Introducing iSupport
Apple Matters recently caught up with Jeff Graber, CEO of The Mac Support Store. The Mac Support Store offers an alternative IT solution for companies by providing outsourced Mac support and consulting for Mac users in business environments.
Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the company maintains two additional satellite offices in Houston and Plano, TX. The company is an Apple Authorized Reseller, Apple Service Provider Plus, Apple Help Desk Provider, and a leader in outsourced services for the local New York and Chicago metropolitan areas.
Today The Mac Support store launches iSupport, a new way to keep your Mac running smoothly.
Hadley Stern: What made you decide to launch iSupport?
Jeff Graber: Ever since I saw the release of Netopia’s Timbuktu, I’ve always wanted to build a support and consulting service for Mac users that was on-demand. We actually tried to build it in 1998 with Apple’s ANAT, but the software wasn’t very good at the time and we promptly shelved it.
Hadley Stern: What is iSupport?
Jeff Graber: iSupport is secure, real time support, consulting and preventive maintenance, bringing expert knowledge to your Mac desktop when you need it, all for a flat monthly rate.
Hadley Stern: What is it filling in the marketplace that is missing?
Jeff Graber: A remote support and consulting service for Mac users that is both reliable and well organized.
Hadley Stern: What technologies did you use?
Jeff Graber: The heart of iSupport is Apple Remote Desktop 2, and the soul are the Remote Operators. We basically built our own complimentary software and added a secure server environment. The rest is confidential.
Hadley Stern: Can I be anywhere to use it?
Jeff Graber: For the most part, yes. We’re currently working on making it more ubiquitous.
Hadley Stern: It’s for any Mac user in the US?
Jeff Graber: Yes. Our testing spanned the entire US, and the service performance was excellent. We don’t have an international service at this time, but we’re looking at that.
Hadley Stern: Why is it better than going to genius bar?
Jeff Graber: Is this a trick question!? With iSupport, you get immediate attention by Mac Experts at the click of a mouse while sitting on your sofa.
Hadley Stern: Do you provide any other auxiliary services (backup, etc)
Jeff Graber: Yes, in this first version we’re including OS TUNE UPS, which run on an designated, automatic schedule to keep your Mac in tip-top shape.
Hadley Stern: What is pricing?
Jeff Graber: $49.95 per month. It’s a year long contract with an early cancellation fee of $99.
Hadley Stern: Does it involve installing something on user’s machines?
Jeff Graber: Yes, the iSupport installer package. It takes about 2 minutes to install.
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Comments
Gee, I can’t believe its not butter *g*
Is this supposed to be a business oriented service only? Or does one now give grandma service for $600 per year along with the iMac? And imagine your Mac really develops a serious problem - you’ll likely need another Mac just to reach the service…
Anyway, great idea, basically, but maybe it would be more interesting if you could also use it on a pay-per-use basis, this might attract a lot of private customers who are more likely to spend say $25 online than lug their Mac back to the store,
I agree. Seems to be very business-oriented at the moment, and most people who use macs at work tend to be designers or some other specialty profession that is already very familiar with the platform. They should take a lesson from the iTunes store and switch to a pay-per-use pricing strategy.