Norton by Symantec has announced expansion of its NortonLive Ultimate Help Desk service to include support for Macs and Mac OS X applications.

This personal IT help desk service for consumers and small businesses with up to 10 computers now offers multi-platform support for Mac systems and applications, as well as Windows-based systems and many digital devices. With Norton market research finding that U.S. households have an average of 4.5 devices between desktop computers, laptops tablets, mobile phones and more, Ultimate Help Desk provides one-stop remote help.

According to a recent Norton research study, 11% of U.S. households use a combination of Mac and PC-based computer systems at home.  Both Mac and PC users cited performance degradation and Internet connection problems as the most common issues encountered.  One in four PC owners and one in three Mac owners expressed interest in a third-party technical support plan that would provide year-round technical service coverage for all of their computers and electronic devices, says Kevin Chapman, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Consumer Services, Symantec. 

NortonLive Ultimate Help Desk now supports Mac OS 10.5 and above, as well as iLife, iWork and Mac Mail applications, in addition to already supported Apple products, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod. It offers consumers and small business owners with mixed Mac and PC environments a 24×7 live service, available 365-days of the year. Subscription-based offerings are available as Personal, Family and Small Business plans with unlimited support for a broad range of computer and digital devices, including Macs, PCs, wireless routers, printers, scanners, smartphones, digital cameras, and more.

Prices start at US$19.99 per month per Mac or PC. For more info, go to http://us.norton.com/nortonlive/ultimate-help-desk.jsp?nv=pp .