Need to learn how to use a Mac?  There's an app for that … and it's on sale.

Back in Oct., Apple released their fourth quarter sales figures, and there were many impressive numbers being thrown around. The statistic with the most meaning to the average consumer is that Apple sold 3.89 million Macs during the quarter, a 27 percent increase over a year ago, and of those sales, more than half were sold to people buying their first Mac.

As intuitive as OSX is, there's still a learning curve to be dealt with. Whether you are coming from a Windows environment, or just haven't mastered the Mac operating system like you would  have liked, a little bit of help could go a long way.

In comes a brand new App in the Mac App store called "Learning the Switch To Mac", a comprehensive overview of the basic functions of Mac with a few advanced lessons thrown in. Learning the Switch to Mac offers guided courses in performing the simple functions of OSX. Each lesson is lead by Syeed, a friendly instructor who shows you how to complete tasks then allows the user to mimic it. The program teaches users how to use Address Book, iCal, Dashboard and all of the basic programs you would find in your dock with each lesson lasting three to five minutes. The best part is that for a limited time the application is on sale for 99 cents. It's unclear what the app will be priced at regularly.

I have been exploring this app with my eight-year-old daughter who has been surfing the web on her Powermac G4 for about a year, yet she hasn't learned the basic OS functions. Over the last three days she has mastered Finder, Dashboard, Trash and Safari. It has been very impressive, and at bedtime instead of asking to watch more television, she asks to complete one additional lesson in "Learn the Switch to Mac".

If you have a friend or relative new to Mac and want a simple application to teach the basic OSX functions grab "Learn the Switch to Mac", it will be the best 99 cents you have spent. Frankly, if this was a $9.99 application it would still be worth every penny.

TechnoBuffalo readers, what kind of training software have you used that has been both effective and affordable? Let me know in the comments below.

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