If you sought support from Apple’s user discussion forums over the weekend, you may have noticed the service was down for an extended period of time on Saturday. This was due to Apple’s rollout of its completely redesigned forum platform. Rebranded Apple Support Communities, the service, and its encompassing pages, have undergone a complete redesign both in terms of aesthetics and functionality. In an effort to better facilitate a smooth transition for its large base of existing users, Apple has posted a series of tutorials on the Support Communities’ homepage. Covering the basics of creating a new account, asking and rating questions, and more, these tutorials are useful resources for new and existing users alike.
Though the site’s redesign has not received universal praise, many users have already reported it more navigable and useful than its predecessor. Apple implemented a new social-inspired rating/ranking system that allows forum users to “like” posts and rate them based on their helpfulness. Users can also mark individual posts as correct which makes finding accurate solutions faster and more reliable. In turn, posters with a large number of correct answers will receive increased forum privileges and better positioning on the message boards.
Apple’s established message board community is one of the largest and most dedicated in the entirety of the tech realm. As with any forum, not all information is accurate, but there seems to consistently be a higher percentage of correct answers. While not the exclusive nor definitive source of all Apple knowledge, Apple Support Communities can be a valuable asset and provide accurate solutions faster than simply “Googling it.”