Thursday, December 5, 2013

Gasp, drool and splurge: the new Macbook Pro has been delivered

My old 2006 Macbook Pro needed some serious upgrading, something that could only be resolved by buying an entirely new model. I was about to buy the fastest MacBook Pro just before Apple's announcements at the end of October but I held off to hear what they had to offer. I'm glad I did because they announced new, more powerful laptops at lower prices.

Now I own one of the fastest, most power-efficient machines money can buy. I clicked the Purchase button within an hour of the laptop becoming available online. I don't know why, but it was exciting to blow €2800 with a single click.

Good things come in big packages
But the best part of the deal became apparent a few days later. I walked into the Apple Store Amsterdam to discuss some issues I had with migrating from Final Cut Pro 7 to FCP X. The salesperson said: "...ahh, so you must have gotten the 'One to One' deal, then..." I had no idea what he was talking about but as it turned out, the 'One to One' deal means that when you buy a new computer, you can buy free, private lessons for an entire year for only €99,-

My heart jumped with excitement. This was exactly the boost I needed to make the transition. So I am finally migrating to Final Cut Pro X and I am getting personal training to pull me through and answer all my questions. So far I have had 3 sessions and it's a luxury to have a trainer to yourself.

I have paid €1000,- in the past for 5 days of Final Cut Pro training- and that was in a group. Now I pay 99,- for limitless private lessons; now that's serious customer service and marketing.

A Virgin laptop
 I had become skeptical of Apple: Apple had lost it's 'cool'/became too big/was the new Microsoft/became the iPhone and iPad company/had dumped FCP 7... in short, had removed itself from their original fan-base and lost its appeal.

But I am a fan again. Apple has done well to invest in education and building a relationship with it's customers. Because as we all know, business is goodwill, making your customers feel good about your product. And for the first time in years, Apple has me feeling happy again. Hallelujah.

Ready to do the work