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User Group News Bulletin
MacCamp: Portland Macintosh Users Group
For more than 30 years one of the wonderful benefits of belonging to the Portland Macintosh Users Group (PMUG) has been the opportunity to attend the group’s MacCamp sessions. Better yet, the 2023 Fall MacCamp is right around the corner: MacCamp is coming October 20-22. From enjoying the beauty of Oral Hull Park near Sandy Oregon, to great food, to fun networking experiences, to multiple training sessions and more, each camp holds a place in the hearts of those who attend. Is your group looking for a novel idea to build community and share knowledge? Check out PMUG’s MacCamp, and, while you are there learn about their popular PMUG Clinics (now via Zoom).
Visit PMUG.
Learn more about MacCamp.
AWUGU Meeting Report about Program Process by Tom Piper, Coordinator
- Larry Decker: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/filmphotography/id1178426648
- Steve Welsh: TidBITS survey examples: https://tidbits.com/2023/08/18/do-you-use-it-spotlight-sees-targeted-use-for-finding-files-and-launching-app/ + Apple travel kit: https://youtu.be/7Ff5SubwgEA?si=7m65zVQAXTxyoPBN + Ask Me Anything: https://www.danstutorials.com/event-calendar/ask-me-anything-webinar-2/
- George Brooks: https://www.worldbackupday.com/en + https://macmost.com/ + https://sixcolors.com/
- (see detailed Chat information in shared folder below)
News to Use: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 promote mental and vision health
Your members may have participated in a study using the Apple Research app. They may be using the Health App on their iPads now. But, did you know there is more to the story? Apple has research and new features that promote user health in many ways. For example, in June Apple introduced new features in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 that promote mental health and vision health, and so much more. read more…
Apple Support on YouTube: Taking Selfies with Voice Control and Shared Albums
Need a quick topic to include with your meeting? Apple Support on YouTube often has quick, fun, and easy-to-implement tips that your members will enjoy. For example, in under 1 minute your members can learn how to take selfies using only Voice Control.
How to take a selfie with Voice Control
Or, in right around 3 minutes your members can learn how to create and use Shared Albums in Photos.
How to create and use Shared Albums in Photos
Ambassadors, July is a great time to use Apple Support on YouTube
Plan for 2024: Focusing on Generative Artificial Intelligence at TCF
User group members enjoyed the 47th annual Trenton Computer Festival (TCF), the oldest computer festival in the world, sponsored by the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Electrical/Computer Engineering Department and supported by multiple user groups. Now, there are plans underway for an exceptional 2024 TCF. Next year’s theme is Focusing on Generative Artificial Intelligence and will be held on March 16, 2024 in
As you can see, TCF is not just another computer show. It was started by (and is still run by) computer hobbyist volunteers as a non-profit educational event. Attendees can enjoy a full day of learning and fun covering Computers, Electronics, Ham Radio and so much more.
Check it out!
Enjoy past presentations on the TCF YouTube Channel.
Meeting Idea: Apple Vision Pro
If your members watched the livestream of last week’s 2023 Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) they were probably amazed by the Apple Vision Pro, a spatial computer you control with your eyes, hands, and voice to interact with digital content in a way that feels like you are physically present in an immersive environment. Wow!
Want to offer your members a first look at Apple Vision Pro? Check out these resources:
AWUGU Meeting Report about WWDC & Purchasing Advice by Tom Piper, Coordinator
AWUGU Meeting Report about WWDC & Purchasing Advice
by Tom Piper, Coordinator
This Apple World User Group University (AWUGU) online gathering of Apple user group leaders was held at 5:00pm CDST, on June 19, 2023, via Zoom. We had 35 participants for WWDC & Purchasing Advice. The 81-minute video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/nqfhHR6sY2s (unlisted on YouTube).
This session opened with my welcome, plus a quick review of the meeting protocols. This was followed by a long open discussion about the WWDC announcement of Vision Pro. This was followed by a British video shared by Steve Welsh (OMUG) about the new features of macOS 14 Sonoma.
Related to the topic of World Wide Developers Conference keynote announcements, numerous opinions were shared and suggestions were provided by user group leaders with the following links in the Chat Room: read more…
Fun Blast From the Past: Macintosh Jeopardy
The Apple User Group Connection Archives offer a fun look back at past announcements, products, and meetings. February 1991 brought one session of MacWorld Macintosh Jeopardy. Want to see contestants answer questions from categories that include Jobs, Woz, or God? and DogCow, and answers that include 7.0 in the cereal category, Virtual Interface Adapter, or what the Dogcow says? Check out a tough competition starting around 42 minutes.
See how many questions you can answer:
News to Use: iOS 17 Preview
Your members probably want to know about iOS 17: what will the update look like? Are there features that make their iPhones easier to use or provide new experiences? The good news is that there is a lot to love in iOS 17, including updates to the Phone app, FaceTime, and Messages, a reimagined AirDrop for sharing, and new apps, including Journal and StandBy. Contact Posters lets users customize how they appear, Live Voicemail lets users see real-time transcriptions when someone leaves a voice message AND spam messages won’t appear in Live Voicemail. The Health app offers new mental health features too. In fact, there are too many features to list them here.
Check out Apple’s iOS Preview to learn more.
Timely Meeting Idea: Apple’s Privacy and Security Features
Your members have privacy concerns and a privacy and security meeting topic could be a hit. Apple builds in privacy at every level to help users keep their information secure. From Passkeys that can replace passwords with an easier and safer sign-in method, to Intelligent Tracking Prevention, Privacy Report to Password monitoring, Social widget tracking prevention, Fingerprinting defense, Private Browsing, Location fuzzing, Random identifiers, end-to-end encryption, and so much more, privacy is an integral part of the Apple ecosystem.
Start your meeting with the clever Privacy on iPhone video and go from there:
AWUGU Meeting Report about AUG Speaker Bureau by Tom Piper, Coordinator
This Apple World User Group University (AWUGU) online gathering of Apple user group leaders was held at 5:00pm CDST, on May 15, 2023, via Zoom. We had 38 participants for AUG Speaker Bureau (see JPG image and PDF attendance list in the AWUGU shared folder). The 73-minute video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/YRl2IojuZ80 (unlisted on YouTube).
This session opened with my welcome, plus a quick review of the meeting protocols. This was followed by a wide-ranging open discussion about the previous 1Password presentation plus speaker and ChatGPT experiences by many.
- Dale Stephan: YouTube link 1Password presentation — https://youtu.be/gyK4wPxM2o8
- Betty Larsen: Grey McGree at support@1password.com
- Dan Wassink: inspiration at https://coupleslife.info
- Ann MacKay: ChatGPT program possibilities — https://www.evernote.com/shard/s2/sh/421da156-9f94-02ef-df85-41a56605e2cd/DGUnqpaSmaZvQr8HpfIA-OEn4zVtzvJYrysvbRC49oEdZUHx5VSt98o5Xg
- Del Missier: Chuck Joiner — https://www.macvoices.com
- Nicholas Smith: MUG calendar — mugcenter.com, and add to AUG list — chuck@mugcenter.com
LACPUG: The Latest in Mobile Movie Making
The 6,000+ member strong LA Creative Pro community will hold their next meeting on June 28 at the Gallery Theater in Hollywood. And, the meeting will feature Sam Mestman, showing the latest in mobile movie making. Since Sam is now head of marketing for OWC, you just know he will feature the best of must-have equipment.
Still not sure? Stump the Gurus and the World Famous Raffle will be part of the evening’s entertainment. read more…
April Featured Vendor: RollingSquare
During Tom’s visit to CES, he met with RollingSquare, a Swiss company that calls themselves tech minimalists. Why? They focus on creating products that meet real-world needs, with an attention to high-end design, functionality, and premium quality. So, their products are beautiful, natural, and easy to use.
And, their offerings are truly useful. From their keyring form factor TAU® emergency power bank that charges multiple devices (Lightning, Micro USB, USB-C), to their popular inCharge® multi-function cables, their fast-charging GaN chargers, HYPHEN® 2 ear buds, NAKEY cases (for people who hate cases), and their new Edge mount kit and accessories, each product is aesthetically pleasing and functionally excellent.
Better yet, RollingSquare is offering a limited-time discount to user group members. Check out this month’s offers for full details.
AWUGU Meeting Report about Benefits of AUG Membership by Tom Piper, Coordinator
This Apple World User Group University (AWUGU) online gathering of Apple user group leaders was held at 5:00pm CDST, on April 17, 2023, via Zoom. We had 42 participants for Benefits of AUG Membership. The 85-minute video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/I8NaHQeKPzs (unlisted on YouTube).
This session opened with my welcome, plus a quick review of the meeting protocols. This was followed by a belated Artificial Intelligence presentation about AI for the Heart Human by Marie-fazia Boughenou (Hyper Pomme Paris) whose slideshow can be found in the AWUGU shared folder (see link below).
The first presentation was about ChatGPT’s view of AUG benefits by me (appleJAC User Group) showing five important advantages of membership. This was followed by individual AUG perspectives provided by George Rubin (retired NMUG President) and Eckart Goette (current NMUG President), Ann McKay and Hope Tillman (Apple Charlestown User Group), Nicholas Smith (National Capital Apple Mac Users Group), Dale Stephen (Mac-in-Awe Apple Users Group), Marty Welter (Central Wisconsin Apple User Group), Steve Welsh (The Oregon MacPioneers User Group), Bob Wood (Tucson Macintosh Users Group), Susan Jensen (The Apple Users Society of Melbourne), and others. There was also a brief discussion about succession planning and difficulties accessing the AWUGU iCloud folder (now fixed).
AUG invitations were also offered by Dale Stephen when on May 10 their two Mid-Michigan Mac clubs will host a presentation by 1Password and Janet & Charles DeVore when on Portland Macintosh Users Group of Oregon will be hosting their April 22-23 MacCamp. read more…
Apple and Earth Day 2023: Making a Difference
Did you know that Apple is already carbon neutral across their corporate operations and are on the way to making all Apple products carbon neutral products by 2030? You may think that you are aware of the many innovative products that came from Apple research, but did you know that Apple invented a line of disassembly robots (first Liam, now Daisy)? And, in 2022, Apple significantly expanded its use of key recycled metals. The results? Apple now sources over two-thirds of all aluminum, nearly three-quarters of all rare earths, and more than 95 percent of all tungsten in Apple products from 100 percent recycled material.
Helping the Community: CMUG’s Wonderful Charity Donations
Chris Kent, former CMUG President, and Steve Welsh, founder and President of the Oregon MacPioneers User Group, and past member of Apple’s User Group Advisory Board recently shared interesting news about the Corvallis Macintosh Users Group (CMUG). The group has been around since 1984 and recently disbanded. In accord with their bylaws, the group’s remaining funds were used to benefit charity. The group decided to purchase Apple hardware that would benefit selected charitable organizations in the Corvallis area. Better yet, board members and the donation committee met with the organizations to learn what would be the most beneficial for each group. In doing so, they made a real difference in their community.
CMUG gave ARC of Benton County 2 MacBook Air laptops, 3 iPads, 2 AirPods, and one Square Register Kit. Jackson Street Youth Services received 7 MacBook Air laptops, and the Old Mill Center for Children and Families were given 18 iPads (and one of the 21″ monitors that were in CMUG’s meeting equipment)
Wow!
It is sad to see a group sunset, but, as Steve Welsh said, “this is how you do it when you are a community Apple Users Group”
(Thanks to Steve Welsh, Mouse Tracks [The Journal of the Portland Macintosh Users Group], and Chris Kent for this news tip.)
AWUGU Meeting Report about AUGs and ChatGPT
AWUGU Meeting Report about AUGs and ChatGPT
by Tom Piper, Coordinator
This Apple World User Group University online gathering of Apple user group leaders was held at 5:00pm CDST, on March 20, 2023, via Zoom. We had 36 participants for “AUGs and ChatGPT” (see attached JPG image and PDF attendance list). The 85-minute video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/UF8yrq9ll68 (unlisted on YouTube).
This session opened with my welcome, plus a quick review of the meeting protocols. Doug Smith, Chair of the Apple User Group Advisory Board (AUGAB) provided backup support during the call. read more…
Meeting Topics: How to clean your Apple products
Need a timely meeting topic?
Your members may be newly interested in ways to clean their devices, and Apple has the answer. Be sure to check out Apple Support’s How to clean your Apple products page. From using safe products to the right techniques, your members can learn how to clean and disinfect notebooks, desktops, iOS devices, peripherals, accessories, cases, and more.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172
Ambassadors, April is a great time to use Apple Support articles.
News to Use: Apple Shop With a Specialist
Wondering which iPhone is best for individual member’s needs? Apple has a new service for US buyers, named Shop With a Specialist. The service is an interesting one, in that the customer can see the specialist, via a safe and secure, one-way video shopping session. The specialist can help visitors compare the latest iPhone models (including the new yellow ones), explore new features, and learn about Apple Trade In offers, carrier deals, switching to iOS, and various financing options. The specialists can also discuss add ons and accessories.
Think of it as a Genius Bar for iPhone purchases right in your browser.
A Blast from the Past: Apple User Group Connection
Want to take a look at the early days of Apple User Groups? The Apple Wiki has a collection of early Apple User Group Connection videos. This month’s link offers a young Wozniak, a look at MIDI when it was a new technology, and a reminder that even in the beginning Apple was at the forefront of assistive technologies. From a discussion of new technologies to award winning student projects and more, the videos truly are a fun blast from the past.
See what the User Group Connection was doing in 1987:
