by Ron Albu

First, I want to extend my immense appreciation for the privilege of allowing Terrence Young and me to represent HMAUS at Macworld 2011, and for  having the opportunity and luxury of being immersed in tech for a few days. Tomorrow, it’s back to reality and the work that has piled up.

I want to convey some of my thoughts about where I see Apple and tech in general are going and to lay out some issues for HMAUS to consider as we move forward.

The iPad has brought a sea change to the world of computing and communication. The iPad and the iPhone (and thus iOS) now outsell all other Apple computers (i.e. OS X) by a long shot. The tech world is still reeling from the impacts and figuring out how to respond to iOS. Hearing the leaders expressing their experience with what is happening and their thoughts about the future has been very thought provoking, and I am still digesting all of the information.

My week started with Les Posen explaining the art of Presentation Magic, and as the week progressed, I saw many things that I had not realized before. As Les points out, Apple, as embodied by the leadership of Steve Jobs, is all about magic. Witness the magic mouse, the magic trackpad, and Steve’s keynote when he first revealed the iPad, describing it as magical. Apple knows how to get the tech world as excited as a crowd waiting to see what tricks a magician will pull off next.  Apple truly is magical in that, with everyone speculating about the next big thing, or what changes will be revealed in the next product refresh, or wondering when the next new thing will happen; Apple rarely fails to surprise. Even on the financial side, Apple consistently provides conservative guidance on future income and market share, and then consistently outperforms the financial markets’ expectations. Apple has grown to the extent that it is now the second largest enterprise in the world, based on market capitalization.

Because the iPhone and the iPad are now the most important part of Apple’s business from the financial standpoint, it is not surprising that much of Macworld 2011 was focused on the iPad and what it means, what it can do, and where it and iOS are going. Some of the big names in the Apple world, such as Andy Ihnatko, have focused on learning to use the iPad as a Macbook substitute when traveling. He believes that an external keyboard is an important accessory to iPad use. When attending sessions, many attendees were taking notes on their iPads using keyboards and stands to prop up the iPad to act as a monitor. Others see the iPad as a totally new tool for doing things in different ways. Witness the exploding growth of apps and downloads and the expectations for print media moving to the Internet and tablet devices. For this type of computing, a physical keyboard is unnecessary and creates more, not less, baggage.

As usual, it was common to hear comments about the things that Apple should have included in the 1st generation iPad, or are hoped will be included in the next generation iPad (about which there is lots of speculation as to when exactly it will appear and what the changes will be). Sometimes when hearing these comments, I am reminded of Microsoft machines that try to cram in every possible feature to try to please everybody. But if you step back, you will realize that the heart of Jobs’ approach is to keep Apple products elegant and easy to use. Apple does not include every bell and whistle and clutter up its works of art. Rather, the features evolve with many magical surprises along the way.

Several presenters noted that, while iOS is basically a stripped down OS X, iOS does have some enhancements and features that are not yet available in OS X. Some complain that iPhone and iPad lack wireless syncing, a USB port, and easy wireless printing. Personally, I have concluded that these things are missing simply because Jobs wants to start clean and simple and then develop future generation products with these types of features only after they are perfected (i.e. easy, elegant, and reliable) and there has been some time to see how users react to the products. Similarly, many experts see OS X evolving to include some of the new features found only in iOS. Swiping and the magic trackpad are hints as to what may be coming. Indeed, as the power of the iOS hardware advances, along with battery technology, it is likely that these two systems will merge.

Adam Engst led a session about what we know and don’t know about Lion. Given Apple’s secrecy, there simply is not much knowledge about Lion. Although Steve Jobs pretty much promised that Lion will debut this summer, not a single build has been seeded to developers and January is already over. That simply does not leave much time for developers to make sure that their existing products will function under Lion without any glitches. This could indicate that Lion will not be a major upgrade, or, it could mean that Apple is preparing some new magic and doesn’t want any competitors to have a chance to catch up. Apple appears to have a tremendous lead over everybody else when it comes to new products. I expect rapid development of faster and more powerful processors for the iPad along with battery technology that will continue to enhance the mobility of the iPad.

Although the Macbook Air did not get much discussion at Macworld 2011, I did see a number of them. Personally, I envision that  the Air might simply be the first in a new lineup of Macbooks with both hard drives and DVD drives/burners going the way of the dodo, making room for larger, more long life batteries, yet thinner and lighter machines. Cloud computing will significantly reduce the need for storage and DVDs for loading media and music. I also believe that the pace of development of faster processors and graphics, along with ever improving battery life and larger and more available flash storage will revitalize the Macbook line as more portable, yet still very powerful machines. Even if the personal computer market slows down in general, I believe that Macbooks will continue to increase sales and market share as they change with the times.

Other trends.

Macworld Editors Jason Snell, Christopher Breen, Dan Frakes, and Dan Moren held an “Ask the Editors” session in which they were asked about the debut of their iPad magazine. At last year’s Macworld, they had announced that the iPad edition of Macworld magazine was coming soon, but it took them much longer than they had anticipated to roll out 1.0. Part of the problem is that Apple has so far refused to allow a magazine subscription model, so that magazines have been available only at news stand prices, rather than the usual much lower subscription prices for print magazines. This is about to change with the new announcement about a new Rupert Murdoch subscription publication. The debut is a big deal with a joint announcement being scheduled with Murdoch and Tim Cook. Murdoch has set up a completely new news organization with all new staff and reporters for their iPad publication. Since Apple is prominently involved in this announcement, the Macworld editors believe that, once again, Apple has come up with a new and magical approach to online news that could change journalism, or at least give it new life, rather than simply just producing a digital copy of the print media.

Personally, I have watched the decline of the print news media and have seen journalism devolve into a 24 hour news cycle with endless mindless talking points and little in depth coverage or reflection. What we have is lazy journalism. Our Fourth Estate is in trouble. If Murdoch is involved, I have to confess some trepidation about the hopes that iPad and tablets would provide for the revival of healthy professional journalism. We shall see. I was delighted to see that the Macworld editors are very thoughtful and well informed journalists and that they demonstrate the kind of analytical thinking that is critical to honest, quality journalism. I was equally delighted to hear that the print magazine portion of their business remains profitable. They are the first to acknowledge that we are in fact in the middle of a sea change in technology and communication powered by technology, and that the industry is having to deal with and adapt to this change on a daily basis.

We live in very interesting times.

Of course, these changing times raise questions about HMAUS, what we do, and what we should be doing to help our members adapt to, and stay ahead of the curve of new technology. HMAUS needs to change with the times and continue to be an important resource for the community.

Finally, I am happy to report that when Terrence and I approached presenters as well as vendors with requests for program presentations and donations of raffle items for our events, we were warmly received and our requests are being considered.  Everyone chuckled with delight when we presented them with small packages of macadamia nuts, and appreciated the Aloha spirit. Who doesn’t want to come to Hawaii? It was a great experience, but I’m also glad to be home.

Aloha and Mahalo,
Ron Albu

Let’s look at the iPad features you already have with iPhone: Safari, Mail, Video, Photos, YouTube, iPod, iTunes, App Store, Maps, Notes, Calendar, Contacts, Home Screen, Spotlight Search.  Wow, seems pretty complete already doesn’t it?!

But, let me help you “upgrade” your current device to be just as fancy as the iPad, and all for under $50!

* E-reader Capability:

one of the biggest new features of the iPad is the ability to read books on your device, called “iBook”. Well, “Classics” app (free right now, usually .99 cents) has been around for a while for iPhone/iPod Touch and gives you the same kind of look/feel as the $500 iPad but on your smaller screen. Great app, get it now while it’s on sale!

* Excel, Powerpoint, Word Document Viewing and Editing:

iWorks on the iPad looks great, but costs $9/each and are “coming soon”. “Documents to Go” ($14.99)
– is available in the iTunes app store now, and waiting for you to give it a try. (I personally haven’t used it, so you’re on your own to review it.)

* Large 9.7″ screen:

OK, that’s kind of tricky to fix, but check out this accessory from Amazon — for only $29 you can now view your iPod Touch/iPhone with so much magnification it will be IN YOUR FACE without limiting your multi-touch ability! (Great for Grandma and Grandpa too!)

So you see, for under $50, your “yesterday’s” device is new again!

by Dave Greenbaum, dave@clickheretech.com

So you didn’t get an iPhone? Sorry. Maybe it was the cost. Maybe it was your cell phone contract. Maybe it’s AT&T’s coverage where you live. Or maybe you just don’t like buying a 1.0 version of anything. For me, it’s all the above.

However, with all those smug people walking around with their $600 Newton 3.0′s you can one-up them. What you have right now can be better than an iPhone. Yes I said it — you’re better than they are. At least my therapist is telling me to deal with my jealously by saying this.

Let’s start with the iPod. How can you extend the capabilities of your iPod to compete with the iPhone? Yeah, you’ll need to carry your phone and iPod around, but if you drop your iPod or your phone you’re still out much less money. Unlike your cell phone, the iPhone doesn’t come with accidental damage insurance like other cell phones. For a few bucks a month and a fifty dollar deductible, I’m back in business after a date with the pavement.

Don’t forget that the iPhone holds much less music than your standard iPod. A four gig iPhone isn’t going to carry much stuff, but a well configured iPod has music, podcasts, videos, and more. Size is an issue! What’s the point of a iPhone if it neuters your digital lifestyle?

With all that extra space on your full iPod what can you put on it? Want to watch YouTube videos on your iPod? No problem, Jax by Joesoft (a division of Prosoft Engineering) does that! It installs into iTunes and allows you to easily transfer videos to your iPod. Not only will it do that, but it will synchronize your Apple Mail, Word Documents, and PDFs. Heck, it will even download weather forecasts, driving directions, gas prices, movie showtimes, and stock quotes. Apparently the 3.0 version will tell you the next president, but Joesoft is working out the bugs on that (just kidding … maybe). Oh, and Jax works with an iPhone too, but that’s kind of redundant. While Jax’s content can’t be updated live, that’s fine … you’ve got your mobile phone for that. Be sure to check out Andy Inkahto’s “iPod Fully Loaded” which will help you get even more out of your iPod.

Flipping over to the phone side, most modern mobile phones have the ability to surf the web and that ability will close the gap for live content for when you haven’t synced with Jax. Google is the leader in mobile content. Point your cell phone browser to http://m.google.com to access most of Google’s content in a format easy to read on most devices. This means that you not only can you do searches, but you can access your email, calender, driving directions, movie times and even live YouTube videos. Be sure to use Spanning Sync to sync your iCal with your Google calendar so you have your iCal on both the phone and the iPod. This all sounds very iPhonish to me — without buying anything new. More advanced phones that support J2ME can download Google apps to give a complete Google experience on the phone. Who needs Safari if you can access all of Google? Things don’t look pretty on your average mobile phone … but considering the iPhone is using previous generation data speeds, using your Razr on a 3G network phone means you can’t read the New York Times as pretty as on an iPhone, but you’ll be done reading in half the time!

What about some of the cool features like visual voice mail that lets you pick out individual voicemails to listen to? Not a problem. Sign up with GotVoice at http://www.gotvoice.com. This service in both free and paid versions will retrieve your cell phone voice mails and put them in MP3 format to download. After signing up go to http://m.gotvoice.com and pick and choose which mp3 to listen to. Can’t listen to mp3s on your cell phone? No problem, just use http://www.simulscribe.com and Simulscribe will transcribe your voicemails and send them to you in SMS format. With the iPhone you can only read who sent you the message, with Simulscribe you can actually read the message. iPhone … do you need a hanky … are you actually crying?

Ah, but what about when Steve Jobs showed off finding Calamari in San Francisco (yuck, calamari). He searched for “seafood”. No problem. Send an SMS message to 46645 with the parameters “seafood restaurant, San Francisco” and get a Google listing back with local places. Ironically, when I did this the top result was Farallon, which any Mac historian can tell you happens to be the name of a very famous Mac company that invented the PhoneNet connectors and TimbuktuPro – which became part of Netopia and now Motorola, which is a cell phone company!

With a few key websites and pieces of software, you can simulate much of the iPhone experience without having to trade in either your phone or iPod. Want both at the same time? Superglue and Velcro are possible options, but do that at your own risk. That hybrid, though, still probably weighs less than the iPhone. Be proud you aren’t burdened with the limitations of an iPhone … until your cell phone contract runs out at least. Then feel free to look down upon the rest of us with your new iPhone!

Originally published and written for the Lawrence Apple Users’ Group 2.0 http://www.laugks.org/news and published by the author at http://www.clickheretech.com.

In his yearly Presidential Address, Terrence Young, our newly elected HMAUS (Hawaii Macintosh Apple Users Society) president issues a stirring “call to action” to all members to take a more active role within the organization. While this may prove somewhat effective in motivating non-participating members to become more involved in the regularly scheduled events and activities that the organization sponsors, I believe that it may be found lacking in one area that I strongly feel may be crucial to the continued success, nay – even to the very survival, of this organization.

The area that I speak of is Membership. We must find a better way to recruit new members into the fold. We have a truly incredible mix of members running the gamut from professional computer consultant to our very own “Un-Techie Tutu,” but we need this influx of new blood to keep us vibrant and alive! We already have established recurring educational activities that serve both to entertain and inform our members, but how do we acquire those elusive new members? How do we inform them and the general public of our very existence? These are questions that require and deserve much more thorough research and investigation. In light of that and the importance of this issue to our organization’s mission and goals, I would like to humbly propose that we appoint a panel to discuss this (and all membership related issues) at our next MGM (Member’s General Meeting) or at the MacSpringFest.

I would recommend that the panel consist of a fairly representative cross-section of HMAUS members, young and not so young, experienced and not-so-experienced users, long time HMAUS members and brand new ones. Each one of these members brings something different to the mix; each has his/her own reasons for joining and continuing to belong. We need to respect and consider all of these aspects to determine how we can best reach and meet the needs of our prospective members.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day” nor will we be able to find all the answers we seek or create a successful membership campaign in the course of this public panel discussion, but it could serve well to focus our attention and efforts in this area and allow us to better define a positive course of action.

I truly believe that there is a need for HMAUS today, even though many would say that the internet and the sheer numbers, proliferation and intrusion of computers into our everyday lives on both a personal and professional level and the accompanying exposure of much of the public to computers since an early age, would seem to negate that need.

Although some user groups have grown in recent years, many are going through difficult times, having experienced declines in membership over the recent years. During the “Golden Years,” we had vendors lined up for events and donations of software, and even equipment were not unusual. Heck, we even received assistance from Apple in the good old days! Now those supporting organizations are few and far between and their numbers are dwindling rapidly. Monster groups that used to have thousands of people attending meetings have faded into near oblivion. The massive and powerful BMUG (Berkeley Macintosh user group) and BCS (Boston Computer Society) are no longer with us. The BCS, founded in 1977, grew to become the largest personal computer user organization in the world with over 30,000 members in fifty states and forty countries. At its peak in the late 1980s it boasted more than 75 different user and special interests groups and held more than 150 monthly meetings. For many these groups helped with their very first computer, for others they were a source of advanced technical information. This and other such groups were instrumental in influencing the growth and evolution of “personal” computers. Major manufacturers like Apple and IBM used their meetings to introduce new products. In fact, Apple introduced the very first Macintosh at a BCS meeting in 1984. Despite its place in history, it folded in 1996. BMUG lasted a short while longer before closing up shop in 2000 and then reemerging as an on-line presence known as PlanetMUG. Many feel that the rise of the Internet as a source of information and the growing sophistication of today’s computer users caused these groups to fail (Dvorak 1).

There’s no doubt that user groups used to be much larger and more active ten to fifteen years ago. At one time Oahu itself had two groups that were each larger than HMAUS is now. Considering the large increase in the number of computer users, this decrease in membership becomes even more significant and puzzling. This does not appear to be relative to the merits of each individual group, but almost an across the board decline. (Frick 1)

People that I meet in my daily meanderings through this digital universe are quick to confront me with innumerable questions or concerns once they find out that I am an “Apple Person.” Most of these are novice users and “switchers” feeling their way around unaided. I try to insure that their experience is a positive one whenever possible, and if I don’t know the answer myself I can always forward them on to another friend who may be able to help. It is these many instances that, sometimes painfully, reinforce in my mind the need for HMAUS to become more visible to the general public. Many of these people knew little to nothing of our group when questioned and were very eager for more information, which I gladly provided.

All of us run into problems that we may find difficult to solve at one time or another and I must admit to having my own select cadre of “Mac Geeks” that I too turn to in times of need. Many are searching, but who can you turn to if you don’t know what’s out there?

A long time ago, on a planet far, far away, I was one of the two Mac guys at the old Computer City store in Waikele. I was an old Mac user newly hired and newly arrived on the island, with nowhere to turn for support and fellowship. But not for long, it turned out that HMAUS had a presence there on Saturday afternoons, in fact a very commanding presence in the form of HMAUS members Mel Fowler and Rob Morgan. Each Saturday, one or the other would come and set up shop in the Apple section of the store. There they would dispense sage advice, performance tips and other goodies, all at no cost to the interested public. They didn’t bother with the hard sell; after all, this is Hawaii. They distributed special event flyers, copies of the Signal newsletter and membership applications, all with a healthy dose of “Aloha” thrown in for good measure.

Thus began my own thirteen-year relationship with HMAUS. Throughout the subsequent years I have been lurking around the fringes, sometimes as a member, sometimes not (EV and I used to joke around that I was the longest non-member in good standing!). Throughout all of this time, through my transition to CompUSA (with the advent of the “Apple Store within a Store” concept), through my move into private consulting, the one constant in my digital domain has been HMAUS. I have expanded and continued to practice my own personal Apple “evangelical” work by preaching the HMAUS gospel to all the non-believers who would take the time to listen.

There are very serious concerns relative to the future existence of user groups; their educational viability–the ability of members to teach each other newer technologies–could be made worse by the fact that the average age of user group members is increasing. There are very few new members joining now who are fresh out of college, or even under the age of 35 for that matter. Younger people are more apt to congregate in an online setting than attend regular meetings once a month. Online education may be a viable option for us one day. We must remember that we are competing with a wealth of readily accessible informational resources and find ways to differentiate ourselves. (Woodie 1)

“The future of HMAUS and other user groups will depend on how well the leadership will be able to recognize and adapt to changes in the computing environment.” (Villaluz 1)

I urge you to consider the benefits to both you and your organization of bringing in these new members. I feel that it is imperative that we take steps to reach out and touch these people in the same manner that I was lucky enough to experience. Mel and Rob served to put a face on HMAUS for me and while it might not have been the prettiest one – it got the job done. I believe that we need a similar type of outreach program today. We need to reach these new users where they shop, where they congregate, even where they live – and I’m willing to give up a few of my Saturdays to help do it!

How about you?

Works Cited

Frick, Douglas. Email

Villaluz, Eugene. Email.

Woodie, Alex. Special Report: The State of OS/400 User Groups, Part 2. 29 April 2002. <http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh042902-story04.html>

Dvorak, John C. User Groups Overlooked Again.
PC Magazine. August 2002

HMAUS member William Gass submitted this paper in April 2007 as an assignment for his English class on Argumentative Writing.

I don’t often write opinion pieces, but I had something on my mind after WWDC. Let’s see if I’m right about all this.

When Apple changed its name to Apple Inc., it wasn’t only celebrating its victory over Apple Records and the Beatles, it was branding itself as more than a product; rather a philosophy. Apple enthusiasts have been talking the Apple way and “Think Different” for a long time, of course. Apple products are well known for being easy to use and understand.

Apple came out with the iPod and for the first time successfully extended its brand of computers. The Newton was a failure because it was too complex to understand and too difficult to use. At the time, I thought the iPod was a joke. I had a Nomad Jukebox which easily worked with Mac and PC, had replaceable rechargeable batteries, and easily fit into existing CD cases. The iPod was overpriced, less powerful, and less compatible. I was wrong because it wasn’t about how functional it was, but how people felt about it. It was the same concept of the disposable camera: more expensive than buying film but easy to use.

With the iPhone, I still believe it is an inferior product. I said at MacWorld, and I’ll say it again, the first virus in the “wild” that self-replicates and installs without requiring the user’s password will be via the iPhone. The iPhone will be popular, highly configurable … and to be easy to use, bypassing much of the Mac’s security. In addition, I don’t want my phone to crash, because my cell phone company already makes my phone frustrating by dropping calls all the time. You thought the screen of the Nano was susceptible to scratches … just wait to people start abusing their phones. Of course, with the iPhone, the scratches won’t just be aesthetically displeasing, but the phone will cease to work.

That being said, I think the iPhone will be successful. The iPod and iMac are now brother and sister, made from the same genetic stock with common traits. iTunes is the glue that holds these two products together and extends the reach of Apple. At WWDC, Apple made it clear that even the Leopard operating system will be more like an iPod and iPhone, using the visual and stylistic elements common to all three. It will be a short matter of time, before the touch screen features of the iPhone extend to an iPod and then to an iMac. The ability to shift from portrait to landscape mode on the monitor will also be a common element.

In the near future, the difference between an iPhone, iMac, and a iPod will simply be the software it runs. Learning one product will instantly make you an expert on all the others. This is a common user experience in other walks of life. Even if you’ve never been to someone’s home, you generally know that hot water is on the left and cold water is on the right. If you drive a Toyota Corolla you have a pretty good idea where the key features on a Toyota Camry are.

To further extend this common experience, Apple is creating more software for Windows to train the next generation of Mac users. Already, a user of iTunes instantly understands how to use iTunes for the Mac. They then extend that experience to iPhoto and iDVD. The minute they actually use a Mac, they have a better experience because the iTunes philosophy and experience is becoming more and more a part of the operating system. The first time a majority of Mac users heard the term library to refer to a collection of information on their Mac was via iTunes.

Boot Camp for the first time was Apple saying, “If you can’t beat them join them.” If people insist on running Windows, we are going to do a better job of it than Microsoft does. We are going to create a Windows experience better than Microsoft can deliver: the ability to run Windows software on your Mac. Now the best machine to run Windows is Mac.

Safari is a further extension of this philosophy and a risky one at that. Their plan could fail if Safari doesn’t create the cult following of Firefox. Internet Explorer is lousy, we know that. Netscape is the Woolworth’s of browsers—simply couldn’t compete though people use it for nostalgia value. Safari will have to be significantly better than Firefox to win Windows users over. I personally don’t think it’s going to happen. Safari on Windows is still Windows, and whether it’s Apple’s fault or Microsoft fault Safari crashed, people will blame Safari and it will hurt Apple’s brand image. People will still buy iPods, but won’t look at the Mac with reverence and awe and will view it as another computer susceptible to the same problems Windows users have. If Safari is lousy on the PC, then it’s lousy on the Mac … and therefore because the Mac relies on Safari, their Mac will suffer crashes just as often as a PC. It won’t, but the perception will still be there from Windows Safari users.

However, if Safari is successful on the PC, I firmly believe Apple will extend their reach to the ultimate on the PC: Finder for the PC. Then Apple will truly have its cake and eat it too. Unsuccessful, and they’ll be caught with pie on their face.