Over the weekend Apple held "secret" meetings with retail employees aimed at educating them on an upcoming support product aimed at providing priority technical support to small businesses.
According to Mac Rumors the service will cost $499 per year and support up to five machines with an additional $99 per year fee for any additional machines. The service includes the following benefits to small businesses:
- Genius Bar telephone support and priority access: Users will be able to receive call-in technical support from Apple Geniuses rather than having to visit an Apple Store. Those that do elect to stop by an Apple Store for in-person consultations will receive priority access.
- Loaner computers: For repairs scheduled to take more than 24 hours, Apple will provide loaner 15-inch MacBook Pros to carry users through while their own machines are out of commission.
- Workshops and setup: Specialized workshops will be held to assist small businesses with increasing the effectiveness of their Macs and other devices. Apple Geniuses will also provide setup for new machines, including data transfers and configuration of Microsoft Exchange and other services to work with companies' existing systems.
The service is expected to roll out on March 2 and will replace Pro Care.