Florida Association of Computer User Groups Spring 2002 Conference Report

Picture this: Apple. Adobe. Microsoft. Vendors. People. Computers. Presentations. Meetings. All in one place with a lot of sunshine.

What do you have? The Spring 2002 FACUG (Florida Association of Computer User Groups) meeting at the Civic Center at Kissimmee, FL. The meeting began with a dinner sponsored by Corel and ran through Sunday afternoon.

The meeting drew many of the FACUG user groups. The group is made up of predominantly PC users, but Apple users figure prominently (and I suspect there were no small number of Linux users in attendance as well).

The main focus of the conference was on people, not platforms. 197 people attended, representing 42 user groups, about 80% of FACUG's membership. Mac user groups, such as Gold Coast MUG from Miami, AMUG from Atlanta, GA, and Florida MUG from Orlando, represented a small but enthusiastic and unabashed crowd at the conference. Presentations (at either breakfast lunch or dinner) were given by Corel, JASC, Quicken, Ulead, Microsoft, Apple, and Adobe. There were technical panels and meetings for user groups officers. I know I have a bias, but several PC users were heard afterward saying Apple's presentation rocked!

Apple's focus at the breakfast presentation was the digital hub, with the new iMac as its centerpiece. "I" apps were demoed: iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, and iDVD. The stage was set by dimming the lights in the room and having the iMac in the spotlight.

Adobe demoed its InDesign OS X product using a PowerBook G4. Awesome.

What was exciting for me were presentations aimed at user groups. Topics discussed ranged from leading the user group to "what is a user group?" to publicity for your group. Apple figured prominently at these meetings; heck the user groups presentation was given an Apple employee from Cupertino. It was heartening to see Apple well represented there.

What did I get out of it? As the newly elected President of Florida Macintosh Users Group, I got a lot of info regarding the user group concept and sharing of "hands-on" experience from officers.

How does this apply for the Mac user at large? Share your Mac experience and enthusiasm. Go to Apple's website to find a user group. Join. Participate. Take your Mac experience to the next level.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac Portable, Sep. 1989 - The almost 16-lb. behemoth was innovative but not a smashing success.
Group of the Day: PowerList for those using Power Computing Mac clones.

Recent Deals

Best MacBook Deals, 01.09. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0 SD, $650; refurb 2.1 GHz, $849; 2.2, $899; 2.4, $949; new 2.1 SD, $945 after rebate; 2.4, $900 a/r; 2.0 Unibody, $1,199 a/r; more.
Best G5 iMac Deals, 01.09. Used 17" 1.6 GHz Combo, $400; 1.8 SuperDrive, $450; 1.9 iSight, $575; 20" 1.8 GHz, $500; 2.0, $625; 2.1 iSight, $699.
Best iPod nano deals, 01.09. New 3G/8 GB, $125 shipped; 4G/8 GB, $134 shipped; 16 GB, $175 shipped (most colors).
Best Apple TV Deals, 01.08. Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $220; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $320. Prices include ground shipping.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 01.08. New 2.8 GHz 4-core, $2,099 after rebate; refurb 8-core, $2,399; new, $2,589 a/r; 3.0 $3,398 a/r; refurb 3.2, $4,099; new, $4,099 a/r.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 01.08. Used 867 MHz Combo, $490; 1.33 GHz, $548; 1.5 GHz SuperDrive, $595.
Best 17" MacBook Pro Deals, 01.07. Used 2.16 GHz Core Duo, $1,190; 2.33 Core 2, $1,400; 2.4, $1,799; refurb 2.33, $1,799; 2.5, $1,899; new, $1,900; refurb 2.6, $2,299.
Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 01.07. Used 1.8 GHz single, $500; dual, $629, 2.0, $700; dual-core, $929; 2.3, $999; 2.5 dual, $900; 2.7, $1,089; 2.5 Quad, $1,399.
Best iPod shuffle Deals, 01.07. Refurb 1 GB '07, $39 shipped; new, $43; '08, $45; refurb 2 GB '07, $59 shipped; new, $58; '08, $63.
More deals in our archive.

Latest Deals on Low End Mac

More links in our archive.

back to Matt's Mac index

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, Apple Batteries and Apple A/C Adapters. Also Great prices on Used Apple Computers. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.