700 Series offer a wide variety of essential Apple technologies.
The quarterly Support Briefing System brings you a CD-based presentation on the latest Apple technologies. Each CD mailing is followed by teleconferences where your questions are answered by Apple engineers, third-party engineers, and other subject-matter experts.
The Support Information System (SIS), based on AppleSearch technology, gives you access to Apple's extensive support resources for fast, thorough problem resolution. You can set up an information server for your organization that supports natural-language or Boolean searches of Apple's Support Library and other Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) libraries. You can also store your organization's own support information. The SIS includes bimonthly CDs containing a wealth of information on Apple products, including product specifications, a current Apple software archive for disaster recovery and testing purposes, configuration and compatibility information, Apple's Technical Information Library (Apple's official technical support database), software updates, and Apple product manuals. Also included are archives of all previous program and support information.
The Skill Module System features modular, self-paced training for your help-desk staff, technology coordinators, and other support personnel.
If you choose the Support Professional Solution 700 Series, you'll also get direct, unlimited access to senior Apple support engineers through the Support Professional Escalation Line. Your designated contact people will have toll-free access—with a 60-second target response time—from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday. (Upgrade options are available for extended hours.)
Ordering Information
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If you would like to receive ordering information and/or a free Support Professional Preview Kit on the Support Professional program, you may call 1-800-745-2775 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Central Time.
The Internet - Apple Support & Information Web
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The Apple Support & Information Web provides a wide range of services. The URL (universal resource locator) is: http://www.info.apple.com (IP address is: 204.96.16.2). The focus is support information, but it's also a part of the greater Apple web site.
1) Apple Technical Information Library
The public subset of the Apple Tech Info Library, which is the Apple Assistance Center's official technical support database. Over 13,000 articles on Apple products, past and present can be searched by simply typing a word or several words into a text field and clicking a search button. The information is indexed by a Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) which is updated daily with new and revised information.
2) Apple Software Updates
All "freely" distributed Apple software updates, including printing software, system updates, network software updates and utilities are published to several ftp sites. Compared to commercial online services, an ftp site handles three to four times the file transfers in a given period.
This area points to the Apple.Software.Updates library on ftp.info.apple.com (formerly ftp.austin.apple.com). This library contains all free software updates. This is the same software that is posted to eWorld, AppleLink, American Online, CompuServe, and the Support Professional CD's and ftp site.
3) Apple Product and Support Information
A variety of information is posted, including:
- How to contact Apple Support by telephone, fax and online services.
- Apple fee-based support programs and services information.
- Top Ask Apple FAQ's, covering top questions and answers on Apple
products.*
- Apple Press Releases and selected new product information.
- Apple product datasheets in both text and Adobe Acrobat format.
- All issues of the "Information Alley," Apple Support's biweekly
electronic magazine, focusing on answering the questions asked
of the Apple Assistance Center.
* Also available in the Tech Info Library by using the keyword, kfaq.
Comparison Chart
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Support Pro Apple Support & Info Web
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Apple Tech Info Library Yes* Yes
Apple Software Updates Yes@ Yes
Apple Product Datasheets Yes& Yes
Apple White Papers Yes Yes
Information Alley Yes Yes
Apple Fax Documents Yes Yes
Top Tech Info Library articles Yes Yes
Apple Corporate Timeline No Yes
Press Releases No Yes
Apple Software Archive £ Yes No
Apple Product Manuals Yes No
Support Notice! email service $ Yes No
Skill Module Developer Kit Yes No
Skill Module Library Yes No
Support Briefing CD Yes No
Support Briefing Teleconference# Yes No
Phone Escalation Support (700 series) Yes No
* Includes the most complete Apple Tech Info Library containing "restricted access" articles, and is pre-indexed for use with AppleSearch (client & server included with Support Professional).
@ Included on the bimonthly CD-ROM discs AND through a Support Library Remote server accessible with Apple Remote Access or FTP clients, password protected only for Support Professional subscribers.
& Support Professional subscribers receive them via fax and on via the Apple Tech Info Library.
£ Complete backup of all Apple software on one CD for disaster recovery.
$ Includes proactive email messages on hot and emerging Apple product issues, announcements about new software update postings, and notification about new Information Alley postings.
# Subscribers can participate in a quarterly teleconference with Apple product managers and engineers to learn about new products and technologies that Apple is working on.
