Waiting only 23 years after the media-glitzed introduction of the Apple Macintosh, cable Internet provider Videotron has decided to start supporting the operating system used by hundreds of thousands of Quebecers.
I can’t find the press release online, so whether this will apply to subcontracted technicians who have never heard of Macs isn’t clear.
At this rate, they should have basic Linux support by 2020.
UPDATE: Roberto forwarded me the press release:
The only provider with in-house experts for Mac support
Videotron now supports Apple/Mac platform
Montréal, December 17, 2007 — Videotron has announced that it now supports the Apple/Mac platform in its regular customer service operations. The move will benefit the growing proportion of Videotron subscribers who use Macs. Customer service, technical support and technical quality staff have already received training to enable them to guide customers towards connectivity solutions between Apple/Mac systems and Videotron’s service.
“As the only major Internet Services Provider in its service area to support Apple/Mac users with in-house experts capable of solving Internet-related problems of all kinds on Apple/Mac platforms, we are proud to be able to serve this growing customer group,” said Manon Brouillette, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Content and Product Development.
Supported applications
Forty Videotron customer service employees have received training and are able to advise Apple/Mac users on setting up Mac software such as Apple Mail, browsers and Mac OS 10.x and higher, including Jaguar v10.2, Panther v10.3, Tiger v10.4 and even Leopard v10.5, the release of which was announced in October. Like other Videotron services, this support is available 24/7.“With the booming popularity of Apple and Mac products today, we are confident that our decision to support these platforms and meet all the needs and challenges involved will have a very positive impact on customer satisfaction,” said Manon Brouillette.
As of January 2008, Videotron will be offering Mac users an Internet kit that has been fully redesigned for Apple/Mac systems, including installation CD, modem box and documentation.
Security on the Mac
Videotron has decided not to offer any security services for Apple/Mac products for now, since Apple/Mac systems have little vulnerability to security threats. However, the growth of Apple’s market share may eventually lead to the introduction of Mac security systems similar to what is available for PCs.
Videotron Ltd. (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access services, cable telephony and wireless telephone service. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its illico interactive television system and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of September 30, 2007, Videotron was serving 1,616,000 cable television customers in Québec, including 720,000 illico subscribers. Videotron is the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 899,000 subscribers to its cable modem service. As of September 30, 2007, Videotron had activated 39,000 phones on its wireless telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to nearly 574,000 Québec households and organizations.
When I moved to my current address in 2004, a Videotron tech was sent to get me set up. He spoke very uneducated joual, and he seemed taken aback by my (even then) rather ancient Mac G4. He called his office, explaining in a panicky way that I had something frighteningly new that he’d never seen and he didn’t know what to do.
I turfed him out. Videotron called me back a bit later asking me if I was satisfied with the service. I explained that it had been pointless and asked some questions of the tech who’d called me, figured out in about five minutes that the only glitch was that something left over from my previous Bell Sympatico settings (a checkbox) was set wrong for their system, and voila. Been working ever since.
Isn’t MAC suppose to JUST WORK? ;)
Isn’t LINUX for the Techno-bourgeois elite who already know everything there is to know about IT?
Why support it?
That’s just the thing. Macs do just work. Which is why I don’t need a tech guy telling me to press a non-existent Start menu. Just activate the modem and I’ll start surfing, thank you very much.
Macphile branded and sold. lol. So when you guys buy the MACs do you get chips installed in the back of your heads? Don’t get me wrong. I want one, just to keep things simple for my photo editing at home. But the way you MAC junkies are so religiously devoted to MAC is ridiculous. Your mindshares have been bought and sold by Apple.
“it’s a table, boring”
“No, no, it’s an iTable”
“Really? I want one!”
ROTF :D
Funny, where I work we have Dedicated MAC techs. They only fix MACs. Must be because they JUST WORK!
@ Dave
Assuredly one thing that is ridiculous is your continuous misnaming of Apple’s computer. Mac is the computer, MAC is usually an address that identifies hardware in a network (Media Access Control). If the techs at your work place are constantly fixing Macs have you given an iota of thought that the problem IBtKaS??
While glad that Videotron made the effort I must say i was always met with knowledgeable tech support with the 2 odd problems in 6 years of broadband use. In fact, when the technician installed the cabling for the cable modem (we already had cable for TV) he retrieved the install CD from the modem box, came to my desk, sees my mac and says: oh, you have a Mac? great it’ll be an early lunch :) and left.
Glad to have found your blog via Rocha’s blog, Steve.
@Frank if you want to nit-pick, I’m not misnaming, I’m misspelling it or mis-capitalizing it. But then all you got against my argument, is nit-picking at my spelling habits which only opens the doors for me to do the same in an endless tit-for-tat contest of childish bitch-slapping. So seriously, that’s all you got? EYE DEE TEN TEE?